Digital BW, The Print

Bruce,

>...  I'd like to spray for glossy and print for
>matte with one inkset if possible.

Someday we'll have a true, pure-pigment, universal black, but it's not here
yet.

I sprayed some Ultra Tone RC print test strips using Eboni/matte black. I
used Epson Premium Luster and Epson Glossy Photo Paper.  I did what I'd
consider 3 light sprays, with a little drying with a hair drier between
them - all very quickly.

The Photo Paper print looks fairly good and has a dmax of 1.92 after the
spray.  The 100% black patch is not as smooth as the Photo K version, but
it's not bad.  The difference in finish is only detectable when one looks at
a reflection off the surface.  The black patch does not rub off (at least
easily), and finger prints do not show.  So, I'd say this makes a fairly
good and cheap glossy print.  It's not perfect.  In the reflections I can
also detect pizza wheel marks -- typical of glossy surfaces.  Also, of
course, spraying is a bit of a hassle.

The Premium Luster is not as good.  The dmax is only 1.75, less than the 95%
density patch, so it is "solarized."  The black also has a more distinctly
different surface.  The good news is the there are no pizza wheel marks.  It
may be that a really heavy spray would do the trick, but it's more that I
want to do.

It looks to me like people should decide what paper they want and then see
what ink and/or spray techniques will do the trick.  Different RC papers
seem to react differently to both the inks and sprays.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com