Digital BW, The Print

Ernst,

>><paul.roark@v...> wrote:
>> ... latest version of the VM inkset running on the 7500.
>>UC VM 4.3 (my terminology) is 100% MIS UC clone inks. >
>> ... I think MIS is fairly
>> comfortable with the formula, since it uses inks the
>>are MIS inks and have been thoroughly tested.

>I wrote them ten days ago that I would like to order a pint set
>as soon as the formula was finished. They wrote back that I
>should wait for the announcement on the website. Any idea how
>long it will take ?

I don't know when MIS will be ready to sell the mix.  When you wrote to them
10 days ago things were much more unsettled.  My use of the Epson Archival
black in a couple of formulas turned out to be a mistake.  It faded and
messed up the rheology of the inkset.  This new mix, by staying with an
inkset that is made to work together, avoids the rheology problems, and the
MIS UC clone inks do very well in the fade testing.

>>... it could be that the 7500 uses an increased head voltage
>>that pumps out more ink per dot, making each dot darker.

>One of the few things that actually change in the 9000 to 9500
>upgrade is the firmware. ... In the firmware there's an extra
>cleaning setting + a higher voltage/frequency for the heads +
>possibly other changes we are not aware of.

In looking at the dots under a loupe, I can barely see the light gray in the
highlights.  However, further down the ramp, but still where the only ink in
the "warm" curve print is the light gray (which is in the yellow ink
position -- no built-in cross-overs), I see some roughness.  So, I think
that the main thing I'm seeing with my nose in the test strips is a dither
pattern.

> At least the identity: the XP 9500 Epson status monitor
>will not accept the 9000 as a substitute for a 9500, ...

When I use the 7000 diver with the 7500, the status monitor doesn't work.
This isn't a big deal to me, as long as use of the 7000 driver is not doing
any damage to the printer.

>The paper settings in all the Epson drivers have a special
>inklimit per setting. ...

With the 7500 driver the best/darkest black was the Watercolor - Radiant
White.  With the 7000 driver, Mike Kravit did quite a bit of experimenting
when we worked on the first set of vm curves and found that the Photo Paper
setting was the smoothest.  I find that on the 7500, the 7000 driver set to
Photo Paper gives a black that is as good if not a hair better than the
7500-Watercolor setting.  I get 1.68 with MIS 7600 Matte Black (probably the
same ink as PiezoTone Museum).  Given the outstanding fade characteristics
of this/these inks, I'm very happy with this level of performance.  It's as
good as I was getting with the 3000 and MIS VM/FS black with the old EAM,
and noticeably better than I can get with the new EAM/EEM and VM/FS black.

>GIMP-Print should be the cheap way to get a maximum inklimit
>setting possible for a given ink/paper combination.

I hope the computer guys can get this running for us PC users.  It sounds
most interesting.

> In the 9000 Epson driver ... Photo Quality Glossy Paper
>gives a higher black density than SemiGloss Photo paper. ...

That is the paper setting I used for 9000s also.  With the 7000 driver and
the 7500, it looks like Photo Paper is just a hair darker than PQIJ.

>... All minute differences if compared to RIP inklimit changes.

Yes, I'm sure that is the case.  I'll be curious what kind of black dmax you
can get with your RIP when you get these inks.

With the 7000 I noticed those running the PiezoPro driver were achieving
deeper blacks than the Epson driver could produce with the 7000.  I assumed
the 1.7 range the PiezoPro was achieving with PiezoBW K (essentially the
same as MIS FS-K) on old EAM was about the limit of what that paper could
hold.  This is good, but not enough of a difference from the 1.68 the 3000
and now 7500 can get to make me spend $1500.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com