QTR-Quadtone RIP

>... For all students getting true good BW
> is a time consuming and painstaking proces.

I suppose it depends on one's expectations, but I no longer think getting
good B&W with an inkjet ought to be difficult at all. 

> Required is a true natural real Black and White (BW), no sepia, cool
> or warm.

I'm wondering, again, what your definition is of "true B&W."  I went heavily
into all sorts of tones with inkjet B&W -- I suppose because I found I
could, and I didn't like the original B&W inkset tones.  Now I'm into my
version of "purist inkjet B&W."  It's called 100% carbon pigments -- no
colors at all.  

See http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/R1800.htm 
http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Eboni-6.pdf
http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Ink-Mixing.pdf and
http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/C88-C13-5.pdf


>... I do not own a spectormeter ...

They are very nice items to have, but scanners can do a fair job of some
things.  See http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Making_B-W_ICCs.htm

> Ink and paper expenses are considarable ...

They don't need to be.  Getting the best for the least is clearly one of my
goals.

> So I was not glad to hear that MIS ink gave you problems. 

I don't work for MIS or get any royalties on any of the inksets they sell
that I originally designed, but I have worked with them for some time now,
and I use a lot of their materials.  Not all of the materials the third
party sellers like MIS can buy are as good as what Epson is able to obtain.
However, the Eboni MK that is the basis of all the above inksets is
outstanding and one of the least clogging inks from any company I've ever
used, including Epson inks.

The main defects I've seen with MIS products lately relate to chips that are
defective (so I always recommend having some extra chips) and carts that
leak at the outlet because the poppet valves don't seal correctly.  The seal
leaks don't affect printing at first, but they can be a mess when re-filling
the cartridges, and they do affect how easy it is to get good nozzle checks
after refilling them.  So, I just throw away the leaking carts when I find
them and consider it a small price for the very large savings that one can
achieve learning to use third party products.  

And it's not just MIS that suffers from these defects.  The third party
suppliers simply do not have the quality controls that Epson can afford.
But, again, one can learn to deal with the issues rather easily.  

Note that while I enjoy and appreciate saving the money, I'd be using my
current MIS-Eboni-based inksets (with QTR -- either the rip or Create ICC)
even if the MIS inks cost as much as Epson's inks.  My goal is also to make
the best, most stable prints I can.  Of course, some of us are just oriented
to doing things ourselves, pushing the envelope as much as possible, and
taking the road less traveled whenever possible.  It's part of what has
always made B&W photography fun for me.

Good luck with you B&W printing.

Paul   
www.PaulRoark.com