Digital BW, The Print

Paul Roark wrote:

>I'm also most interested in the apparent lack of light inks.  With a 1.5
>picoliter drop size available, I guess Epson finally feels it can drop the
>watered-down inks.  I think the light inks are flooding the paper with
>(expensive) water and glycol, to the detriment of print quality.  I was
>never fan of the FS-E ink arrangement, and I think Cone has made a mistake
>in going that route with his new Piezo ink order.  The old machines need
>these light inks, but as drop size has decreased and resolution increased,
>the need for the light inks has decreased radically.  I'm curious to see
>what the C84 can do with its 5760 resolution.
>  
>
I think Jon has decided on that route for:

1)   Ease of customer support - he ends up with the same basic ink setup 
for a LOT of printers, old and new alike.  Unfortunately it risks being 
like th guy who made software that ran great on a 286 but didn't take 
advantage of a 386, who refused to upgrade the way it accessed memory. 
You get replaced by other offerings that better use the newly available 
hardware.

2)   The large installed base he has of people who paid a lot for his 
Piezo software and gear...  A revolt among early devotees wouldn't help 
him...


>On the other hand, if there is no light black, is metamerism going to show
>its ugly head more?
>  
>
My thoughts as well.

>I also worry about what the driver is going to do to my ability to control
>the inks with the Epson driver.  Without a RIP, will we be able to control
>the red and blue spots?  This may be a step forward for color but a step
>backward for B&W.
>  
>
Scary, I've been thinking along the same lines..  Not only that, I'm 
wondering how many printer profiling packages will need SERIOUS updating..

Which is why if/when I end up buying an R800 and 4000.. or perhaps just 
whatever replaces the 2200 (probably my optimal choice, as unless I 
become a print shop I really don't have a need for the 4000), I 
currently plan n using it for color pigment work only...



 
Keith Krebs

"Just some guy," and caretaker of the Multiverse's largest EPSON printer 
User Community (highly recommended by Vogon Poets and MegaDodo 
Publications), at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EPSON_Printers/
 
"For the rest of you out there, the secret is to bang the rocks together 
guys"