Digital BW, The Print

>Paul Roark wrote:

>>Since I'm still most interested in matte papers, I'm thinking of an
>>Eboni-based, matte-paper-only neutral/selenium gray based ink.  Eboni is
>>less warm than the UT black inks.  As such less color pigment is needed to
>>make it into a neutral-toned ink.  I just did some initial fade testing on
>>an Eboni-based cyan-position ink.  It did very well indeed.  In past
initial
>>testing Eboni black has beaten all the competing black inks I've tested on
>>matte paper.  So, this black with less color pigment should make a
superior
>>neutral ink -- and an excellent base gray for a new vm-s. ("Eboni-VM-S"?)

Keith wrote:

>And an "Eboni-VM-Se" (since 'Se' is the atomic symbol for Selenium)?

Yes, the neutral gray would be a VM-Se, of sorts.

The cyan will probably be the same density as the current VM and Piezo/FS
cyans, so it would also be easy to make one of those inksets from the new
Eboni-Selenium cyan.  I'll use the standard, readily-available clear base
from MIS and will probably publish the formula so that all will be able to
have a rock solid neutral inkset.  There is a dual source for Eboni (aka
Cone Museum, from what I can tell) so that consumers should not have to
worry about paying excessive rent to any seller.  Anyone who can develop
film will, I hope, be able to make this rock solid inkset for very little
cost.

Even though I'll probably make new toners for the 1280, the existing sepia
toner will probably work on the new base gray ink.  So, all the printers
that run or can run the current vm-s will be able to benefit from an
improved base gray ink.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com