Digital BW, The Print

> The methods and materials to print B&W images on the Epson 2200 have
> been changing quickly over the last few months, as documented on the
> DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint list.  Mostly to get it all straight for
> myself, but also for those who have not been closely reading along, I
> thought I would put together a summary of the present possibilities
> for B&W printing on the Epson 2200.

Thanks for a good summary! I think something like this should be put in
the files section or on a web page as this is a frequent question among
new users of the 2100/2200.
Some comments below:

> 1) Ink: Epson
> Driver: Epson with Stock or ICC curves
> Results:  This is the 2200 "out of the box".  Tonality is fully
> controlled.  Metamarism is unacceptable for all but the most heavy
> sepia toning.

You forgot to mention BO with a reference to Clayton's excellent articles
about the subject.
> 5) Ink: MIS FS/VM/Ultratone
> Driver: Epson stock with Roark curves
> Results:  Not available for the 2200 yet.  Inks theoretically should
> work for the 2200, but only one person has tried them yet (see next
> entry).  Blank cartridges for the 2200 might be available soon.

From the mail I got from MIS it sounded like empty cartridges could take
at least another few months. Their supplier hasn't given them a specific
date yet.
So far the 2200 with Epson cartridges seems to be an excellent subject for
refills though. I have not been very careful when refilling my cartridges
- mixing different types of inks, flushing them with tap water, cutting
them with knives, changing chips, loosing pieces of plastic inside the
cartdridge and so on - but I have yet to experience a single clog from the
printer. Usually one cleaning cycle is enough to get the ink flowing.
This is the best resource for how to refill the 2100:
http://www.anestoday.com/epson2200/

These instructions could also be used by anyone wanting to build their own
CIS.
> Since Paul Roark does not have access to a 2200, there are no plans
> for curves and a workflow (MIS might benefit greatly from finding a
> way for Paul Roark to "access" a 2200...)  Theoretically metamarism  is
> eliminated and tonality is under limited control.
> 6) Ink: MIS Ultratone
> Driver: Epson RIP?

Nope. I'm just using the default Epson drivers.

> Results:  One person has tried flushing and refilling, with
> satisfactory results.  Details are sketchy.

For matte papers the refills works beautifully. The light black seem to be
interfering with the cyan position though, if I'm not mistaken they're
very similar, if not identical in tone. I get around this by reducing the
amount of cyan with a curve.
On RC papers with photo black It's just not possible to get a cool tone,
for some reason the photo and light black together make it impossible to
cool down the shadow areas. Also there is a problem with too much ink in
the shadow areas, I suspect it's related to the cyan/light black conflict
I mentioned above.
I think the inkset itself needs some modifications to effectively print on
all papers with the 2100 and the Epson driver.
Conlusion: Works very well on matte papers, but not on RC and Glossy papers.

> 9) Ink: Other inks
> Driver: Other drivers
> Results:  Other inks like Lyson, used alone or in combination with
> inks from other suppliers, are either not available for the 2200 or
> have not been tried on the 2200 by anyone reporting results to this
> list.

A sales representative from Lyson told me that they would be releasing
inks and a CIS by the end of march, but since then I've heard absolutely
nothing from them.
> 10)Ink: Bulk ink in "CIS" delivery system
> Driver: Any
> Results:  No bulk ink feed system is yet available for the 2200.
> There have been some rumblings about future availability.

There's at least two available:
http://mwords.co.uk/pages/cis/info2100CIS.htm
http://www.mediastreet.com