Digital BW, The Print

Jerry,

You wrote:

>MIS says they are discontinuing several of their black inks, FS,
>VM, etc. They are replacing it with the 4.3
>Eboni black. Nothing should change concerning workflows or curves.

Yes, MIS also seems to be saying that just putting the new Eboni in the
system is OK.  Today, in response to my question about this, MIS sent the
following:

"Density is just slightly higher than the VM or FS black.
No compatibility issues between these and Eboni.
Cleaning and flushing not required.  ...  I will make
note of it on the [MIS] site."

So, I take it they think the new black ink can just be poured into the CFS
bottle.

Jerry, this new ink does not solve the problem that pigmented inks on matte
paper do not give a great dmax.  I think it's great for me and others who
want the longest possible life for their photographs, but I know you like
the blacker black of the dye-enhanced inks.  However, you wrote:

>The gen 4 black has a +100 year rating according to MIS.

Obviously you meant that Media Street, the seller of Generations 4, claimed
that Gen 4 has a 100 year life.  I must say that I really doubt that the Gen
4 Enhanced black ink has been rated that way by Wilhelm or RIT.  I have
never seen such a claim.  Perhaps some of the testing procedures test an
entire inkset by looking at the midtones where there simply is no black ink
present.  Perhaps that way the entire inkset was rated at 100 years, but
I've never seen that on the Wilhelm website either.

Looking just at the Gen 4 black ink, however, I don't see how it could be
called a "100 year" ink.  It has a great dmax and is the ink I recommend for
those who need that extra punch and don't need serious longevity.  However,
it is a compromise ink for those, like you, who want that punchier black.
It's not in the same league with the new Eboni or Museum blacks in terms of
expected display life.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com