Digital BW, The Print

Is there a minimum recommended drying time for UT2 ink before 
spraying with PremierArt Print Shield? Also, in general, do UT2 inks 
get lighter, darker or pretty much stay the same as they dry?

Just did my first print with UT2 inks on Epson Premium Semigloss. 
Wow, nice! Thank you Paul Roark and MIS.

>Is there a minimum recommended drying time for UT2 ink before 
>spraying with PremierArt Print Shield?

I'm not really sure.  With both matte and glossy paper I've used a drier and
sprayed rather quickly.  However, for best longevity, I suspect at least the
glossy prints would benefit from not only an hour of air drying but also an
overnight session with plain paper pressed against the surface to remove as
much glycol as possible.  (Inks have this in them, in part, for its
"humectant" (water attracting) characteristics.  It helps avoid clogs.
However, we really don't want water to be attracted to the pigments.  So, I
suspect getting this off the surface with plain paper pressed against it for
the night is a good idea.  It is this glycol that causes the fogging of
framing glass when glossy prints are framed.  Matte paper does not have the
problem because glycol has an affinity for cellulose.)


> Also, in general, do UT2 inks 
>get lighter, darker or pretty much stay the same as they dry?

I have not made a major study of this, but my general impressions are that
the blacks get slightly darker overnight with matte paper, but slightly
lighter with glossy papers.  The shadows lighten at first, but stabilize
quickly.  Not much happens with the lighter tones.

>Just did my first print with UT2 inks on Epson Premium Semigloss. 
>Wow, nice! 

It's even better with some PremierArt Print Shield or other spray on it.  If
you don't need archival keeping, try Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl.  It's
cheaper and looks even better.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

For UT2 & UT7 information, curves, and settings see:
http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/