Digital BW, The Print

Richard,

>>MIS has put the C82 "Easy B&W" as well as the 
>>UT-2 inks on its web page.
>> See the "News/What's New" tab on the www.InkSupply.com
>> <http://www.inksupply.com/>  page.

>> The FS-N inks are not ready to go.  I think MIS is off on 
>>vacation and will not get to those until January.
 


>... MIS site ... also mention that they consider the VM series 
>as already replaced by the UT inkset, and the FS/FSN's will be 
>phased out as soon as their UT based replacements are ready.

MIS will keep "legacy" inks available, but de-emphasize them.  They just
can't service all the SKUs that would result if all the old products were
available forever.

>1. How long do you think it will be before the old FS/FSN inks become 
>unavailable? 

I don't know, but I'd expect bulk sales will continue for some time.
CIS/CFS owners should probably replace the carts yearly anyway.  The sponges
ultimately break down.

>If we have tuned workflows based on the old formula's 
>characteristics, can we expect some adjustments will be required to 
>adopt the new UT/FS-N's?

Yes.  No 2 inkset absorb quite the same.  However, my experience with the
UT-FSN is that it is fairly compatible with past drivers and workflows.

>Since MIS is moving so much of their product line to the UT 
>formulation, do you think any of the original inksets will remain 
>available in their product lineup? 

I have recommended a "legacy" category.  One problem is the confusion of new
customers.  So, the first list of inks a customer gets to must not be too
long & confusing.  We want the "Easy B&W" category to take as much or the
new/novice business as possible.  

Of course, one big purpose of the "Easy B&W" inksets is to reduce support
costs.  The curves are too complex for many casual users.

I also have another agenda.  The UT ink family is so much better that I want
the old inks off the market.  I think the warming of the older inks gives
the entire field a bad reputation.  Even carbon warms bit, but it's much
less.  The general reputation of the medium affects what we all can get for
our prints.  I want this medium to be accepted as an "archival" medium that
can command high prices.

Also, the RC/barrier paper compatibility of the UT family is important.  The
"fine art" folks may prefer cotton under glass, but the mass market wants a
more "photographic" look.  I think that is going to require RC papers --
which if Wilhelm is to be believed, can be quite archival (a real concern of
mine).

So, it's time to move the field to the newer inks, even if it requires a
little pushing.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com