Digital BW, The Print

Hello Guhan,

>Clayton:  Am I correct in thinking that you believe (and others 
>too), that Eboni inks are superior to the K3 inks? (not only 
>d-max, but other qualities as well).  

Well...yes, no and maybe <g>.  You are actually lumping together
several things.  First, Eboni is "ink", not "inks".  Eboni is just a
black ink made by MIS that is used as the black component in many
different ink sets.  It is even used by some as the black in K3 ink
sets, with all the other inks being unchanged.  Eboni is a bit cooler
than the Epson K.  It's dmax is close to the Epson K (although it's
cooler appearance often makes it appear darker), and can measure with
a densitometer slightly more or less depending on the paper.  Most
people use it for it's cooler and prettier appearance than for dmax
reasons.


>(If I use BO with Eboni, vs. your 2400 K3 workflow, I'll get better 
>blacks, less shifting, etc with the Eboni...right?)

Eboni is the preferred ink of BO users because it is cooler than Epson
K and is rendered in a range of different warm-cool tones on different
papers and has a beautiful and clear look to the tones, where the
Epson K has a muddier look to it.  By "shifting" if you mean color
shifting, that's not an issue with Eboni because it has no dyes or
toners in it.

As for the BO workflow vs my 2400 workflow, they are both designed to
 be simple and easy and avoid the complexities of the calibrated color
management approaches.  There are pros and cons to BO vs 2400, but
they are mutually exclusive because a 2400 can't do BO.  The BO
workflow was primarily meant for pre-K3 printers.  With a 2400 we can
get smooth toned prints with the same ease and simplicity as the BO
workflow.  

The 2400 can do BO with a RIP, but then you are moving away from the
simplicity/ease part of the equation.  The only reason for doing so
would be if the particular BO advantages were desired enough that
using a RIP is worth it.  

So there are lots of variables in all this and it really boils down to
knowing what you want, why you want it, and what degree of cost, time,
effort and hassle you are willing to give in order to get it.

I hope this helps clarify things a bit.  It can be real confusing at
first.

Regards,
Clayton


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