Digital BW, The Print

>... the different manufacturers
>providing the inks and also the 4-color 6-color difference.

>... I am trying to keep the cost as low as possible, so Piezo is
>prolly out of the question, MIS, with its workflows and
>new FS and neutral tones sounds better for me (and my wallet).

>... here in Australia 1160 are easy to get
>compared with 1200, however if hextone offers far
>superior quality then I
>don't mind spending a bit of time finding a 1200.

While some can see the difference in quality between the 1160 and the
hextones, I prefer the quads -- 1160 and 3000.  They are more flexible and
easier to load inks into.

With the variable-tone inks, the quads don't have a "light" toner position.
Thus, some see the toner dots in the highlights.  At viewing distance and
normal viewing conditions, I don't see them.  At very close inspection I do.
I think the differences with real world prints is minor.  Others may
disagree.

With the FS inks, which have a very light gray and no toner, I really doubt
anyone can tell the difference between an 1160 and 1200 output.

If you ever want to play with the Piezo driver and inks, the hextone Piezo
arrangement excludes the Epson driver workflows.  This is a serious
limitation, as the Epson workflows have some advantages in some
circumstances.  The ability to use alternative drivers and workflows can be
important, as none is perfect.  When one has a glitch that shows up in a
particular print, being able to use a different one is really nice.  The
quads can do this, the hextones cannot.

So, I recommend the 1160.

(I just paid nearly the cost of my 1160 to have it's heads replaced, and I
unplugged the hextone machine I had in it's place.  For me, the 1160's
flexibility and easy of use is more important than the hextone's marginal
quality improvement.)

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com