Digital BW, The Print

A few months ago I bought some MIS Eboni ink for printing BO on my 
Epson 2200, and I hated it.  But as I've read so many testimonials 
from people who apparently are getting great results, I tried it 
again the other night.  Horrible again -- blacks not very black, 
reduced shadow detail, dull highlights, very little tonal 
separation.  Next to the OEM Epson matte black BO, the Eboni print 
has no richness or radiance at all -- the only thing to recommend it 
is that it's not brownish in color.  I tried it on both EEM and 
PhotoRag 308.

Is it possible I got a bad batch of ink or something?  These prints 
look horrible to me.  I also wonder if they sent me the wrong ink -- 
I've used two different carts from MIS, but both purchased at the 
same time.  The carts say "Matte Black" on them, nothing about Eboni, 
though I specifically ordered Eboni on the phone from MIS, and that's 
what they told me they are.

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has had success with this ink -
- how would you describe the look when you compare it side-by-side 
with the Epson matte black?  How do the really dark values look?  
What I would love is an ink that looks less brown than the Epson but 
with equally rich tonality.  Thanks for any help.

Hello Wifflebomb,

>I also wonder if they sent me the wrong ink -- 
>The carts say "Matte Black" on them, nothing about Eboni, 

Yes, definitely wrong ink.  My Eboni 2200 carts say

ARC-T0348-K
MIS 7600 UC Eboni Black
www.inksupply.com (C2404)


>I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has had success with this 
>ink - how would you describe the look when you compare it 
>side-by-side with the Epson matte black?  

Basically it has all the luminance, sparkle and intensity as Matte
Black only cooler in tone.


>How do the really dark values look?  

As dark as is possible with any ink set.  Some multi-ink systems
underlay the black with a lighter ink, which reduces Dmax a bit.  With
BO you have 100% coverage with 100% black ink - it doesn't get any
darker than that.  And with Eboni the color is less brown than other
inks, and, with certain papers, can be a real cold black like Oriental
Seagull (Condor BW) or just slightly warm like Ilford MGII (Merlin
Smooth).


>What I would love is an ink that looks less brown than the Epson 
>but with equally rich tonality.  

You can have it, just swap the carts for the correct ones.  Somebody
goofed - just specify this part number:   ARC-T0348-K


Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm

Clayton, I trust you know what you're talking about, so clearly, they 
sent me the wrong ink.  What's irritating is that I gave them that 
exact part number when I ordered!!!  They ought to send me new ones.  
Thanks for the response.

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Clayton Jones" 
<cj@c...> wrote:
> Hello Wifflebomb,
> 
> >I also wonder if they sent me the wrong ink -- 
> >The carts say "Matte Black" on them, nothing about Eboni, 
> 
> Yes, definitely wrong ink.  My Eboni 2200 carts say
> 
> ARC-T0348-K
> MIS 7600 UC Eboni Black
> www.inksupply.com (C2404)
> 
> 
> >I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has had success with this 
> >ink - how would you describe the look when you compare it 
> >side-by-side with the Epson matte black?  
> 
> Basically it has all the luminance, sparkle and intensity as Matte
> Black only cooler in tone.
> 
> 
> >How do the really dark values look?  
> 
> As dark as is possible with any ink set.  Some multi-ink systems
> underlay the black with a lighter ink, which reduces Dmax a bit.  
With
> BO you have 100% coverage with 100% black ink - it doesn't get any
> darker than that.  And with Eboni the color is less brown than other
> inks, and, with certain papers, can be a real cold black like 
Oriental

> Seagull (Condor BW) or just slightly warm like Ilford MGII (Merlin
> Smooth).
> 
> 
> >What I would love is an ink that looks less brown than the Epson 
> >but with equally rich tonality.  
> 
> You can have it, just swap the carts for the correct ones.  Somebody
> goofed - just specify this part number:   ARC-T0348-K
> 
> 
> Regards,
> Clayton
> 
> 
> Info on black and white digital printing at    
> http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm