Digital BW, The Print

Tim,

>I have been using Piezography inks for about a year but I now want to
>replace them as they tend to be rather warm on my usual papers and show
>marked metamerism.

I suppose all inks show some metamerism.  The Piezo level never bothered me
that much.

> Since I am not interested in toning as such but would
>like some ability to control the warmth/coolness of a monochrome print, VM
>looks to be a logical alternative. Several questions come to mind:
>1. Can VM be expected to have an indoor display life of around 50 years or
>more when used with suitable media?

Yes.  The weakest links in the MIS VM system were tested to 50 years as part
of the RIT fade tests of the MIS Archival Color pigments.  The Generations
pigments are up to 75 years in their Wilhelm tests.  In my tests the
Generations black fades and color shifts markedly more than the MIS VM inks.

>2. Does aging alter the tone of prints made with VM?

Yes.  There is an initial warm shift caused by light that is about 8 units
(of 256).  This is a hair less than what you may have noticed with the Piezo
inks, but its close.

>3. Is there marked metamerism? I use long-life, high efficiency fluorescent
>lighting at home and this emphasizes metamerism.

My office has fluorescent lights, and I'm not aware of bothersome levels of
metamerism.  However, I didn't notice bothersome level with Piezo either.
So, maybe some other list members could comment.  You might also want to get
a sample print.

>4. Does the choice of paper have a marked effect on the achieved tone?

Paper choice does affect tone, but not as much as the choice of which of the
control curves to use.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com