Digital BW, The Print

Paul,

I read some informal test results at  
http://www.livick.com/method/inkjet/pg1.htm
that suggest Ultrachromes on PhotoRag (my paper of choice) have 
pretty good lonvgevity, better than Piezo inks.

As I have mentioned, I am using ImagePrint 5 with an Epson 7600, and 
at this early stage, B&W prints look completely free of crossover 
effects.  They look like gallery quality prints.  I don't know how 
prints from a 7600 with the standard Epson driver / gray balancer 
compare with this.  Digital printing is a moving target.

We're all beta testers now.
--
Quentin


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Paul Roark" 
<paul.roark@v...> wrote:
> > What will the new Epson quad set do that Imageprint cannot do with
> > the standard inksets and tint picker, I wonder?
> 
> I'm not sure a perfectly profiled 2200/7600 will make a top notch 
B&W
> printer.  If there is differential fading of the UltraChrome color 
pigments,
> the neutral print of today may look cyan 3 months from now.  I'm 
currently
> testing the UltraChromes for this as we speak, but it will take a 
while to
> get results.
> 
> So, a quad UltraChrome inkset would solve this likely problem.
> Additionally, a small gamut approach can greatly reduce the problem.
> 
> I think a small-gamut inkset for the 2200/7600 series makes a lot 
of sense
> and could be ready for release within a year -- possible from both 
Epson and
> a third party source.
> 
> These inksets are not mature products, and the ink technology is 
moving
> forward quickly.  There may be a 3rd party inkset that beats the
> UltraChromes -- and without the resin and metamerism.  It will be 
tested in
> a standard Epson printer soon.  If it works, the UltraChrome 
performance
> (sans metamerism) might be available to all our old Epsons -- with 
whatever
> driver you prefer.  These inks are moving targets.  There appears 
to be a
> bright future.
> 
> That said, we have to use the best of what is out there now.  I 
can't
> guarantee that the FS-K and PT-S midtones are compatible, but at 
first Jon
> Cone was saying that while the CIS should be flushed, there was no 
need to
> flush the heads.  This indicates that they are compatible.  
Frankly, the
> only compatibility problems I know of are with Lyson inks, due to 
their
> different pH.  All the popular pigments are compatible as far as I 
know.
> 
> Paul
> http://www.PaulRoark.com