Digital BW, The Print

For those who might be interested, I have spent several weeks using 
the new UT2 inks from MIS on semigloss papers. The following is a 
preliminary (potentially overly thorough!) review and may prove 
helpful for others who are interested in printing on glossy or 
semigloss papers with this inkset. For reference, I have been using 
the UT2 inks on a 1280 printer on which I previously used the 
original Ultratone inks. Comments are as follows:

Given proper driver settings, the puddling problem of the original UT 
inks on some glossy papers has been almost entirely eliminated with 
the UT2 inks. These inks even seem to work well on Kodak Ultima Satin 
photo paper, which I found exhibited disastrous puddling problems 
above all other glossy papers (a dubious honor indeed). The new UT2 
set completely eliminates not only the problem of puddling but also 
the problem of excessively warm shadows on glossy papers which 
plagued the original UT inks. Additionally, I printed without curves 
and can see that these inks will work well for beginners and allow 
them to bypass the use of curves. This is obviously an important 
feature. In terms of toning ability, I believe the UT2 inks surpass 
the Ultratones, especially in terms of ease of use.

Since I have always been more interested in printing on glossy rather 
than matte papers, I focused my efforts again in this area. I began 
by testing the inks on Epson Professional Glossy Paper and then ran 
comparisons with Epson Premium Semigloss and Epson Premium Luster 
paper. First and foremost, I should stress that unlike the original 
Ultratones, I believe the new UT2 inks will allow for printing on 
just about any glossy or semigloss paper in existence. This is 
outstanding! 

I have been communicating my impressions about the UT2 inks with 
Paul, and he (as always!) offered me invaluable assistance and 
advice. Following are the many observations I have noted with the new 
inks:

1) Though the UT2 inks were designed for ease of use, and though they 
can be used without curves, I find that curves still provide the best 
form of control and will probably be desired by more serious users. 
Curves are still unbeatable when it comes to making the finest 
prints. In this respect, the UT2 inks are superb; they are easy 
enough for beginners to use but still allow advanced users to 
exercise the utmost degree of control. 

2) Customizing curves with the UT2 inks is significantly easier than 
customizing curves with the original Ultratones. Changing the degree 
of toning of any part of an image is quite straightforward in 
comparison to what was needed for the same effect with the original 
Ultratones.

3) I still find that glossy papers benefit from setting the Epson 
1280 driver at 2880 dpi. I printed a grayscale wedge at 1440 dpi and 
saw the puddling problem I had had with the original UTs. This 
problem occurs primarily around 80% on a grayscale test file. It was 
greatly diminished, but there nonetheless. At 2880 dpi, this 
disappears almost completely. This finding may stand in contrast to 
what Paul has found. I noticed problems printing at 1440 dpi, whereas 
he doesn't seem to have this. It is possible that this is an 
environmental response, as the very dry air in Colorado where I live 
has caused problems for me in the past that others haven't 
necessarily noticed. Regardless, the important point is that there is 
a remedy to the problem should other users encounter it. 

4) At one point in our communications, Paul mentioned that there was 
a slight problem with shadows being a bit too magenta on glossy 
paper. At the time, I hadn't quite understood this. I had only 
printed on the Epson Professional Glossy Paper up to that point. 
However, when I started using the Epson Premium Semigloss paper, I 
did indeed notice the magenta cast in the shadows. This cast doesn't 
exist on the Epson Professional Glossy Paper. I note this only as an 
observation. Having now made quite a few prints on Epson Premium 
Semigloss Paper, I can say that the cast is essentially unnoticable. 
I do not anticipate that this will be a problem of any significance. 
It is really only noticeable when looking at a greyscale wedge, and 
even then it is fairly subtle.

5) I made new curves for Epson Professional Glossy Paper using the 
Epson driver set for Photo Quality Glossy Film at 2880 dpi. The 
resulting grayscale is incredibly smooth. However, with the UT2 inks, 
I saw a drop in dmax as compared to the original Ultratones. I then 
changed the driver to Photo Paper (2880 dpi). The dmax jumped 
dramatically, but then the mottling problem that I have described in 
the past returned (it is evident from 75% through 85%). After 
experimenting with the Epson Premium Semigloss and Luster paper, I 
believe this problem is particularly pronounced with the Professional 
Glossy Paper. The Epson Premium Semigloss and Luster papers can use 
curves that print with the driver set for Photo Paper and achieve a 
dmax of well over 2.0 with far fewer mottling problems. Ultimately 
there seems to be a tradeoff between using the driver set for Photo 
Paper versus Photo Quality Glossy Film. Photo Quality Glossy Film 
provides ultimate smoothness at the expense of dmax. I have not 
really been able to decide which setting I prefer at this point, 
though I think most users will find the Photo Paper setting to be 
preferable. I should emphasize that any mottling I am seeing is VERY 
subtle, and that I don't think it would even be noticable in the vast 
majority of images.  

6) In terms of semigloss papers, I think users would do well to start 
with Epson Premium Semigloss. That paper with the UT2 inks makes an 
incredible combination, and one that should exhibit superior 
longevity. The dmax is outstanding. Bronzing and reflectance issues 
are somewhat more noticable than with a paper like Epson Professional 
Glossy Paper, but not enough so to merit losing the archival benefits 
and high dmax of the Premium Semigloss. Epson Premium Luster is 
comparable to the Premium Semigloss, though it has a more textured 
surface. Curves for the UT2 inks that work on the semigloss work 
equally well on the luster paper. On the upside, the Premium Luster 
paper has more available sizes in the US. This is really only a 
consideration for users with paper needs extending beyond 13x19. When 
Epson releases the 4000 printer, users may find themselves switching 
to Epson Premium Semimatte paper, as it will be released in sizes 
specifically for that printer. I unfortunately have no experience 
with that particular paper.

7) Glossy prints still benefit from the use of an overspray such as 
PremierArt spray. Such a spray, while not mandatory, can reduce or 
eliminate reflectance and bronzing issues. PremierArt spray in 
particular seems to aid in print longevity.

8) I have experienced no clogging issues with the UT2 inks. This, 
despite a very dry environment. I have only used the inks in 
individually filled cartridges so cannot comment on how they might 
react with a CFS. 

These are my specific observations thus far. In conclusion, I find 
the UT2 inks to be outstanding. I do not see myself returning to use 
of the original Ultratone inks on the 1280 printer given the obvious 
advantages of the UT2 set. If you have been restricting yourself to 
matte paper printing, I would suggest giving the new UT2 inks a try 
on a glossy or semigloss paper of your choice. I think you'll be 
pleased with the results!

Dirk Hobman