Digital BW, The Print

I personally doubt that HP's patent for the neutral inks had anything to do with Epson's choices for their K2 & K3 ink sets. There are only about a gazilion different colorants available, along with about the same number of patents related to inks and owned by just about everyone you could name in the business of making inks at one time or the other. The chemical companies that actually make the pigments are unlikely to allow HP or Epson or any external company to lock them into being captive sources by permitting claims that no one else can use them.

Tyler, you're right about the ideas. They've been around before. HP's stated (in their patent) purpose for the ink set in discussion apparently is that it fades synchronously so is less likely to be noticeable over a longer period and uses the cheapest pigments they can get away with while accomplishing that. The rest of their patent uses techniques, like carbon particle treatments, and particular pigments and ink bases already cited in other's patents, including Epson for one.

They do use color pigments to neutralize the shades.

I think we would need to look for something other than patent rights to find why Epson's grays are greenish. Who knows-maybe it has something to do with cost/profit considerations too:-)

Regards
Duane
  

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Tyler Boley" <tyler@...> wrote:
>
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Ernst Dinkla <edinkla@> ...
> ...
> > HP either must have that patent or have a license to use more than 2 
> > neutral greys in an inkset, all the Z models and the B9180 + B8850 have 
> > that 4 or 3 neutral grey inks as the spine in the color mode as the only 
> > inks used in a neutral B&W print.
> > 
> 
> I don't have a legal understanding of what is patentable or licenseable, but this escapes me completely. Is this possible for a pretty run of the mill idea? Didn't most of us all back in the early days of quads with MIS, Lyson, Sundance, etc all want this? It occurred to me one day back in 1998, do I have some money coming? I don't think anyone working in B&W ink would even feel the need to express such an idea, it's just a given.
> HP got in this game pretty late compared to most of us. They deserve credit for developing it and bringing it to market successfully, but the basic obvious idea is somehow worthy of infringement protection?
> Actually, weren't the NK7s the first multiply density neutral mono inks on the market?
> I have an idea, cars should use less gas. I thought of it a long time ago. Who do I invoice?
> Tyler
> http://www.custom-digital.com/
>