Digital BW, The Print

Peter,

>I'm planning to switch from my MIS VM-Hextone CFS to the MIS UT 
>cartridges (non-CFS). My printer is the Epson 1290. Before I order 
>anything, I would like to ask some questions: 

>-What exactly are the differences between the VM and the UT inks?

The UT inks use better pigments.  The VM black and that from which the grays
were mixed had some dyes in them.  That is not true for the UT inks.

The UT inks are RC/glossy paper compatible.

The UT grays are warmer, being un-toned carbon.  The VM grays will warm up
to that level but start out cooler.

The UT neutral is truly neutral, with a "selenium" bias.  So, it's a tone
that much more precisely matches the lightly-selenium-toned silver prints
that I have made for years.  The old VM neutral was cooler to partially
offset the anticipated warming.

>-Do you need a special workflow/profile/curve for the UT-inks? If so, 
>where are they?

The UT inks were matched to the densities of the VM inks.  However, no 2
inksets react quite the same way.  So, on my 1160 the old neutral curve
worked very well, but the warm curve had a flat spot.  For the 1280, 1160,
and 3000, there are new curves that are just for the UT inkset.  They are
(or should be) on the MIS website.  (If they aren't let me know.)

For the 1290, I recommend running it with the 1280 driver and using the 1280
UT curves. 

>-Do you recommend switching those inks on the same printer? I've read 
>somewhere that a frequent change of the inktype may harm the 
>printheads. Or do you recommend buying a new printer for the new inks?

The only thing I have seen that indicates there would be any problem is that
the Eboni black that is used with the UT inkset is sensitive to dyes.  My
1280 had dyes in it.  MIS says there is too little residual ink in the head
to matter.  However, I think the dye on the parking pad caused me to have a
series of minor clog.  I rinsed and cleaned the pad and the clogging
disappeared.  Since the old VM ink had some dye in it, I would recommend
cleaning the parking pad.

I hope the new inks work well for you.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com