Digital BW, The Print

"john" <deanwork2003@...> wrote:
>
 
> Why is it that Epson's 100% carbon is warm (we could say brown), Piezotone and Piezography K7 100% carbon is very warm, but you have this Eboni black 100% carbon is neutralized compared to the others out there.

I would not say that Eboni is "neutralized," but just that it is less warm than the others.  The primary reason may be that the Eboni pigments are not ground to as small a size.  That is also why it settles faster.  It appears to be a trade off.

> If you don't mind my asking, what did you do to it to achieve that more neutral hue that allows you to also dilute it into 3 values for both good permanence, but also this less than carbon brown color?

I didn't do anything to the carbon.  MIS searched for a carbon that I liked after I started to use Jon's Museum carbon, which I felt was better than the old hybrid pigment-dye black that MIS had from it's older generation of inks.  I went through a number of samples and decided what was later named by MIS as "Eboni" was the one that was the best, based on dmax and tone.

> I know HP Vivera and Canon Lucia grays and blacks are "carbonized" pigments that are neutralized, but they don't make the claim that they are all carbon.

Their PKs and grays are neutralized -- blends of carbon and color pigments.  However, their MKs may be carbon.  I'm not sure.  They are warm and very lightfast, from what I can tell.  I keep searching for an even better, more neutral carbon black than Eboni, but I have not found one.  

> It seems to me like you guys are the only ones to pull off a neutralized 100% carbon black. ...

Neither MIS nor I pulled anything off.  I just selected an MK that I liked and MIS marketed it.  It turns out that it's also sold to others out there by the supplier.

The dilute Eboni is just that -- diluted MK.  It is warmer than the 100%, but again, not as warm as when one dilutes the other carbons. 

Hope this helps explain the situation.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com