Digital BW, The Print

I've come across a disturbing problem in printing B&W photos with 
ImagePrint [OSX] on my Epson 7600: in even-toned black areas there are 
"striations" [this is not "banding"] about 1/2 inch apart; there 
striations are some lighter in tone and about 1-2mm wide. The problem 
is definitely not with the printer because when I print the same image 
with the Epson driver and an Atkinson profile, the black areas print 
correctly, without any striations.

I have not observed this problem with IP color prints, but I should add 
that when I was making color prints, I used Photo Black and Premium 
Semi-Matte paper. The current B&W prints which are showing this problem 
are with Matte Black on EEM and Photo Rag.

I have informed ColorByte and will post when there is a solution.

--Mitch/Bangkok

I've had a response from John Pannazo at ColorByte. He states that " 
just because the Epson driver doesn't produce the problem doesn't  mean 
it is not the printer.  The Epson driver uses all 7 inks and this 
problem may exist but is being covered up.  IP is only using a few inks 
and therefore more susceptible to a nozzle clog or flare." Moreover, he 
says that this problem has not surfaced before, and there are many B&W 
photographers using IP that are careful about how the output looks.

It could therefore be a problem with my printer. The trouble is that 
for the next 2-3 months I'll be in Paris and Washington and won't get 
back to Bangkok, where my 7600 is, until about mid-May. John said that 
he'll help me to get to the bottom of this problem.

Mitch/Paris