Digital BW, The Print

Mark, 
As usual, with your directness and honesty, you hit the nail on the head.  

I agree with your sentiments. I don't think you will find any "hard facts."  But the "one year in the window" test as published at the Inkjetmall.com site regarding PiezoBW inks is good enough for me.  Color inks are another issue.  

Also, archive your files and you could offer a replacement guarantee for some time period...say original purchaser's lifetime for instance.  If the print fades beyond recognition, just print it out again at that time...gratis.  Look them in the eye when you make a commitment like that.... 

I'll join you for that beer.  Nashville must have a good pub.

Steadman
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Mark Tucker 
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2001 7:57 AM
  Subject: [Digital BW] A Call for Standards (Permanence/Stability)


  (NOTE: This should also probably be labeled a Rant, but I 
  haven't written it yet, but it's early, and I'm hung over, and I just got 
  back from a long road trip and I've been shooting in a 
  MaxSecurity prison, so I'm feeling pretty raw and 
  impatient.-MT)(But not "raw" like "that"...)
  -----

  Road trips are good. Especially road trips away from computers 
  and television. For me, I tend to get back into the big picture, and 
  stop micro-managing so much.

  What's hit me about this list, and about the Epson9000 list, and I 
  guess the Piezo list too -- EVERYBODY just wants to know if their 
  prints are gonna last (not fade). They also want to know if they're 
  gonna shift color.

  How many months (years) have we spent on these lists trying to 
  figure this out? And in my eyes, we still don't have much of an 
  answer. Wilhelm has flown the coop, or he's sitting in a 
  mountain bunker somewhere with a window, a flourescent bulb, 
  a tungsten bulb, and some ozone -- who knows? And what about 
  these supposed tests at RIT? Does anybody have any info on 
  those?

  Personally, I'm ready to get on with it. I'm just at that point in my 
  life where I'd simply like to start making and selling prints, and I'd 
  like to shake a customer's hand and look them squarely in the 
  eye as I receive their check, and send them on their way feeling 
  solid and confident. (Right now, I honestly cannot do that). It 
  seems like for every positive post about a certain paper/ink 
  combination, there's another one a month later refuting those 
  results.

  I understand that quote that Clark Thomas published (4099), but 
  at the same time, there's a point when you've got to stop testing 
  and start printing. That time, for me, is now. I am prepared to buy 
  almost any printer, if I can only be assured with some sound 
  backup that the prints are chemically stable. Hell, I might even 
  take the grandest leap of all, and get a PC machine to run my 
  7000, if it turns out that Piezo is the most stable.

  In my (uninformed) eyes, the two finalists right now are:

  * Piezo inks on (?) paper.
  * Color Pigment inks on (?)

  I may be wrong. If I am, please correct me, and fill in the blanks 
  for the papers. I have tried to start databases on this list, to try to 
  get feedback from people on their success stories. That 
  information never comes -- that leads me to believe that damn 
  near everybody on this list is sitting on the sidelines, with that 
  same puckered-up feeling that I have, wondering to themselves, 
  "will my prints fade in five years?"

  I am looking for hard facts. Solid information. I guess sticking a 
  print in a window is OK, but I'd also like to hear from a chemist 
  also about chemical reactivity between certain inks and certain 
  paper coatings.

  I like this the people on this list and all, but kinda like AA -- at 
  some point, you just feel like you ought to be ready to "graduate" 
  from it, and get on with your life. I'd say our goal, as a group, 
  should be to some time get together for a beer, but NOT to have 
  to talk about anything related to print permanence.

  Restless,

  Mark Tucker, http://marktucker.com


        Yahoo! Groups Sponsor 
              ADVERTISEMENT
             
       
       

  Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, Polls and other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:

  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint

  Please follow these basic guidelines:
  - Include your full name with your message.
  - Include the address of your website, if you have one.
  - As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to keep them short.
  - As the topic of a thread changes remember to change the subject header.
  - Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or "flames."
  - Complete your Yahoo profile.
  - Before posting a question, search the message archives and the various resources on the homepage. 




  Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]