Digital BW, The Print

I have both of these printers.  

* The 1280 is using MIS CFS UT2 inkset.

* The 2200 is being replaced by a 2880 as our primary 13x19 color printer.

* Neither printer is certified for Windows 7 by Microsoft but is compatible.

The options are leave the 1280 as my b/w printer as it is now, convert the 2200 for b/w usage using one of the inkset options available, or replace it with the low priced Epson 1400 using the most user friendly option that Paul Roark recommends.

Please let me know your thoughts on these options if you could.  I think such feedback would be of great interest, also, to others in the same general predicament.

Thanks, Mike

"mbrouphy" <mbrouphy@...> wrote:
>
> I have both of these printers.  
> 
> * The 1280 is using MIS CFS UT2 inkset.

I'm happy to see the 1280 with UT2 still running.  I managed to kill 2 1280s (clogs).  I never did understand why some of these machines keep going for years whereas the 1280 reputation overall with respect to clogs was rather dismal.  Additionally, with a CFS, ink separation and resulting print tone inconsistencies with the cool toners are issues that drove me to abandon blended inks in my old 7500, though appropriate agitation is all that is really needed.

 
> * The 2200 is being replaced by a 2880 as our primary 13x19 color printer.

I think the 2200 is a very capable B&W printer. It doesn't have the 1.5 pl drops of the 1400, but, as I've mentioned before, with dilute carbon, the larger drops foten print with a more neutral tone on most papers.  I often think of about 1 Lab B unit more in warmth as we go from the old 7500, to the K2, to the 1.5 pl 1400.  That is, each generation in terms of drop size seems to print just slightly warmer.  For example, the delta Lab B (increase in Lab B from paper white to maximum Lab B) for Premier Art Smooth BW for the 7800 is about 3.7 with Carbon-6, whereas it's about 4.6 in the 1400 with Eboni-6. 

I was curious how the new Epson Hot Press reacted to drop size, so I pulled some spectro readings from my ColorVision Export database and graphed the Lab Bs.  These are posted at http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/EpsonHP-Lab-B.jpg 

As shown by the graphs, the difference between the K2 and 1.5 pl 1400 is minimal with Epson HP.  Moreover, the 1400 Black Only, as expected, is much more neutral.  While these are often too rough for me, I find a 50-50 blend of the dilute and BO profiles in QTR gives me a print that is almost always smooth enough for any purpose.  That effectively averages the Lab Bs, such that for neutral printing, the 1400 with QTR would be able to do a "better" job now than the K2 printers.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

One more note on the 1400.  I just unpacked it from the GT High Sierra workshop, and it survived its mule trip in and out for the second year without problems.  I got lazy and just left the ink carts in the printer for the pack trip out.  The nozzle check at home the first time was perfect.  Nice.

At the 10,000 foot elevation workshop we did notice some microbanding with both the HP PK and MIS LK on glossy papers when printed in a black only (one channel) mode.  Neither of these microbanded previously.  Today the HP PK is back to printing gallery brochures, and the images don't show any microbanding.  So, I'd say elevation and/or very dry air are factors in whether this printer will show the microbanding artifacts with single-channel/BO printing.  

(The multi-channel matte prints showed no microbanding.)

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul" <roark.paul@...> wrote:
>
>snip< 

Paul, was it you or someone else that suggested putting a black cartridge in the yellow position on the 1400 - or did I dream the whole thing?  Not replacing all of them, just the yellow.  I thot it was you but my memory is fading fast. <g>  I've been trying to find that somewhere on the web but so far I haven't been able to as I forgot to bookmark it.  Harry

"HarryB" <hrblaine@...> wrote:
>
 
> 
> Paul, was it you or someone else that suggested putting a black cartridge in the yellow position on the 1400 - ...


For the Epson K3 printers, my solution to the "Advanced B&W" workflow was to pull the 2400 yellow and insert an MIS carbon "EZ" Y cart.  The chips were even compatible.

For the 1400, I use the C position for my HP neutralizes photo black.  This keeps the densities appropriate for standard Epson driver printing.  The Y position on my 1400 is also the least well aligned. As such, a dense black ink shows some microbanding. 

(Yellow ink is characterized by high gamut but low density.  As such, it is probably less likely to show microbanding defects.  Thus having the Y position be at the lowest end of the priorities when aligning the heads might be intentional.  In short, for at least 2 reasons we may want to keep very light inks in the Y positions of our printers.)


Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul" <roark.paul@...> wrote:
>
> "HarryB" <hrblaine@> wrote:
> >
>  
> > 
> > Paul, was it you or someone else that suggested putting a black cartridge in the yellow position on the 1400 - ...
> 
> 
> For the Epson K3 printers, my solution to the "Advanced B&W" workflow was to pull the 2400 yellow and insert an MIS carbon "EZ" Y cart.  The chips were even compatible.
> 

Thanks Paul!  I just bought a 3800 so I'll try your rec.  I don't have a 1400, was thinking about buying one.  I guess that my 'failing' memory substituted "1400" for "2400".  I'm planning on using the 3800 for B/W as I have a Canon i9900 that I like for color.  (I'm hoping that since the cart will fit the 2400, it'll fit the 3800.  Same carts, right?)  I have a large number (hundreds, I estimate) of b/w negs of dancers that I'm finally going to do something about: scan, print, web etc. Plus I picked up a c86 somewhere, so I'll try that too with an MIS EZ ink set, see which I prefer.  As you might guess, I'm old and lazy, not sure RIPs are for me.  <g> 

Harry

"HarryB" <hrblaine@...> wrote:
>

> > For the Epson K3 printers, my solution to the "Advanced B&W" workflow was to pull the 2400 yellow and insert an MIS carbon "EZ" Y cart.  The chips were even compatible.


 
> Thanks Paul!  I just bought a 3800 so I'll try your rec.  ... I'm planning on using the 3800 for B/W 

>(I'm hoping that since the cart will fit the 2400, it'll fit the 3800.  Same carts, right?) 

No, the 3800 is a larger printer than the 2400 and uses different types of carts.

(Is it possible you have a 2800?)

> ... so I'll try that too with an MIS EZ ink set, ...

MIS has no 3800 "EZ" ink system.  You'll have to, first, find a refillable 3800 cart with a compatible chip, and then buy the EZ ink in bulk to load your own carts.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul" <roark.paul@...> wrote:
>
 
> No, the 3800 is a larger printer than the 2400 and uses different types of carts.
> 
> (Is it possible you have a 2800?)
> 

Damn, I knew that, one reason that I bought the 3800 was the larger ink carts.  And no, I don't have a 2880.  I have damn near everything else tho: an old 1200, a c86 and an r220 plus the 3800 and the Canon of course. :-)  Right now only the latter two are in use.   Harry