Digital BW, The Print

Thomas Fors [tom@...] wrote:

>I just spent a couple of hours reading through patents, ...
>in general:

>...
>Carbon black yellows over time.

Yes, in my tests it does warm a bit, though not to the extent of the warming
we see in the older pigments.  That initial warming appears to be due to the
dyes burning off.  However, even the Epson Archival Black pigment -- the
toughest there is -- warms a bit.  It is so little, however, that I don't
think many will be bothered by it.


>  Epson has addressed this.

Yes, I addressed it in the FS-N inkset midtones also.  However, the approach
I used did not make the inkset more lightfast.  It involved a counter-shift
strategy -- a mix that offset one movement with another.  The fade rate
ended up the same as the standard FS, which was my target  at the time, but
it's not the best way to go for ultimate lightfastness.

>There is a lot of crap in these inks.  Reading the patents
>reminds me of the feeling you get when you visit a hotdog factory.

That appears to be how Epson addressed the problem, as far as I can tell.
Note that there is no carbon in the UC Matte Black.  It does not warm or
fade in the short run.  However, over the long haul, Epson reps/materials
seem to say the Archival coated carbon ink will be more lightfast and
resistant to gas attack.

Overall, I feel more comfortable going with a coated carbon particle than
the "proprietary dyes and pigments" that make up the UC Matte K.

Jon Cone has said that his Museum black is pure carbon.  I hope this is
true.  My initial impression of it was very positive.

I think from a marketing perspective -- especially to the skeptical B&W
"fine art" market -- a "carbon pigment" print is going to be a better way to
go than this unknown "proprietary dyes and pigments" mix.  Carbon is a more
traditional material they will be able to relate to.  The warming is
sufficiently slow and mild that it will (hopefully) not be any different
than the slow warming the traditional materials have experienced.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com