Digital BW, The Print

I was given a printer by the university where I teach in Singapore that had been disabled by a student accidently. It then sat for over two years unused with ink in the lines. I conceived a project to convert it to all black inks and got a small grant to do the work.
When I started this, I had only a cursory glance at the machine, saw it was a 44" printer and assumed it was a 9600. I then decided to use Cone inks and QTR to drive it. All's good so far.
I checked out the machine again today needing the model number and, to my horror, discovered it was a 10600.
From everything I can find out, there is no support for this machine in QTR or by Jon's inks. The carts are chipped. 
So, is there any way I can continue to pursue a black-ink-only option with this printer? Are there any carts into which I can pour Cone inks? This is going to have to work in a photography digital lab.
Any and all suggestions will be carefully considered and thanks very much in advance.
Paul

paulekohl schreef:
> I was given a printer by the university where I teach in Singapore that had been disabled by a student accidently. It then sat for over two years unused with ink in the lines. I conceived a project to convert it to all black inks and got a small grant to do the work.
> When I started this, I had only a cursory glance at the machine, saw it was a 44" printer and assumed it was a 9600. I then decided to use Cone inks and QTR to drive it. All's good so far.
> I checked out the machine again today needing the model number and, to my horror, discovered it was a 10600.
>>From everything I can find out, there is no support for this machine in QTR or by Jon's inks. The carts are chipped. 
> So, is there any way I can continue to pursue a black-ink-only option with this printer? Are there any carts into which I can pour Cone inks? This is going to have to work in a photography digital lab.
> Any and all suggestions will be carefully considered and thanks very much in advance.
> Paul
> 
> 

One of the best printers Epson ever made. Also one of the most expensive 
if you need service to resurrect it.
You first have to get it correctly working again with the original inks 
still in it. If that isn't going well then you should reconsider whether 
it is worth it. 10x00 heads are very expensive. There's no way to 
replace dampers and cleaning them is almost impossible.

There are list members with a 10x00 running a B&W inkset. QTR doesn't 
really support it ut Studioprint does if I recall it correctly.

The cart chips can be reset with a cheap resetter. MIS has it. The carts 
can be refilled after a surgical operation, I have the details if you 
need them, so does John Dean. Large carts, 500 ML. Epson carts are the 
best, the copies that can be refilled were in my experience bad copies. 
I have some customised Epson sets here, still filled with color ink that 
I  could remove. The 10000 here died.

The printer's smallest droplet is 5 picoliter. That is closer to the 
recent wide formats like the 9800 with 3.5 picoliter than the 9000's 
9-11 picoliter. 6 inks. Based on that a choice can be made for the 
inkset to use.


-- 
Met vriendelijke groeten,   Ernst


Dinkla Gallery Canvas Wrap Actions

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Ernst,
Thanks so much for the information about the Epson 10600 printer. I 
feel a bit better that doing the conversion to a black-only inkset is 
still possible. I am a bit daunted, however, by how much I need to 
learn...oh well, it is too hot to go outside much so I might as well 
work.
First, is it alright to keep posting to the group? I don't want to 
take up space if my needs are too recondite.
Next, I have been to the MIS website and found the chip resetter but 
I can find no mention of carts for the 10600. You said you had some. 
Could I buy them from you? And any details about how to make them 
usable by the 10600 would be a great help.
The inkset to use: there is no mention of the 10600 on the web site 
so do I look at the choices for the 9000 or the 9600? I want, at 
least to get this started, a neutral tone ink. Can you recommend one 
of those sets? Will I also need to get a photo black and a matte 
black?
And lastly, is Studioprint indeed the software of choice.
Thanks so very much for your help.
Paul
-- 
Paul Kohl
Visiting Professor, Photography
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore

Ernst invented the method and graciously shared it with me, and I've used it here for about 3-4 years, I've lost track. Although I have other machines available for this, I'm still using the 10K as long as it keeps going. These printers are incredibly durable. I posted his instructions on the yahoo epson large format list here in the files section called 10K ink cart refill - http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/EpsonWideFormat/files/

That's all you need to know to retrofit them. The original Epson carts have always worked the best on the 10K series, and I've tried other 3rd party carts but for this machine the pressure was only working really well with the original carts. I have only used Piezography Neutral K6, and Carbon Sepia K6 in my 10K for black and white dedicated sets, but anything would work well I'm sure if it is linearized correctly. I've been doing it for years with excellent results. I have also only used Studio Print, but QTR (http://www.quadtonerip.com/html/QTRrequire.html) will support it. I believe you use the Epson 9000 QTR set up and then make your own curves. Studo Print 12 supports the 10K with Cone inks and is very precise and joy to work with, but is very expensive up front to by. You would need to check with Roy on the yahoo qtr set up. The 10K series printers make an awesome black and white machine if they are in good condition, and the carts hold a lot of ink, 500 ml, I often can go all year without adding any ink to them. I buy my ink in liter bottles. You do need a chip resetter.  I got mine from MIS. If you do end up buying Studio Print I'd be glad to give you all my setting. We have a set up guide already typed up for ink limits, etc, for the K6 inks. With the inks I use I never even do nozzle checks anymore because it has never clogged. I've never seen any other Epson machine that ran so cleanly and I doubt we ever will again.

john

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Paul Kohl <pkohl@...> wrote:

>
> Ernst,
> Thanks so much for the information about the Epson 10600 printer. I 
> feel a bit better that doing the conversion to a black-only inkset is 
> still possible. I am a bit daunted, however, by how much I need to 
> learn...oh well, it is too hot to go outside much so I might as well 
> work.
> First, is it alright to keep posting to the group? I don't want to 
> take up space if my needs are too recondite.
> Next, I have been to the MIS website and found the chip resetter but 
> I can find no mention of carts for the 10600. You said you had some. 
> Could I buy them from you? And any details about how to make them 
> usable by the 10600 would be a great help.
> The inkset to use: there is no mention of the 10600 on the web site 
> so do I look at the choices for the 9000 or the 9600? I want, at 
> least to get this started, a neutral tone ink. Can you recommend one 
> of those sets? Will I also need to get a photo black and a matte 
> black?
> And lastly, is Studioprint indeed the software of choice.
> Thanks so very much for your help.
> Paul
> -- 
> Paul Kohl
> Visiting Professor, Photography
> Nanyang Technological University
> Singapore
>

And Ernst is right about the expense to have them worked on. If it is in really good working condition with no banding or clogging, or mechanical issues (strange sounds coming from in there) using the color inks then you are probably fine. If the printer is not in top shape I would forget about it.  Use the original color inks and print some color work for a couple of weeks before considering a monochrome retro fit. 

If mine ever needs a new head I'll retire it because like he said, you could pick up another printer cheaper than having a 10K repaired for anything major. Epson would wish they would go away. 

If you want to find out exactly how to use a 10K with black and white inks you should email Roy Harrington at the QTR site. He can give you a better idea of how to do that and it would only cost you $50.00 to set up.


j

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Paul Kohl <pkohl@...> wrote:

>
> Ernst,
> Thanks so much for the information about the Epson 10600 printer. I 
> feel a bit better that doing the conversion to a black-only inkset is 
> still possible. I am a bit daunted, however, by how much I need to 
> learn...oh well, it is too hot to go outside much so I might as well 
> work.
> First, is it alright to keep posting to the group? I don't want to 
> take up space if my needs are too recondite.
> Next, I have been to the MIS website and found the chip resetter but 
> I can find no mention of carts for the 10600. You said you had some. 
> Could I buy them from you? And any details about how to make them 
> usable by the 10600 would be a great help.
> The inkset to use: there is no mention of the 10600 on the web site 
> so do I look at the choices for the 9000 or the 9600? I want, at 
> least to get this started, a neutral tone ink. Can you recommend one 
> of those sets? Will I also need to get a photo black and a matte 
> black?
> And lastly, is Studioprint indeed the software of choice.
> Thanks so very much for your help.
> Paul
> -- 
> Paul Kohl
> Visiting Professor, Photography
> Nanyang Technological University
> Singapore
>

Thanks very much to you (John Dean) and Ernst for sharing your 
knowledge and experience! The printer is now being repaired by Epson 
here in Singapore. It is expensive (relatively) but the machine had 
almost never been used. It seems a crime to just trash it. With some 
work, I can bring it to the photo students here and give them 
printing experience unavailable anywhere else in SE Asia. Fun for me, 
too, as I really love making b&w images. I have been working with a 
7880 and Imageprint for several years printing on Japanese handmade 
paper (Awagami Bizan). I am interested in pushing my own envelope, as 
well.
So, carts, I suppose to be the first thing to begin to gather.  How 
do I get the carts necessary to use the in the 10600?
For inks I will probably go with Cone's sets. I had already ordered 
the K7 set before I discovered I had a 10600 and not a 9600. So, the 
K6 sets are what I need, right.
Software, I will think about. I have Studioprint budgeted but have 
already downloaded and paid for QTR, used it a bit on my 7880 
comparing with Imageprint.
The big thing is carts. I have looked at the jpegs in the files 
section and it seems very delicate work...
Anyway, thanks again and if you can point me to the carts I would be grateful.
Paul

-- 
Paul Kohl
Visiting Professor, Photography
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore

Paul,

I agree. It is too good of a machine to throw away if it it in good conditon. I should buy a couple of more of them if I had room while they are still around.

I just had a conversation with a guy in Montana today who has picked up three of these machines cheap, almost for free. One he's using for parts. He's using Cone K6 in two of them. I went through the same refilling of the old Epson carts with him as Ernst describes,  carefully documented in that folder I posted. It is easy to reuse the Epson carts with other inks if you wash them out. I found I needed nothing but water in the sink to do it. You just keep flushing out the old  Epson ink until the water is clear then you are in good shape. I set up one set of carts for Neutral and one for Carbon Sepia and use them interchangably when I need to. 

Before you spend a fortune with Studio Print make sure you fully explore the 10K QTR option. 

Email Roy Harrington on his Quad Tone Rip site about that. He once told me it was all fine for the 10K using 9000 set up with K6. Try it. I use QTR with these K6 inks all the time on other 6 channel machines and it's great. 

What I really like about the old 10K machines is the heads are super well made and the pressurized system never ever, ever cloggs. I slow my machine down to 4 pass for the best resolution. The 10Ks are only 1440x720, but that's enough with Cone's inks. 

john



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Paul Kohl <pkohl@...> wrote:

>
> Thanks very much to you (John Dean) and Ernst for sharing your 
> knowledge and experience! The printer is now being repaired by Epson 
> here in Singapore. It is expensive (relatively) but the machine had 
> almost never been used. It seems a crime to just trash it. With some 
> work, I can bring it to the photo students here and give them 
> printing experience unavailable anywhere else in SE Asia. Fun for me, 
> too, as I really love making b&w images. I have been working with a 
> 7880 and Imageprint for several years printing on Japanese handmade 
> paper (Awagami Bizan). I am interested in pushing my own envelope, as 
> well.
> So, carts, I suppose to be the first thing to begin to gather.  How 
> do I get the carts necessary to use the in the 10600?
> For inks I will probably go with Cone's sets. I had already ordered 
> the K7 set before I discovered I had a 10600 and not a 9600. So, the 
> K6 sets are what I need, right.
> Software, I will think about. I have Studioprint budgeted but have 
> already downloaded and paid for QTR, used it a bit on my 7880 
> comparing with Imageprint.
> The big thing is carts. I have looked at the jpegs in the files 
> section and it seems very delicate work...
> Anyway, thanks again and if you can point me to the carts I would be grateful.
> Paul
> 
> -- 
> Paul Kohl
> Visiting Professor, Photography
> Nanyang Technological University
> Singapore
>