Digital BW, The Print

Chris,

You wrote:

>Looking through the MIS Web site, I'm having a hard time getting a
>clear idea of how long I can reasonably expect prints made with their
>quadtone and variable quadtone inksets to last before noticeable
>fading occurs. Is there good info on this yet -- any real competitors
>for B&W.

MIS has posted their RIT test results.  The MIS Archival Color inkset was
rated for a display life of at least "50 years."  (I really don't know how
good these estimates are, but for comparison purposes, they have some value.
It's better than nothing.)

The RIT test of the MIS Archival Color was limited by the yellow pigment.
Generations, with it's new yellow pigment (the other colors appear to be the
same pigments) is now up to "75 years." (MIS will also sell this new yellow,
but it changes the color and won't work with the old profiles.)

Because the variable-tone inkset is based mostly on the MIS black, and uses
only very small amounts of the cyan and magenta in the toner, it should be
rated at much longer than this.

The variable-tone black is similar to the Piezo black and different than the
MIS black.  However, in comparisons tests I've done, they are equal in their
fade resistance.

In general, my testing indicates, consistent with the opinion of most
observers, that pigmented inksets will outlast dye-based inksets.  The more
pigment in an inkset, the more it seems to fade.  So, Piezo and MIS are the
competitors that I have been interested in.  I know of no other pigmented
B&W inkset.

I've done comparisons between those two, and the MIS fades less.  I believe
this is because the Piezo midtone inks contain significant amounts of dyes.

Note, however, in comparing these two inksets, that the Piezo inkset warmed
less than the standard MIS inkset at the 100 hour point of my tests.  They
were about equal at 200 hours, and the MIS pulled ahead at 300 hours.

I personally think that warming is more of a problem than fading.  The
carbon based pigments in MIS and Piezo should last a long time, on the right
paper (a major factor).  However, they do warm.  The rate of warming is
fastest at first and then slows.

What we've found so far with the variable-tone inkset is that the colder the
tone, the less the print seems to warm.  While some like to warm their
prints to achieve a more sepia color, I want my neutral prints to stay that
way.  As such, I have built-in some coolness in the variable-tone neutral
curve to absorb some of the initial warming.  (My next effort will be to add
a counter-shift mix to the toner to offset the warming -- but no guarantees
here.)

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com