Digital BW, The Print

Paul, have you seen any results of the piezotone COOL inks yet?

Jerry



Paul Roark wrote:
> 
> James,
> 
> >...about to switch inks from the original Piezo/Sundance.
> >.. replacing them with either Piezotones, or a blend of
> >MIS FS-N (80%) & FS (20%) inks.
> 
> >...ink/print permanence
> 
> PiezoTone midtones are more lightfast than the FS and FS-N, although the FS
> are better than the old PiezoBW/Sundance.
> 
> >... DSS syndrome
> 
> This is not a problem with either inkset as far as I know.
> 
> >I have read Jon Cone's published accelerated-aging tests of
> >Piezotone inks in comparison with MIS FS inks, and his claims
> >of under 2% fading of Piezotone, vs. a 17% fading, accompanied
> >by significant color shift, for FS inks.
> 
> The tests appear to be valid.  From what I can tell, I think that the FS
> inks do have a bit of dye in them.  This burns off quickly at first.  With
> the FS, this causes both some fade and substantial warming.  The FS-N fades
> just like the FS, but it does not warm.  So, visually, the FS-N would look
> much better in these comparison tests.
> 
> Note that once the small amount of dye burns off, the remainder and bulk of
> the FS inkset is pigment, which will be much more stable than the initial
> warming/fading period might suggest.  That is, one cannot extrapolate the
> initial dye burn-off to the long-term relative fade performance.  The fade
> rate is not linear, it slows substantially with the FS inks.
> 
> (I'm now assuming the black FS-K from which the FS inks are mixed does have
> some small amount of dye in it.  That is simply the best explanation for the
> performance of the FS midtones.  Neither I nor, from what I'm told, MIS has
> information from the manufacturer of the black ink about the dye content.)
> 
> >... FS-N is color/tone stable.
> 
> Yes.  It does fade at the same rate as the FS inks, however.  If you mix FS
> and FS-N, you will get some warming due to the FS inks.
> 
> (Comparison of different fade tests is apples and oranges.  So, I'm avoiding
> some of the numbers that have been mentioned.)
> 
> >...I'd like your current thoughts on this matter of fade and
> >color/tone stability of FS-N ink. ...
> 
> I still use FS-N, which is reasonably stable and looks good for a long time.
> That said, the new PiezoTone midtones raised the bar substantially.  When I
> originally mixed the FS-N, it easily beat the PiezoBW.  At that time only
> the Epson Archival inkset seemed to have an advantage, and it's metamerism
> made it unusable.
> 
> Times have changed.  The PiezoTone midtones are excellent, as is the
> UltraChrome inkset and it's ability to print reasonably good B&W.  When I
> did comparison fade tests, I saw that the FS and VM inksets really were no
> longer in the top performance category.
> 
> So, now I'm upgrading the inks I use.  An Epson Archival black-based inkset
> (no metamerism in the black) is aimed at the high end of the neutral
> Piezo-compatible inksets.  I hope that MIS will mix it, but that is their
> decision, and I have not received any from them.  I'll mix it if I need to.
> I think it will be the ultimate in ink permanence with today's technology,
> and that is where I want to go.
> 
> Today, I'm fine-tuning a new VM inkset that is in the UltraChrome class.
> 
> The direction I'm going is pure pigment (no dyes at all and fade tests that
> are consistent with this) and glossy-paper compatibility.  The two inksets
> mentioned above are ready to go as soon as MIS puts them through its tests
> and decides whether to mix then and when to release them.  A new vm-s that
> is Epson Archival ink-based will be next.
> 
> So, in a few weeks there should be a full range of what I'd call "class A"
> (in the 100 year and up range) inks out there for B&W printers.  Right now,
> I don't think the FS or VM inks are in that class.  Technology has moved on.
> 
> >I am also concerned that the Piezotone inks may, in the future,
> >lead to DSS or other problems affecting Epson print-heads. My
> >understanding is that the MIS FS and FS-N inks have not
> >exhibited clogging or DSS problems. Are you aware of any
> >reports of DSS with the MIS FS and FS-N inks?
> 
> I can't speculate on future ink performance.  I am told by MIS that they
> have a number of tests that avoid some of the problems that other inks have
> had.  However, this could be competitive puffing, and I don't want to get in
> the middle of that.  With any new product, there is some risk of
> unanticipated problems.  Reputations and track records are obviously
> important in this respect.
> 
> Paul
> http://www.PaulRoark.com
> 
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