Digital BW, The Print

Hello everyone,

I've followed this group for a few months and find it very helpful.  
This is my first post.  I have several questions.  I have an Epson 
1280 that I use for color printing.  Based on the horror stories I 
read here, I haven't used anything other than Epson inks.  I also 
have an Epson R220 with MIS UT black inks.  It has produced very fine 
quality prints with little effort, truly amazing for the $50 that I 
paid for it. And no clogging.  Here are my questions:

1. I'd like to make larger B&W prints but haven't had much luck using 
the 1280.  I don't want to lose my 1280 as my primary printer from 
clogging.  Is it reasonable to swap inks in the 1280 - say from Epson 
dye inks to MIS UT inks - back and forth?  Am I asking for trouble?

2. I'd entertain buying an Epson 2400.  Can I get high quality color 
and B&W from the 2400 without the risk of clogged heads in 6 months.  
Can I use the recommended Epson inks exclusively?

3. Today I printed a B&W image on the 1280 with Epson inks on Innova 
Fiba F.  I don't see the variable reflectivity in the blacks like I 
see with the MIS inks - like brassing.  I like that the Epson inks 
produce a consistent reflective surface. How can I avoid that with 
MIS UT inks?  The greys show the normal glossy paper finish (actually 
more satin), but the deepest blacks have a matte appearance that is 
distracting.

Sorry for the many questions.  Just need some advice on how to 
proceed.  Also, thanks to all the experts who offer up their advice 
and knowledge.  Very helpful, indeed.

Hello Tom,

Welcome to the forum.  I can answer this one...

>2.I'd entertain buying an Epson 2400.  Can I get high quality color 
>and B&W from the 2400 without the risk of clogged heads in 6 months.  
>Can I use the recommended Epson inks exclusively?

I have used a 2400 for 11 months now, exclusively with the Epson K3
inks, and have yet to experience a clog.  I don't even bother doing
nozzle checks after changing ink carts.  It prints very fine BW and
color, and has been a dream machine after four years of struggle with
other systems.  It's not cheap, but the old saying "you get what you
pay for" certainly applies in this case.  It's worth every cent.

Article #9 at the link below describes an efficient BW workflow for
the 2400, and #9b describes using it with the new Silver Rag paper.

As for swapping color/BW inks on a 1280, swapping carts always
triggers a cleaning cycle which wastes a lot of ink.  So color/BW
swapping is an annoying and inconvenient chore at best, often time
consuming and potentially expensive.  In addition, the 1280 has been
notorious for getting clogs after cart swapping, requiring even more
cleaning cycles.  There may also be an issue of dye ink on the parking
pad reacting with the pigment BW ink in the head and causing nozzle
clogs (maybe someone else can clarify this).  I haven't used a 1280
myself, but a good friend of mine has been through four of them. 
Countless 1280 reports here over the years makes me think this would
not be a satisfactory approach.  It's ancient technology compared to
the 2400.

Regards,
Clayton


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