Digital BW, The Print

>I recently purchased a UT2 inkset for my Epson 890 and have been 
>producing beautiful prints (thanks Paul!!). 

I'm glad it's working for you.  I've never seen 890 output.  I hope the U.S.
driver is the 1280 one and not the 1290, which appears to produce dark
results and may not be optimized with the 1280 curves.

>... curious about other's experience using matte fine art papers with 
>these inks.  I'm using Eboni black and would love to use something 
>from Hahnemuhle or Ilford or Legion, etc.

>Any thoughts or suggestions?

The curves I've published are a hint as to what I like.  

PhotoRag has the best dmax and a great image.  The sensitive surface has a
tendency to flake if not brushed or wiped off.  (Sensitivity to gas attack
is an issue that is tougher to get a handle on.)  The flaking problem is
common with all cotton papers.  

I have a roll of Epson UltraSmooth on my 7500 because it does not flake, has
an excellent image, though a dmax of a bit less than PhotoRag.  I also like
papers with no optical brighteners.  I fear buyers who see yellowing will
think the paper is acidic -- not necessarily true, but the burning out of
the OBAs does yellow the paper.  The fact that the Boston Museum of Fine Art
uses UltraSmooth for its reproductions is a big hint as to what some think
is the most reliable paper.  PremierArt sells its version in various sizes.
See Photo Warehouse at http://www.photowarehouse.biz/premier.html .



> Any papers I should avoid?

Museo & the similar Crane paper sold by Epson -- I'm sure Crane makes some
fine papers, but this one is not one of them.  It's archival and Optical
Brightener free, but I get blotchy results, and the printer seems to have
feeding problems after I try it.

Have fun.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

For UT2 information, curves, and settings see:
http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/