Digital BW, The Print

On Mar 1, 2010, at 7:31 PM, pr_roark wrote:

> I agree with C D Tobie. The carbon warm for either MIS glossy/matte carbon (LK, and as used in the variable tone inksets) or Cone carbon sepia reach about Lab B=8 on matte paper. On glossy paper you can hit about Lab B=12 with the MIS carbon. The true old type sepias I measured and replicated with the UT2/7 sepia toner were more like Lab B=20+.
> 
> The UT2/7 sepia toner, however, is very much not a 100% carbon ink. It has lots of color in it, and fades accordingly. The relatively fast fade is why I dropped the toner from inksets after UT7.
> 
> Since a true sepia color with inkjets appears to require significant amounts of color inks, I consider them best done with a K3 or the like inkset. If I were to mix one today for my own uses, I'd probably try using HP or Epson color pigments. It would be interesting to get the Lab A and B coordinates for the HP and Epson orange or red pigments. They might be useful for use in reaching a sepia tone.

OK, I guess I should clarify further. I simply used the term "sepia" that the ink manufacturers were using. I know its not sepia, but I thought if I used the same term we would be on the same page. So let me restate it more clearly.

I have purchased an Epson 3800 for the sole purpose of using a carbon ink set. After the fact I discovered that there may not be any functional aftermarket cartridges (this info coming from MIS) suitable for use with the 3800 and carbon inks. But if there are such cartridges, I would like to know who makes them. Then I would like to know whose 100% carbon inks are the warmest in general so that I may start experimenting with them. If I cannot get a useful set of cartridges and carbon inks then I might as well go with the standard Epson inks which I have avoided thus far due specifically to their poor performance compared to the HP inks with regard to longevity. Prior to the 3800 my printer has been the B9180 with which I can get exactly the color I want, but print longevity is apparently not as good (based on what I have read here) as the Wilhelm results would imply. I do not ascribe to the "I don't care what happens to my prints after I am dead" philosophy. 

I am willing to sacrifice tone for longevity but not the other way around. 



David Kachel



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