Epson 2200 vs. MIS ez b&w inks

[michael b.]

I use an Epson 2200 to print b&w prints using various ICC profiles

I've found on the web. The results are fairly good, and I generally

get neutral results after some tweaking. I am trying to improve my

print quality and am considering, among other things, getting a

Coolscan V (instead of Epson 3200) and trying an Epson C84 with the

EZ b&w inks instead of using the Epson 2200.

 

Any thoughts on whether I would see improved quality using the C84

with the b&w inks versus a fairly-well color managed Epson 2200?

 

Any opinions would be appreciated.

[jack paradise]

I would stay with the Epson 2200 and change over to the new UT7 (Ultra-Tones) inkset and curves by Paul Roark. You wont need ICC profiles anymore.

 

This new UT-7 inkset will allow printing on both matte and glossy papers!

 

http://www.inksupply.com/index.cfm?source=html/bwpage.html

 

Download your UT-7 curves here:

 

http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/UT-2200-curves.html

[rob t.]

What Jack said!

 

And if you combine the 2200 and new UT7 inks with a new dedicated film scanner like the Nikon Coolscan V, you will see much improvement in your prints.

 

I am using a Coolscan V with an Epson 1280 printer and the UT2 inks, and couldn't be happier!

[jorge]

Jack and Rob, do the UT7 inks eliminate bronzing with glossy papers? My main gripe with digital B&W printing is that so far I haven't found an ink/paper combo that fairly duplicates the look and feel of fiber-based silver-gelatin air-dried glossy papers, like Ilford Gallery or Ilford MG in F surface. Finding that would definitely motivate me to close my darkroom.

[michael b.]

Thank you for the answers so far.

 

One thing driving me towards trying an Epson C84 is that I occasionally use my Epson 2200 for color work, and I don't want to have to switch back and forth, clean nozzles etc.

 

So, if the C84 with the EZ inks could produce results equal to or better than a color-managed Epson 2200 for b&w, I would just take the plunge for an inexpensive, dedicated b&w system based on the C84.

 

One thing worrying me about the MIS system is its lack of ICC profiles. I know it may be easier not to have to worry about profiles, but I'm a big stickler for having precise control on the output -- it drives me crazy to spend hours in Photoshop to get a picture just right on screen only to guess on the output by arbitrarily adjusting contrast sliders or holding up the print to the screen, adjusting parameters, and trying to roughly "match" the oputput by repeated trial and error.

 

Again, thank you -- I am going to keep reading as much as I can about the MIS system. Seems like a very good option, and the price is definitely right.

[erudolph]

Hi Michael... I'm a bit of a newbie to these things, but I'll stick my neck out and opine. I've tried an Epson 2200 at work and have a C84 and an R800, both Epson printers, at home. I'm printing only B&W. The MIS EZ inks for the C84 are pretty good. I've tried both the EZ Warm and EZ Neutral. I liked the warm, but felt it was a little too warm, then tried the neutral and felt it was a little too neutral :-).... In fact, you can mix the catridges between sets (as long as you stick the appropriate colored cartridge in the appropriate slot) and make up a set that is "neutral/warm." However, I felt there weren't enough dpi in the C84 to be really satisfactory. On the other hand, Paul Roark, developer of the curves for UltraTone inks, has said that he thinks the C84 is a great little printer, rivaling rigs that cost up to a $1000. Just my 2 cents. I'll probably hold out for a 2200 with the UT-7 inkset too. As of this moment, the UT-7 inks haven't been released yet. I believe they're being tweaked. For more info you might check into the Yahoo group "DigitalBlackandWhiteThe Print."

 

Ed Rudolph

[rick_schroeder]

I've been looking at this same set up also, but after doing some research on the

digitalblackandwhitetheprint mailing list I found something very interesting. Maybe I read

it wrong, but Paul Roark says that the EZ BW inks use the same shade of light black in all

three of the color positions in the printer. If this is true, then basically this means the

2200 already is the warm version of the EZ BW.