Digital BW, The Print

Hey Scott,

I also have printed using OEM Dye Black + MIS VM on my brand new 
1280. I did it out of necessity, because the black VM catridge I 
received from MIS has a problem with the chip, and my printer would 
not recognize it. So, I just threw in the OEM Black that came with 
the printer. I have had no previous experience with the 1280/VM 
combo. Previously I had used the 1270/VM, but there were no available 
curves for the 1270 at that time, so I had tweeked the 1280 curves. 

So when I printed with the 1280/OEM Black/VM combination for the 
first time,  using the Roark 1280 NC curve, I got an excessively 
dark, and posterized image. Sometimes, I can get silly enough to 
print a image without first testing on a 21 step wedge(!).

Because of this first failure, I decided I would give this whole 
thing a fresh look. I decided that I would not subject my image to 
any adjustment curve, rather I would force the printer to lay down 
ink in the right proportions. So first I printed "straight-as-is", 
i.e., no curves, no adjustment. The image was medium warm, a little 
too bright in the mid-tones, and a little too dark in the 95% step. 
So I corrected this by using a transfer function in the printer 
dialogue of 95/92, 90/88. And, I increased image contrast by 5%. The 
print, viola, was nice medium-warm, and tonally a very good match 
compared to a previous print made with colored dyes on my old 1270. 
Then, to print the same image more neutral, I just used the magenta 
slider to +12. It worked just fine!

So, I am thinking that the VM inks without curves on a 6 color 
printer (4 color also?) is really a tri-tone solution - black, dark 
gray (normal+toner), light gray (normal+toner). You control tone by 
varying the amount of toner ink (as designed by Roark).

I will send you a print made this way. It is the same image I 
submitted for your print exchange, so you can compare directly with 
my previous attempt using the dye color inks.

Good luck with your efforts.

Shilesh

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Scott Hendershot" 
<scott@p...> wrote:
> Jeff,
> 
> I'm interested in your experiment with using the Epson Dye 
substituted for
> the MIS VM Black. I did the same thing with Cone's Color 
Piezography. I used
> Generations Beta Black instead of Cone's Black and the images had 
far more
> dynamic range. Unfortunately there was no way to keep the yellow ink
> flowing, but that is a different matter.
> 
> I think I am going to put Generations black into my 1160 in place 
of the MIS
> VM black and I am wondering if it will change the curves at all. 
Did you
> have to tweak Paul's curves to adjust for the denser black?
> 
> Scott
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jeff Magidson" <jeffm@g...>
> To: "digital bw group" <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y...>
> Sent: Friday, January 11, 2002 9:26 PM
> Subject: [Digital BW] MIS Inkset W/ Epson Black
> 
> 
> >
> > Hey Everyone;
> >
> > Following the thread about substituting the MIS VM black with the 
Epson
> > OEM black I decided to give it a try.
> >
> > I'm printing on a 1280 and I ran a few prints on LPM & EAM. 
Comparing
> > the same exact file printed with the full MIS VM inkset.
> >
> > The blacks on prints with the Epson OEM black ink are MUCH better 
and
> > true. The blacks with the pigment inks have always looked a bit
> > transparent to me.
> >
> > About print viewing lighting:
> >
> > One thing I have noticed since I started making prints with 
pigment
> > inks. They tend to look better under diffused lighting <indirect 
window
> > light>  than under  Spot / track lights or a desk lamp. To me, 
this is
> > the exact opposite of every other type of photographic prints I 
have
> > ever made < b&w silver prints, C-prints, Ciba prints>.  
Traditional
> > photographic prints always look more brilliant under gallery type 
spot
> > lighting. I think the weakness / transparency of the blacks in the
> > pigment prints is the culprit. Using the Epson OEM black seems to 
solve
> > this problem... but as debated on here... how stable is that 
black ink?
> >
> > -Jeff
> >
> >
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> >
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