Digital BW, The Print

Robert,

>... with new materials and particularly coatings,
>it looks like quality can actually exceed silver.

The coating should still be considered experimental.  I, for one, have not
been able to produce a perfect, one-step coated 16x20 with my 3000.  Between
the need to use thin paper (EAM/EEM, for example) and the pizza wheels (even
when most have been removed per recommendations) the waviness of the paper
that was totally irrelevant for flat matte prints becomes a real problem for
coating with a rod.

Personally, as big a fan of the 3000 as I was, I've just grabbed a 7500.
One just sold on Ebay for only $1200.  People are dumping these to get the
7600.  I am making/MIS probably mixing Epson Archival K-based quads
(Piezo/FS-compatible as well as variable tone) for this as well as other
machines.  I will, of course, make any curves I write public.  I'd real
seriously look at a 7500 (or 7000) if you're thinking of coating large
display prints.  (And I think they will be terrific if we can do it with a
rod in one step.)

>Is [the 3000] significantly less sharp than the 1160?

No.  With quads in mine, I even printed most of my B&W Xmas cards with it.
I also have an 1160, and don't consider the 3000 second rate to the 1160 at
all.

>Has the Piezo driver banding problem been resolved?

Yes, the 1440 mode of the later versions is very smooth in my 720-banding
3000.  However, its dog slow.

>If I end up with a 3000 that won't tolerate the Piezo driver, how
>much am I giving up? How do the Epson Driver /separation workflows
>perform on the 3000?

I have the Piezo driver but prefer the Epson driver.  It has deeper blacks,
is faster than the 1440 Piezo mode, and allows me to continue to use my
computer and PS to do other work while it is printing.

>How does the MIS variable tone ink set perform with only
>3 black/gray inks?

I usually have the MIS vm-s (sepia-to-neutral) inkset in the 3000.  Some see
the blue dots of the standard vm inkset with the neutral or cool tones.
With the vm-s inkset, there is no toner in the neutral highlights.  Also,
the sepia toner seems to stand out less than the blue toner.  So, I've never
been aware of the dots in my 3000 vm-s prints.

Good luck.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com

To all who responded, thanks so much for the generous advice. You 
probably saved me from a second 3000 nightmare. I'm going to work on 
funding a 7000/7500 and buy a new inset for the 1160 in the mean 
time. I got a Piezo Selenium sample print and was very impressed. 
I've also been read all the dialog about fading Piezo blacks. What's 
the current thinking on the best selenium/cool inkset? 

Now that I can wrap my own coating rods, I'll work on an refining 
that process. Looks to me like coatings have to be the most direct 
way to a rich, deep B&W print.

Robert

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark" 
<paul.roark@v...> wrote:
> Robert,
> 
> >... with new materials and particularly coatings,
> >it looks like quality can actually exceed silver.
> 
> The coating should still be considered experimental.  I, for one, 
have not
> been able to produce a perfect, one-step coated 16x20 with my 
3000.  Between
> the need to use thin paper (EAM/EEM, for example) and the pizza 
wheels (even
> when most have been removed per recommendations) the waviness of 
the paper
> that was totally irrelevant for flat matte prints becomes a real 
problem for
> coating with a rod.
> 
> Personally, as big a fan of the 3000 as I was, I've just grabbed a 
7500.
> One just sold on Ebay for only $1200.  People are dumping these to 
get the
> 7600.  I am making/MIS probably mixing Epson Archival K-based quads
> (Piezo/FS-compatible as well as variable tone) for this as well as 
other
> machines.  I will, of course, make any curves I write public.  I'd 
real
> seriously look at a 7500 (or 7000) if you're thinking of coating 
large
> display prints.  (And I think they will be terrific if we can do it 
with a
> rod in one step.)
> 
> >Is [the 3000] significantly less sharp than the 1160?
> 
> No.  With quads in mine, I even printed most of my B&W Xmas cards 
with it.
> I also have an 1160, and don't consider the 3000 second rate to the 
1160 at
> all.
> 
> >Has the Piezo driver banding problem been resolved?
> 
> Yes, the 1440 mode of the later versions is very smooth in my 720-
banding
> 3000.  However, its dog slow.
> 
> >If I end up with a 3000 that won't tolerate the Piezo driver, how
> >much am I giving up? How do the Epson Driver /separation workflows
> >perform on the 3000?
> 
> I have the Piezo driver but prefer the Epson driver.  It has deeper 
blacks,
> is faster than the 1440 Piezo mode, and allows me to continue to 
use my
> computer and PS to do other work while it is printing.
> 
> >How does the MIS variable tone ink set perform with only
> >3 black/gray inks?
> 
> I usually have the MIS vm-s (sepia-to-neutral) inkset in the 3000.  
Some see
> the blue dots of the standard vm inkset with the neutral or cool 
tones.
> With the vm-s inkset, there is no toner in the neutral highlights.  
Also,
> the sepia toner seems to stand out less than the blue toner.  So, 
I've never

> been aware of the dots in my 3000 vm-s prints.
> 
> Good luck.
> 
> Paul
> http://www.PaulRoark.com