Digital BW, The Print

...
>One question I haven't answered yet is whether a 3rd channel
> would be any better, given that this printer has just 3.5 pl dots. 

(It may be 3 pl, but at any rate, the 220 is a very good little printer.
Too bad it's no longer made.)

My experience so far indicates that adding more channels is only useful to
the extent the microbanding is more of a problem than "noise" -- roughness
of the dither.  (Whether this is technically "noise" is questionable, but it
seems to act like it for some purposes.)  That is, on the 260, straight K
only was better than multiple channels of Eboni.  (It is probably the case
that noise is additive, though not in a linear fashion.)  

It also looks like the dots are not ideally placed with most of the
combinations I used. I'm wondering if using the jets Epson designed to be
crossed over (e.g., LC then C) might help, but, of course, in the 1800 there
are no such cross-overs, and with the K2, the issues are different.  With
the 260 the build quality or other extraneous factors seem to be holding it
back, though I expect it is still going to be smoother than a 220 -- we'll
see.

My work with the 2200 (for purposes of profiling the large format K2
printers) as well as the 1800 and 260, indicates that QTR's dither,
particularly at the very beginning, is smoother than Epson's.  Also, one
Eboni in the very light tones is better than 2 MK jets firing.  That is what
is behind the staged or staggered entry points of the MK jets.  Keep it to
the minimum number of jets until needed for microbanding control.

On the 2200, with its 4 pl dot, I use LK + Eboni.  Since the larger dots
print cooler, it has allowed me to make a profile for K2 printers that uses
only LK at first for very smooth highlights, and also a fair amount of LK in
the midtones to reduce the graininess of the Eboni there.  I can do this on
Hawk Mountain Peregrine Velvet, the most neutral printing paper I've found,
and match the 1800 100% Eboni tonal distribution on Premier Art 205/Epson
Scrapbook.  This will allow those or us who use that very good combination
(1800 + PA/Scrapbook 205) to have larger prints made on 7600 and 9600
printers with color inks installed, as long as they use Eboni (or other
equally neutral MK) in the K position.  These prints are clearly not as
smooth as the 1800 prints, but they are not bad for 16 x 20 and above.  That
is probably the route I will take with my own printing.  

See http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/K2-Eboni-LK.pdf  for my preliminary
write-up of this approach.

The 220, of course, could use the same approach I'm using with the 2200, and
probably make a better print -- as long as medium warm tone is acceptable. 

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com