Digital BW, The Print

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "joe231354" <drjoe2@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2003 10:16 PM
Subject: [Digital BW] My apologies in Advance, a very basic question


> I am about to purchase my first inkjet printer.  I pretty much have
> settled on the Epson 1280.  I will mostly do black and white work.
> I am torn between using the MIS inks or the piezography system.  The
> MIS variable tone inks are interesting since you only have to buy a
> set and use one of the work flows provided on their site.  However
> the piezography system appears to have workflows for different
> papers worked out well.  However one has to purchase the software
> and if I want a cool or warm tone I have to purchase separate
> cartridge sets (I think). Please help, any suggestion or comment is
> welcome.
>
Joe,

You are correct in the differences between the two systems. I have used both
with good results. At the moment I have gravitated towards the Selenium
Piezotone inks and the piezo plug-in because I personally find the hue of
the inks very pleasing and I like the software. Once I got the print hue I
wanted, I have not been inclined to change around much. With a fixed hue ink
set you can have some variation in the hue of the final print by using
different papers.

It is such a matter of personal taste it is very difficult to advise someone
which way to go. It would be like trying to choose Oriental over Ilford
paper sight unseen. If you pursue B&W inkjet printing, you may wind up
sampling a few ink sets before you stick with one.

You can make excellent prints with both ink sets and their workflows. MIS-VM
costs less initially since the software is free and the inks are cheaper as
well. You all so have a wide range of warm to cool (or neutral to sepia with
the Sepia-VM). I think Piezo route offers a quicker path to a good print as
the ink to paper profiles are more refined with smoother tonal scales but
you are locked into a single hue unless you change inks.

While printing from cartridges is not the best solution it is a way to get
started and obtain some hands on experience. Try a couple of sets of MIS-VM
cartridges and then a couple of sets of Piezotone. You'll need to spring for
the plug-in though. Once you decide which you like plan on investing in a
CIS.

For a long time I couldn't choose and I had two 1280's set up. One with MIS
and one with Piezo.

Martin Wesley