Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "neilsphoto" <neilsphoto@y...> 
wrote:
> 
> OK so before I ever got the UT7s to give me a good nozzle check the
> 2200 decided not to recognize most of them as even being there.
> 
> I can't do another test or clean or check because the printer thinks
> they are empty or heaven forbid 3rd party and it won't recognize them.
> 
> At first it liked them in there, now not so much.
> 
> Where do I go from here.  Maybe return them to MIS but why did they do
> it?  The chips are on the carts. Removing and reinstalling them makes
> no difference. Putting the OE carts back in and them reinstalling MIS
> makes no difference. It likes the OE carts but not the UT7s.
> 
> Ideas?

Why can't this industry get black and white right???!!!  It seems so obvious to me as a 
frustrated power user what needs to be done.  The good ideas that are out there simply 
need to be properly implemented and combined with the right materials:

Cone and MIS have the right idea about creating quad, hex or septone prints with carbon 
pigment inks, but they cannot get the manufacturing of those inks right at all.  There is no 
reason that a serious, high-production printmaker should have to battle constant 
clogging, run humidifiers, do rain dances and cancel important museum shows for the 
privilege of using their faulty inks.

Epson clearly knows how to manufacture pigment inks that do not clog, but they have too 
much of a big corporate one-size-fits-all mentality to bother with B&W.  Are you listening 
Epson???!!!  All they would have to do is create various dilutions of their "light black" ink, 
which is nearly the same as Cone's "Carbon Sepia."  For a cool tone set, a little dye or 
another pigment would just have to be added.

Lyson also has an excellent concept with their "Daylight Darkroom," a quad set plus low-
gamut CMY for variable toning (I used to make Iris prints with Omnitone low-gamut CMYK 
and it is an excellent solution for variable toning B&W).  Unfortunately, Lyson is using 
inferior dye inks that exhibit metamerism and do poorly in fade tests (I have tested them 
myself).  Why can't they figure out the obvious: take the same concept and do it with 
pigment inks???!!!  Can't they see the metamerism???!!!  I could see it within 60 seconds of 
opening their package of sample prints!  How could they invest all that time and money in 
Daylight Darkroom and not notice that the inks have metamerism and fade quickly???!!!

Or why doesn't Epson take Lyson's idea and do it with their own pigment inks that do not 
clog???!!!

Why don't these companies get master photographers and printmakers involved in the 
R&D process???!!!

Good luck trying to get MIS to reimburse you for their faulty cartridges!