Digital BW, The Print

>Sam, It is getting rather difficult to keep track of all the inks that
>MIS makes now. How many sets do they have?

Enough to keep me uncertain which to try. But actually I think I'm 
troubled more by some problems with their web site and by their being 
close-mouthed about their new Full Spectrum (not Quadtone) inks. 
Maybe they've been acquired by IJM over the holidays?


>Someone who has been using the NEW epson 1280 black ( Guess it's
>available in a Pint if you get an epson 10000 cartridge), says that his
>prints are spectacular, and have incredible blacks. And that this
>version is not GREEN!  This sounds like what we've all been looking for.
>26 years before fading is fine with me.

Twenty six Wilhelm years is enough for me too, for many purposes, but 
I thought that was only with certain papers and under glass at that 
(and after being printed with a (new?) 1280 driver, which of course 
you have).


> It will outlive me.

You're an optimist! 8)  Remind me to send you a picture of the poster 
for a lost dog named "Lucky".

Sam


>Jerry
>
>BUT, a 10000 cartridge costs big bucks!  It just might be worth it though.
>
>
>
>
> > >Yup, I sent for the MIS dye black. $24 A PINT.
> > >
> > >Jerry
> >
> > Since Jerry wrote simply "dye" rather than "pigment-dye" or "blended"
> > black, I guess what he ordered is not the new MIS Full Spectrum (but
> > not Full Spectrum _Quadtone_) black. The following quote is from
> > <inksupply.com>, under the "Hot" (but dated mid-November!) button on
> > the first page:
> >
> > >We have been testing some new inks. They are archival, similar to
> > >our regular archival inks in terms of permanence. However, they
> > >print just like Epson inks and produce vivid, full gamut color
> > >prints. They are a blended dyebased-pigmented ink. We have been
> > >looking for a long lasting ink that can make dyebased equivalent
> > >prints. This is it. We are in the beta phase, and will not release
> > >this ink on the website until we have some official, Wilhelm type,
> > >permanence testing done. This is going to take at least 6 months, so
> > >in the interim, if you wish to try out this new ink, give us a call.
> > >We will make you a beta tester. This does not mean it is free, it
> > >just means that you can use it now. Price is less than the MIS
> > >Archival inks we are selling now.
> >
> > I called and was told that their Full Spectrum inkset is out of beta,
> > and that all its inks, not just the black (a la MediaStreet's
> > Enhanced Generations), are dye-pigment hybrids. But they wouldn't say
> > in which proportions (I think MediaStreet says their Gen4 black is 25
> > percent dye), what the density of the black is (although they do for
> > some of their other blacks), etc.
> >
> > I'd be glad for any additional information about this inkset. I'm
> > curious about it because it seems plausible that adding dyes to the
> > colors and well as the black might have increased the gamut and
> > decreased the metamerism without sacrificing any more of the
> > longevity, compared to Gen4, than I'd be willing to trade off.
> >
> > I don't know that it's black is any blacker than any of their pigment
> > blacks or any lighter than their dye black. But obviously it might be
> > a half-way house as a substitute for one of them.
> >
> > As for myself, I'm more interested in the possibility of using the
> > whole inkset as an alternative to Generations when I don't need 100+
> > Wilhelm years of longevity. But I'd be glad for any information about
> > any of it, on- or off-list if not applicable to BW prints.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Sam             samcc@...