Digital BW, The Print

Ernst,

Interesting that the R800 printer doesn't have a Black only option (or if it 
does, I haven't found it yet). What it does have are two B&W options. One is 
selectable when 'Best Photo' is chosen and a 'Grayscale' option appears on 
the 'Advanced' page with a limited set of 'Color Controls' (just brightness 
and contrast). The other is selectable when 'Photo RPM' is chosen along with 
'Photoenhance'. That gives you a choice of 'Monochrome' as well as 'Sepia', 
etc.

I've just printed a 21point grayscale (in grayscale mode) by both methods on 
Premium Glossy and they are very good. Not good enough for some on this 
list, but most normal people would not notice the minute deviations from 
neutrality. When I get a moment I must measure them with my Colormouse, but 
they are certainly the best I have seen using the Epson driver, inks, and 
paper from any Epson printer.

The dots on the R800 are so small, I can't make out which colors are/aren't 
used with a x10 lens. It needs a microscope. It is certainly using colors, 
and the HiGloss Ultrachromes are far superior to the ordinary Ultrachromes 
on glossy paper.

I'm waiting impatiently for the A3 version that seems to have appeared in 
Japan.

Bob Frost.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ernst Dinkla" <E.Dinkla@...>
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] StudioPrint, mono color management etc. was How 
reliable


>
> David B. Brooks wrote:
>
>
>> I agree with you about the Epson R-800. However, from my tests I don\ufffdt 
>> think
>> the Light Black ink is in play when Black only is selected in the driver 
>> to
>> print grayscale images. In fact the Light Black ink is a very warm black 
>> ink
>> if you paint some of the ink on a paper sample. But it is an interesting
>> possibility if a very fine droplet size and enough nozzles with variable
>> droplet technology were applied to making a B&W printer. The \ufffdsimple
>> elegance\ufffd of such a solution could be revolutionary \ufffd why not have just 
>> one
>> ink for black and white printing?????
>
>
> Black Only doesn't use the grey ink in Epson drivers.  I don't
> think it would be better either to add only grey to the black but
> adapting the color mode to black and white printing in a third
> choice of the driver could deliver better B&W prints than what is
> possible now. Using slight addition of color to get the
> neutrality and/or "toning" of the B&W print like QTR and
> ImagePrint do today.