Digital BW, The Print

Hi Joost,

>... I'm planning to move to a k6 inkset. 
> I've Paul's Carbon-6 set in mind and will use QTR.

I actually usually use the Epson driver with an ICC made with QTR's 
(Roy's) Create ICC-RBG.  One of the handouts at the recent workshop 
outlined different levels of controlling Eboni-6 with the Epson 
driver, and I've posted that piece at 
http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Eb6-C6-Workflows.pdf 

Basically, the ICC approach gives me direct, "color managed" printing 
from Photoshop in my Windows environment.

> However, my questions apply to eboni-6 
> and the Cone inksets and other rips as well.

Note that Jon Cone uses a different ink order than I do, and the 
Epson driver approach will not work with his ink order.

...

> 3) What is the cumulative ink load (adding the loads of all 
> jets at a certain gray level) that one can allow? 

Frankly, the fact that the Epson driver takes care of this total, 
cumulative ink load is one reason it's often easier to profile with 
PS curves and the Epson driver.  With widely overlapping curves the 
total ink load can get too high in QTR.

On a related subject, I have in the past said that I get the best 
dmax with only Eboni firing -- no lighter inks.   This is very 
different than Cone's style.  I have to modify my position now.  I 
have found on some printers using some "C" (darkest gray -- 33.3% 
Eboni in the C-6 inkset) will achieve a slightly higher dmax than 
straight Eboni.  A rip is needed to do this.  Presumeably the darkest 
gray ink is filling in between the 100% Eboni dots.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com