Digital BW, The Print

I just printed a test strip of the MIS variable-tone/mix inks on some Epson
Photo Glossy (SO41141). The results look fairly good -- if glossy paper is
your preference.  (It's not mine, but I was curious.)

I let the print dry for 1/2 hour, wiped the "dust" off it with a cotton
cloth, and scanned the resulting neutral-tone print.  The tone distribution
is surprisingly good even with the standard settings, which call for HW
Matte paper setting on my 1160.  The maximum deviation from the ideal is 3%.
For example, the 75% test patch reads 78%.  All the patches are reasonably
well spaced.

The scanner says the glossy black is much darker.  When the Photo Glossy
test strip is scanned along with an Archival Matte test strip, the Archival
Matte black reads a weak 91% compared to the glossy's 100%.  The scanner
also says that the MIS black ink prints cooler on glossy paper than on
Archival Matte and that the glossy paper is warmer than the Archival Matte.

My visual opinions differ a bit from the above.  Like with comparing a
silver print with an Archival Matte flat surface, the depth of the blacks is
totally a question of how much reflection there is off the more glossy
surface.  In typical office light (not an ideal spot) I suspect I'd choose
the Archival Matte test strip as having the darker blacks (as well as cooler
shadows).  However, with a 45 degree spot the glossy surface wins the
blackness contest.

At any rate, for those who like glossy prints, Epson Photo Paper appears to
just need a bit of dusting to work with the MIS variable-tone inks.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com