Digital BW, The Print

OK, to follow up on my own post, I found this comment from someone 
who actually owns the PX-G900, which is the Japanese equivalent of 
the R800 I mentioned:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1013&message=6402074

One comment is hardly conclusive, but it at least supports my 
suspicion that B&W might be improved.  This person indicated B&W 
coparable to a 2200 with IP (no metamerism).  Though he did seem to 
be printing in color, not BO as I was talking about.

Anyway, that's enough about printers that aren't available yet.  Back 
to figuring out what I'm going to print with in the present.

Mike


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Botelho" 
<mfractl@h...> wrote:
> 
> As you folks may know, Epson just released a new 8.5" printer in 
> Japan that has 8 colors, including red, blue, and 'gloss 
optimizer'.  
> Now, unexpectedly, they've announced it's going to be released in 
the 
> US as the R800 (though not until Feb 2004).
> 
> Why am I mentioning this in a B&W forum?  Well, because the printer 
> can print 1.5 picoliter droplets and does not include light C,M, 
and 
> K carts.  Obviously the 'gloss' cart should really help with the 
> bronzing problem, and the R and B inks should improve gamut, but 
I'm 
> assuming they were able to eliminate the lighter carts because the 
> droplets have gotten so small.  Or, at least, I'm wondering if 
that's 
> true.
> 
> Anyway, if so, it would seem to offer another option for B&W 
printing 
> without metamerism, for those that don't care for the current look 
> of 'black only' prints I mean.  Assuming, of course, that the small 
> droplets eliminate what some people feel are the drawbacks of BO 
> printing.  (Which is not a criticism of BO printing, just an 
> acknowledgment that some people don't prefer it at its current 
state.)
> 
> Of course, I don't know it any of this is true, and it won't really 
> matter that much to most of us until these features migrate into 
> larger printers, yet I thought it was kind of interesting.
> 
> Again, just thinking aloud, now that I've come to find this subject 
> so interesting.
> 
> Mike