Epson 7900/9900 and Light Black consumption

[kirmo]

The issue has been discussed in other posts. I have followed with great interest the feedback
of these new printers.

I've had the 9900 for about a month. Yesterday I also finished the first Light Black ink cartidge.
The same has been happening for most of us.

I asked from local expert (Finland) and they told that Epson has changed the way how the inks are
consumed and that the light black is the most used ink. This might be true? There are new inks,
green and orange and the previous ink set is different.

Has anybody else got this as a answer for the hevy usage of light black?

So far no problems with the printer and the prints are great.

I also asked from Hahnemuhle about the profiles and got an answer "We are busy on doing profiles
for Canon printers" - after this maybe it's time for 7900/9900.

Kirmo

[pfigen]

It did seem that the initial Light Black was used up rather fast, but since then I don't see that happening. Of course, image content will make a difference. I'm in the middle of printing close to 400 30 x30inch images - a copy of a colorful oil painting - and after about half of them it's the yellow and the Light Vivid Magenta that are going the fastest. Oh, and the right side maintenance tank...

[kirmo]

It did seem that the initial Light Black was used up rather fast, but since then I don't see that happening. Of course, image content will make a difference. I'm in the middle of printing close to 400 30 x30inch images - a copy of a colorful oil painting - and after about half of them it's the yellow and the Light Vivid Magenta that are going the fastest. Oh, and the right side maintenance tank...

Same here. Yellow and Light Vivid Mgenta are flashing low. Also the Light Black is emptying fast.

I was given the tip to change the maintenance tanks before the right tank is 100% used. Move the right tank to the left and the left to the right. I was told that the printer will stop printing if one of the maintenance tanks is fully used. The printer starts filling the right side.
I'll do this switch when I don't have a spare one around.

Kirmo

[Bruce Watson]

Has anybody else got this as a answer for the heavy usage of light black?

Sounds like gray component replacement (GCR) to me. That is, instead of using the other inks in combination to make a gray, they just use the gray ink in the inkset. Epson had to build a new driver for the x900 printers because of the new inks. Perhaps they improved GCR in the driver then.

[Ernst Dinkla]

Sounds like gray component replacement (GCR) to me. That is, instead of using the other inks in combination to make a gray, they just use the gray ink in the inkset. Epson had to build a new driver for the x900 printers because of the new inks. Perhaps they improved GCR in the driver then.

There has been a discussion that when the printer is initialised the first time, the LK channel is filled twice due to the MK<>PK switch system. Then there is the question whether general cleaning cycles use more LK than the other inks for the same reason. If Epson also set more GCR in the 7900/9900 media presets than on the models before it you will see more LK used, the same ink that is used most on the HP Z3100. It will be more than compensated by lower LC.LM.Y consumption.


Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/