Digital BW, The Print

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Sintchak" <richard@...>
To: "Martin Wesley" <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 10:08 PM
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Selenium PiezoTones, a Review


> Tuesday, July 16, 2002, 5:00:01 PM, Martin Wesley wrote:
>
> MW> Regarding fading I have no data and I don't know how it will compare
to other ink sets. Jon has said it is undergoing RIT testing and did
> MW> well on in-house Xenon fade testing. I do notice some warming. It
takes about 12 to 24 hours for the prints to "settle" and achieve Dmax and
> MW> initial color.
>
>
> Martin,
>
> Excellent review. Thanks for taking the time to take such good notes
> and share your experiences and thoughts. I am just getting started
> with digital B&W printing but am getting more and more satisfied with
> my results and am looking to branch off into different directions in
> search of what I find most pleasing. So far my experience lies with an
> Epson 1160 and MIS FS carts. I do find this ink just a little too warm
> for my taste. Tomorrow a new MIS CFS is arriving with MIS FS-N inks
> and I'll be trying those out for a while. I do have another 1160 and
> am considering these new Selenium PiezoTones. Can you take a moment
> and tell me your feelings and comparison of the Selenium PiezoTones to
> both the MIS FS and FS-N? I'd sure appreciate it.

Richard,

Like you I find the MIS-FS and the original Piezo inks too warm for my taste
or rather too yellow-warm. This is just a personal preference and I have
seen many fine prints made with the FS. The FS-Neutral goes a little too far
in the other direction and has a blue cast to my eye. This is a shame
because FSN is the most stable and fade resistant grayscale ink we have seen
yet. The FS Standard is known to warm considerably. Both are too
monochromatic for what I am looking for.

I tried blends of 80/20 and 50/50 FSNeutral/FSStandard that I liked better
than either at 100%. The 50/50 blend is very similar to the Warm-Neutral
PiezoTone. You can find some info and scans of these trials in the Files
section in folder:

Files > Ink Sets > MIS > MIS FS

A lot of it is just a matter of what you like. Some people prefer a print
that is very even in hue throughout the tonal range and some prefer a print
that varies in hue or varies in a certain way. Unfortunately most of the ink
sets so far have had a pretty strong yellow component that I don't like. For
me the ideal is a variation that runs from cool white through magenta to
deep purple-black or chocolate-black.It should be a variation that is so
subtle that you really have to look for it to spot it.

I think that it would be possible to mix up a set from MIS-FSN and FSS that
had more variation in hue. Perhaps if the two were blended in different
ratios for each position say K=100%K(same for both sets), M=50/50, C=80/20
and Y=90/10 (all in FSN/FSS ratios). This would be a matter of trial and
error to find the tone that appeals to you the most. The same type of thing
should be possible with the three PiezoTones allowing you to customize the
look you want.

At this point though I would suggest you try a set of the Selenium
PiezoTones next or if the FS Standard was only a little too warm the
Warm-Neutral Piezotones might suit you. If you are using prefilled
cartridges there really isn't any price advantage to the MIS inks. In
bottles it is another story. For myself I use the ink I like the best and
the cost is not a deciding factor. It is the results that count.

Martin