Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Bob Marsolais" 
<bob@...> wrote:
>
> While experimenting with various mixtures for a new UT-R18, I've had
> my 1280 (which I wrote off due to a clogged head) sitting with
> cleaning carts installed.  I've run a couple of pages of purge
> patterns every night for about two weeks and the heads are now
> unclogged and giving a perfect nozzle test pattern again.  It's made
> me think back as to which printer required less maintenance: the 
1800
> or 1280 with pigment inks.  My memory says there was not much
> difference maintenance-wise, and the 1280 did a real nice job with
> it's 3.5(?) picoliter drops.  It a whole lot slower than the 1800, 
but
> it has a paper thickness adjustment which the 1800 does not.
> 
> I'm assuming the 1280 would require LK inks for smooth midtones
> because of the dot size, and, if I remember, Eboni diluted tends to 
go
> rather warm.  Is this correct?  If so, then the 1280 would use a 
wide
> format ink set as compared to a 1.5 picoliter inkset.
> 
> Am I crazy to consider using the 1280 as my B&W printer and leaving
> the 1800 for color?  You have my permission to say so it I am!
> 
> Bob
>

After being somewhat critical about the 1800 on this site, I am 
coming round to seeing it as a useful BW only printer. I have one 
loaded with 3mk, 3pk and 3 GO. Very flexible setup for neutral to 
warm BW prints on mk and pk paper. Enables printing of the following 
using only carbon and GLOP and no color at all:

1. The 3mk gives neutral to warmish (paper dependent) carbon only on 
matt paper
2. By firing one pk into the darkest tones and some GLOP over the mk 
together with a 2nd pass of GLOP and you get neutral to warmish 
(paper dependent) carbon prints on photo paper.
3. By firing pk into the mid and lighter tones you get more control 
over the warm variations on photo papers.

This may or may not give you the sepia tones you are after but since 
it avoids using any yellows (or any color for that matter), it may be 
worth some time and paper to see if a paper/curve combination will 
give you the tones you want.

I am using the 4k version of PK which is all carbon and gives me a 
Dmax of up to 2.5 depending on paper. The k2 version is optimised for 
maximum Dmax and will go quite a lot higher than this at 3.2+ but as 
I understand it K2 contains color pigments to achieve this Dmax so I 
have stuck with the 4k in this R1800.  

One does need to be ever vigilant of banding with the R1800 but I 
have found that with multiple inks in this set up it has not reared 
its head again.

I am now looking at the possibilities of diluting one or two of the 
ink positions as I am seeing a little too much grain (for my taste) 
on photo papers in areas of very gradual light tone transitions. Matt 
papers are very smooth, grain perhaps visible under a microscope but 
not to my eyes.

Regards

Alistair Owens