Digital BW, The Print

I think we also need some more R&D in the ink department.  Clearly,  
these new faux silver papers just don't cut it with the current  
pigment inks, unless you are willing to carry on with the post  
printing spraying and brushing required to get rid of the last traces  
of bronzing and GD.  UC K3 is getting long in the tooth.  I wish  
Epson would put more effort into advancing the Claria inks, which BTW  
look terrific on the new papers.  I just made some Claria BO prints  
on the new Harman FB Al paper that look great, if you can get past  
the midtone grain.  Really close to a real silver print, but we need  
a Claria LK to keep the midtones smooth and a printer with 7 or 8 ink  
slots.  I'm not that concerned about the longevity issue at the  
moment, given the Wilhelm ratings and the absence (so far) of fading  
or color shifting horror stories.

Carl

On Oct 27, 2007, at 1:14 PM, Tyler Boley wrote:

> It seems to me to be the elephant in the room.
> I was in a situation some months back where a wide variety of
> shooters/printers all had work out on a table. There were quite a few
> faux silver ink prints laid out on a number of the new papers.
> One was mine, done with UCK3PK on the newest Innova F smooth, I
> brought it to lay next to the same image made with peizo and Willima
> Turner. I worked hard on both, thought they were good, and thought it
> would be interesting to consider the attributes of both.
> An extraordinary master printer with decades of fine printing of all
> kinds walked through the room and glanced at the table. He picked up
> my "gloss" print and held it to the light various ways.
> Then he put it back down and as he walked from the room he said "why
> is that considered acceptable?"
>
> Exactly.
>
> In the years past when I had the opportunity to be around amazing and
> demanding artists in workshop situations, everything had to be right.
> We were there aspiring to create art after all, and objects that never
> distracted you from the experience with some odd quality. Critiques
> could be brutal. This would be unacceptable.
>
> For many, it's fine. But to take rank in the top level of fine print
> process, it's not there yet.
> That's why some great printers like John Dean are doing post surface
> treatment, out of the box it's not there yet.
>
> Don't take offense please, I realize that for many it doesn't matter,
> for all kinds of reasons, many sound. Some reject the fine art object
> paradigm, many have no need for it nor even recognize it.
> I just think we have some distance to go for extraordinary results
> with ink onto glossier materials, I think the manufacturers should
> know some of us are still less than thrilled.
>
> OK, I'm ducking...
> Tyler