Digital BW, The Print

On 11/11/02 8:31 PM, "Paul Roark" <paul.roark@...> wrote:

> The PiezoTone WN & Selenium test strips that I tested had excellent midtone
> fade characteristics.  I have not tested the Museum black.  The UltraChrome
> matte black is the best I've seen in that category.  However, it must be
> pulled out of a 9600 cart, and its density on non-EAM papers is apparently
> not the best.  (But I've never seen numbers of either the UC or Museum
> blacks.)
> 
> (Robert, have you measured the UC Matte black density on Eclipse or other
> papers?)
> 
I haven't done the tests myself...I was working off of numbers that Antonis
had generated with his 2200.  I haven't put matte black into my 2200 yet.
The bottom line is that the matte black ink is great with EAM (about 1.75).
It is fair with photorag (mid 1.6's) and poor with other papers (low 1.5's
and below).  Personally, I don't see the advantage of working with matte
black unless the only paper you are going to print on is EAM.  It doesn't
seem like a good ink to base a quad black inkset on to me. The photo black
ink gives you the advantage of being able to easily switch between matte and
luster papers.  At this point everything I'm working with will be coated in
the end...so the difference in uncoated dmax doesn't really matter to me.
Photoblack on poor black papers like Somerset enhanced or Eclipse Satine can
reach a dmax of 2 when coated...the prints are stunning...compared to
uncoated prints matte black EAM prints.

Robert