Digital BW, The Print

Hello George,

I'll take a crack at this, and hope others will pitch in as well.

>1. He said you can't get a good dmax using the Epson inks on 
>matte paper. If I wanted deep blacks, I'd have to print on 
>luster or glossy papers. Is this true? 

It depends on your definition of "good" and "deep".  It is true that
with pigment inks, the glossy papers (which require the Photo Black
ink [PK]) produce better dmax than matte papers (which require the
Matte Black ink [MK]).  What is important to understand is that this
is not something that is isolated to the 2400.  It's an ink/paper
issue that's common to all the pigment printers.  There is no reason
to avoid the 2400 for dmax reasons.  Whether or not the matte paper
dmax is acceptable only you can answer.  But that issue shouldn't
affect your choice of printer.  Either way, the 2400 is one of the
best printers for BW ever made (and the other K3 models of course).



>Are others getting rich blacks with the Epson inks? 

It depends on your definition of "rich".  Many matte paper users love
the quality they get (regardless of which printer) and use words like
"rich", "gorgeous", "luxurious", etc. when describing their prints. 
Others won't settle for anything less than the kind of dmax they get
from the glossy papers.  It just depends on what you want.  Carbon ink
prints on matte paper definitely have their own unique look.  People
often say they resemble platinum prints.  I print exclusively on matte
papers and have come to love the absense of reflections.  Sure I would
like better dmax, but the prints I'm getting are beautiful and I'd
rather accept that than go back to reflective paper.  In a frame
behind glass I've had carbon ink prints on matte paper that are
indestinguishable from the same image on silver paper right next to it
(prints made on top notch papers such as Oriental Seagull, Galerie and
Ilford MGFB).


>If so, are you doing it with the ABW driver or having to use QTR?

I think the people who use QTR with the 2400 are doing it for other
reasons than dmax (using different inks or wanting to avoid the use of
Yellow, for example).



>2.He had heard of people using MIS eboni instead of the MK, but 
>warned that if the print head failed, the warranty would be 
>voided. 

I've heard that, but haven't heard any reports of it actually
happening.  As for Eboni, reports here seem to indicate that Eboni
dmax is better on some matte papers, and the K3 MK is better on
others.  The 2400 out of the box is top notch.


>Has anyone had a print head fail? Wondering how often this happens
and how others have handled (rationalized) this risk?

Not in my experience, and I can't remember hearing of that happening.
   From reports here it seems like most printers die for other reasons.


I use a 2400 and I love it.  It's a great printer and very versatile.
 There is an easy workflow outlined in article #9 at the web link below.


Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm