Digital BW, The Print

>The problem is the 1290 has only 6 ink positions, so it is not possible to
>have the full UT2 set with both Photo Black and Ebony Black, as is possible
>in 2100.

The 1280 and 1290 with the standard UT2 setup can print on glossy or matte
paper when Eboni is installed.  With 2 dark grays, the dmax is about 5% less
than the Photo K.  So, I don't think the Photo k is worth messing with.  On
a paper like Ilford, with its great dmax, you'll probably never see the
difference.

> My idea would be to use only the blue toner, not the light blue, ...
>Is full tonality control possible with only the blue toner? Or would the
>light blue be a better option?

The UT2 cool gray inks are not the ones to use for this.  Use the single UT1
toner (M position in hextones, Y position in UT1 quadtones).  On glossy
paper up close, you might see some dots.

I think Roy uses a one-toner setup on his 7500 and gets very good results on
matte paper.

Good luck.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com 

For UT2 & UT7 information, curves, and settings see:
http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/