Digital BW, The Print

I wouldn't be an excited buyer of MIS UCs with just the additional LLK.  QTR
arguably does a good enough job without it. The real gain, if any, (and what
I am excited about) with the K3 inks is the removal of the bronzing and
differential gloss issues not the addition of LLK.  So MIS needs to do as
well as or better on the actual ink construction before they worry about
another shade.  If they can achieve that then I think there would be a lot
of excited 21/2200/4800...users keen to run an improved 7 ink system.  To
MIS: forget the extra shade for now and focus in on bronzing, gloss/surface
reflection, dMax.  By their own admission they still haven't matched the
suspension technology of the R800/R1800 inks.

I ordered a 4800 today and expect it in the first week of June.  Not for the
LLK per se but for the better properties of the existing inks (in addition
to wanting a larger, more precisely tuned printer).  If I had a 4000 already
I would be salivating at the chance of running the K3 ink through it.  I
just wish Epson would make available "K3 less LLK" ink available in 21/2200
carts.



> From: Paul Roark <paul.roark@...>
> Reply-To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 09:07:36 -0700
> To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: RE: [Digital BW] Re: New Epsons & 3rd party inks
> 
> 
> The "better" ink may already exist for the 2200 -- UT7.
> 
> If I only want a B&W printer, then the 2400 with the magenta replaced by
> R800 blue clone ink may be a possibility.  That would give me the ability to
> profile the papers better along the green-magenta axis and also probably be
> more lightfast.  This could be done even with the Epson driver.
> 
> I suspect the first thing MIS should do is just be sure it has a clone
> inkset for the K3.  I suspect this means simply having an LLK -- which ought
> to take me about 15 minutes after I get a sample of Epson's LLK.  I suspect,
> however, MIS's supplier will have the LLK done before most of us have a
> printer or sample inks.
> 
> After that, the question may be whether there is enough demand for a
> dedicated B&W inkset for the 2400 to bother with it.  For the large format
> printers, setting up an inkset that can print glossy and matte without
> changing the inks may be worth the effort.  As such, the 2400 may be simply
> a test bed for that effort.
> 
> I think it'll take QTR or IJC along with a dedicated inkset to do the glossy
> or matte B&W printing system I have in mind.  With the Epson driver I won't
> be able to lay down the LK and LLK while at the same time controlling the M
> & C with curves.  So, a first step to such an inkset is for Roy or Joe to
> get control of the individual inks.  Once that happens, then a superior B&W
> inkset is very possible.
> 
> Paul
> www.PaulRoark.com