Digital BW, The Print

Chadd,

> I want to convert my 1270 to BW only and I am not sure what is the 
> best route to go as far as BW inks are concerned. Am I better off 
> going with the MIS recommended FS/FSN or with the UT2 and 
> using the 1280 drivers? 

I set up both approaches, and they both worked fine.

I think one issue is what tones you want to print.  If you want more
flexibility, the UT2 has the widest range of tones.  If you don't really
care about sepia, the un-used yellow nozzle could be a problem.  Macs seem
to have problems getting the 1280 driver to run a 1270.  So, if you use a
Mac, avoid this approach. 

The FS/FSN might be a bit smoother in the highlights due to more light inks,
but the gap between the dark and light gray inks is wider.  So, the
transitions there may not be as good.  I think both inksets should make fine
prints, however.

The UT-R2 inks should also run well on the 1270.  So, take a look at that
information file at http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/R220_R2_Readme.pdf  You'd
have to fill you own carts, but that is the cheapest way to proceed anyway.
There are only 2 midtone densities.  That is, for example, the neutral
midtone comes in dark (C & M) and light (LC, LM, and Y).  So, you can buy
just 2 bottles of midtone inks, a black ink (Eboni for matte), and a couple
empty carts and you're set to make a whole lot of prints cheaply and easily.
(The R2-dark neutral is the same density as the FSN-C, and the R2-dark warm
is the same as the UT2 M, among others.  These inks are much more generic
and standardized than many realize.)

Hope this helps.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com