Digital BW, The Print

Peter,

> I bought the pre-filled EZ inks for my C86, and the cartridges don't
> have stoppers. Does this mean that these aren't the Easy Refill
> Cartridges?  I'm starting to get low on ink, and I had planned on
> refilling.

If they are clear and have a spongeless reservoir, they should be able to be
re-filled easily.  Although it sounds like you will have to drill a hole.
(Be sure you're able to close the hole in an air-tight manner.)

If the carts are not clear with the spongeless reservoir, then bottom
filling in the old style will be needed.  With this approach foam will stop
you from getting as much ink in the cart as it originally had.  I'm not a
fan of bottom filling because it also makes the filter ineffective.

> On another note, I've been pretty happy with my two C86s so far, one for
> color and one for bw.  With color, I really like the look of Epson's
> Enhanced Matte. Is there a paper with a similar look that's archival?

The usual papers like Hahnemuhle, Innova and PremierArt are archival.  I
think the PremierArt 205 is a good, durable paper for a fair price (MIS now
carries this -- see http://www.inksupply.com/paper.cfm#pahp, and see also
http://www.itsupplies.com/cgi-bin/itsupplies.storefront/4284d4160161816c273f
40018014063e/Catalog/1518).   The Innova offerings -- a whole set -- are
very nice, with a slightly better dmax.  The "Ultra Smooth FibaPrint" is a
particularly interesting, nicely-priced option.  (See
http://www.shadesofpaper.com/innova.htm near the bottom of the page.)   H.
PhotoRag has a slightly better dmax that some see as the standard.  Be
careful of its sensitive surface.



> ... I also have some Epson premium semi-matte on the way. Does
> spraying it with Premier Art Shield increase the gloss with this paper?

It does change it a bit, but the positives outweigh the negatives.  I dry
mount this paper.  It then takes on some of the texture of the underlying
matte board, which may actually help make it look more like the silver
prints I'm used to.

Premium Semigloss is another good option that does have less texture than
Luster, which I also don't like.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com