Digital BW, The Print

Hello, first post to the group...

I have an aging but still okay Epson 1270 that I use for color prints. 
At one point a few years back there was a lot of experimentation going 
on with B&W printing using this and similar printers with both standard 
and specialty inks. But the process was flawed because of difficulties 
with tonal gradations and neutrality, and I sort of left the idea on 
the back burner.

I'm hoping someone can briefly bring me up to speed on recent 
developments. Are people using the 1270 to get good B&W prints? Are 
there new inks and papers that have addressed the issues? Or are there 
new printers that do the job better? What about letting a lab do the 
printing? (Someone in another forum suggested mpix.com).

Thanks for any input.

> ... Are people using the 1270 to get good B&W prints? ...

Yes, there are several inksets and approaches that can produce very good
prints with the 1270.  With respect to the MIS pigments, I've set up the
UT-FS and FSN inks on a 1270. (See
http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/1270-FS-Readme.htm), and the new UT-R2 inkset
would also work fine.  (See
http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/R220_R2_Readme.htm, which is talking about the
220, but the inkset is broader than that.  You'd have to load your own carts
for the R2 inkset, but that is easy and the cheapest way to go anyway.)
Some also use the UT2 inks and other approaches, but I would start with one
of the above.  (See my index at http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/index.htm for
information on other MIS inksets and approaches I've worked with.)

So, there are some good options for that printer.

Good luck.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com