Digital BW, The Print

I'm looking at which printer to buy and the two options for me on the market in New Zealand are the 1290 and the 1160.

I am puzzled as to why the only MIS inkset for the 1290 appears to be the VM inkset. I seem to recall Paul saying that the VM black is not as archival as other MIS blacks, which makes me dubious about the 1290 if that is the only inkset available.

The 1160 sounds like it has slightly less quality than the 1290, but maybe the greater range of inks (not to mention the lower price) would make it the better option?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

thanks in advance,
Richard
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