Digital BW, The Print

Tim,

>I just got the 1280 today.

Congratulations.

>If I install the cartridges and run a couple of prints (especially
>color) will I have to go through a major flushing when I get my CFS
>next week? (going with hextone B/W kit)

The MIS inks are compatible with the Epson inks.  No flushing is needed.

>I want to compare my two printers because I'm starting to think that
>with the Archival Inks and Papers out there now I may not need the
>2000P. I could sell it and get another 1280 and set it up as a color
>printer.

My tests indicate the current batch of 3rd-party pigments are not as
light-fast as the Epson pigs.  Epson claims 200 years on EAM.  The relative
performance of the current 3rd-party pigs looks like they are in the 100
year range -- both B&W and color, as long as the new yellow is used.  (The
upcoming VM/FS neutral does appear to equal the Epson pigs in my tests.)

>Also, is there any advantage to running the printers as USB rather
>than Parallel.

Yes, it's faster.

Good luck with the new printer.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com

Hi Tim

> If I install the cartridges and run a couple of prints (especially
> color) will I have to go through a major flushing when I get my CFS
> next week? (going with hextone B/W kit)

No. MIS and Generations inks are 100 percent compatible with Epson OEM
inks. They can even be intermixed.


> I want to compare my two printers because I'm starting to think that
> with the Archival Inks and Papers out there now I may not need the
> 2000P. I could sell it and get another 1280 and set it up as a color
> printer.

An excellent idea. The 2000P is about 4 times slower than the 1280. It
has a coarser dot pattern, and the black ink is weak. Also has a lot of
metamerism. (Greenish tint in daylight). The color prints it produces
are quite nice though, as long as they don't have large areas of black.

> 
> I've been told that the saturation and richness of color on the 1280
> (even the 1270) is superior to the 2000P. It's just that when the
> 2000P came out the big deal was the Archival paper and ink.

If you use Epson inks the 1280 and 1270 will both surpass the 2000P in brilliance.

You have to use third party inks if you want longevity; both MIS and
Generations are terrific, and about the same for all practical purposes.
Also, be sure you get a Continuous ink system for the 1280.

Jerry