Digital BW, The Print

Hi Sarah,

>I only consider the 4000 because of the BO capabilities. I currently 
>use a 2200 and would like to print a bit larger. Otherwise I'd 
>definitely go for the 4800 or 3800.

Understood.


>Clayton, very interesting, your comments about "B3" still showing 
>some paper white. 

BO as you know gets its tonal gradation by changing the amount of
space between the dots.  Look with a loupe at a BO ramp and you can
see the amount of visible bare paper getting less and less as you move
down the ramp to the darker zones. The last bits of paper white that's
enough to make a difference in overall luminance disappear at about
70% or so.  What this means is that even the midtones have
considerable bare paper showing, and it's what gives BO prints their
beautiful glow.  What I'm seeing on the B3 ramp is that the
significant amount of visible paper white shuts down earlier, at
around 45% or so (because it's using lighter inks for the light tones
it can close up the space between the dots much earlier).  This means
that the midtone luminance won't be quite as strong as a BO print, but
should still be quite nice.

This is what I found with the 2400 prints in ABW mode.  When I first
got it I was afraid the prints would have that dull look that so many
of the full ink systems have, but was pleasantly surprised to find
they have very nice luminance.  Upon examination with a loupe I found
that the ABW prints are "dotty", meaning that individual dots can be
distinguished in the highlights with some bare paper showing between them.

For many people the "holy grail" has been completely dot-free
highlights, which most closely resembles the continuous tone of
emulsion prints (the goal being to make inkjet prints that are
indistinguishable from emulsion prints).  What I saw over the years
was that the systems that came the closest to being dotless were the
ones with the most dull veiled look.  With a strong loupe you could
see that they achieved that by completely covering the paper with very
pale, almost transparent ink in the highlights.  It was almost
impossible to distinguish any dots.  Unfortunately this has the effect
of reducing the paper's reflectivity, producing the veiled look.

The K3 printers have been criticized for being "dotty", but that's
exactly what I like about them.  I've found the ABW prints to be an
excellent compromise between the two extremes, and I'm getting some
really gorgeous glowing prints.  You have to look with a magnifier to
see any dots, but most people view prints from a normal distance, so
to me that issue is irrelevent.  I'd much rather have the luminance. 
I'm seeing the same treatment in this 3800 B3 ramp, so it looks promising.


>I'll await more of your findings when you do some 
>printing with MK (are you using Epson MK or Eboni?) 

AFAIK nobody is using Eboni in a 3800 because there are no replacement
carts available for it yet.  So any tests I do will be with Epson MK.



>I am still always so surprised and pleased by how much deeper the 
>Eboni is than the MK in my BO prints. I tried both and there's just 
>no comparison. You can practically fall into the Eboni blacks they 
>are so rich and deep. 

Yes, it's wonderful stuff.


>"If it looks good, there is always the possibility of using Eboni in
>there for a cooler MK (although it doesn't kick in until 55%)."
<-----not sure what you mean here...could you explain further? 

55% is where the K ink kicks in.  The B3 ramp is all LLK from 0 to 25%
where the darker LK dots begin to overlay it and the LLK begins
falling away.  Then it's mostly LK dots, gradually getting closer
together, until 55% where the K dots begin appearing and the LK begins
falling away.  The point is that even though Eboni is cooler toned,
that coolness won't affect anything below 55%.  So the effect in a
print might be like a subtle split toning, with warm midtones and
highlights and slightly cooler dark zones.  I'm not sure how this will
look, it might not work well.

There you have it, I hope this helps clarify it.


Regards,
Clayton


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













>I'd like to think I could keep the deep richness of Eboni even 
>with B3...are you saying that would not be the case?