ink sets

[david_myers2]

For the past 4 years I have been using IP with the Ultrachrome inks in an Epson

2200 to print B&W. I am starting wonder if I can squeeze more quality out of

hardware by shifting to Cone's K7 inks with QTR. Has anyone compared the two

approaches? FYI -- I tend to print on PhotoRag.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

David

[ellis_vener_photography]

Check out Amadou Diallo's book "Mastering Digital Black and White". It has the information you are looking for and is one of the better geenral Photoshop & printing specific books that I've come across.

[jtk]

1) Having seen a lot of different approaches with 2200 in print exchanges, I think the answer to your question boils down more to skill than ink.

 

2) You might consider MIS UT7 Vs Cone. I like both QTR with Ultrachrome and Epson's own driver with UT7. I have not tried Cone or Image Print because the print exchange examples I've seen have not suggested any advantage.

 

Here's the place to raise the question :

 

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/

 

(Ultrachrome with UT7 Vs Cone with 2200 was a hot discussion until about six months ago, but the throng shifted to 2400)

[brian_ellis19]

I used QTR in a 2200 with UC inks for several years and was always very pleased with the results (and after years of contact printing 8x10 negatives and making 4x enlargements of 4x5 negatives I have very high standards when it comes to print quality). Before that I used MIS inks in the 2200 and before that I used MIS inks in a 1280 and before that in an 1160. I thought that the results of using QTR in the 2200 with UC inks were at least as good, if not better, than the MIS inks and without the never-ending quality control problems with MIS inks over the years. So before going to the trouble and expense of switching to Cone you might try QTR in your 2200 with your existing UC inks and see how you like the results. As I'm sure you know, QTR can be downloaded for free on a trial basis and if you decide to keep it you pay only $50, probably the biggest bargain there is in digital printing.

[jtk]

I agree with Brian.

 

I also use MIS UT7, but only do so because I have a second, dedicated 2200. UT7 does do things QTR/UC can't do, but they are only worth the effort IMO if you have a dedicated machine.

 

If you could use MIS interchangably with UC, that would be cool, but I think that would be more frustrating than it would be worth, given propensity of everything but Epson OEM UC pigments to clog. The Epson pigments are incredibly clog-resistant for 2200, unlike earlier models.

 

Also, Amadou Diallo's book isn't just "one of the better" for B&W, it's infinitely better than anything else. He writes coherently, for one thing.