Digital BW, The Print

>--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., sdmey4@a... wrote:
> Mark, with integegrity, and the utmost in high standards being 
at the heart 
> of your work, How can you risk your reputation and consider a 
dye based 
> printer?
> One premature fade episode and your screwed! 
_______________

I'm considering a Dye 7600 only for my commercial portfolio 
prints. They get beaten up so badly by FedEx and art directors 
that the expected life of those prints is only a year or so.

I will say that I have a whole bunch of 24x30s here that we made 
on ESFA with MIS dyes, in a 7000, and they are just as bold and 
stable and neutral as they were the day that they popped out of 
that printer, two years ago. I know in theory that dyes are less 
stable, but wouldn't it be a drag if, in twenty years, they turned out 
to be just as stable as pigments? I would kick myself for settling 
on the quality of pigments.

___________________
>Your the only one I can think of 
> that is very unhappy with the ultrachrome blacks,


That's not true. There has been much said about this on the 
9000 list. I can't speak much about the 2200 but I've heard that 
spoken of too. And also, I find that people don't seem to notice it 
unless they've had extensive experience with a good dye printer 
with a good profile (like I have). You don't miss it if you've never 
had it (that could apply to more things than the 7000).

________________

> Any idea if image print delivers a better black with the matt 
>black inks?

I saw those Gorman prints and Caponigro prints in NYC in the 
Epson booth. They were OK; not great by any means. The black 
was definitely lacking. That's the trouble with subjective 
interpretations; everyone has different standards; you gotta be 
careful what you take to heart that someone else has reported 
(that includes from me).

All I'm saying is just spend some time with a dye set like MIS 
1270-type dyes, and really work it, and you'll get prints that'll 
make your jaw drop. Blacks that look like they're a quarter inch 
deep. Once you've seen that, it's hard to go back.

_______________

I'm sorry if I came off as pretty "wound tight" today; maybe I was. 
Maybe I still am. But I'm just determined to "have it all"; I want 
charcoal blacks and trustable longevity, (and I wouldn't mind 
selling some prints too!)

-MT, http://marktucker.com/