I would like to hear from anyone that is using or has used an epson 9600printer with cone piezography B+W ink sets. I am interested in knowing your experience with respect to set up, image quality with different papers and clogging issues. Is the set up any better than a 9800 with epson drivers and ink.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=215579\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I'm using the Cone PiezoTones (four inks, one generation down from the current k6/k7 inksets) in a 7600. Close enough, yes?
How do you define "better?" The gray inks have a consistent tone from shadows to highlights, where the Epson color inks do not. Over time the color inks are subject to differential fading where the yellow, magenta, and cyan inks fade at different rates causing odd but interesting color casts. But it might take (many) decades for this to show up. The PiezoTones show very little metamerism for me, where the color inks show more.
From a tonality standpoint, the PiezoTones are nice and smooth, smoother than B&W prints made from color inks. Some people are more sensitive to this than others.
The Cone inks are for matte papers only. If you want glossy papers, Cone's inks aren't what you are looking for.
It takes more effort to run the Cone inks. The Epson driver can't do it, you have to use a third party driver (or RIP) designed to handle all the gray inks. Roy Harrington has done an amazing job with QTR which he has made available as shareware on the web. StudioPrint is much more expensive, but you get some ease of use and considerably more control of how ink is laid down on the paper with StudioPrint. Is the extra control worth the extra money? Something you'll have to answer for yourself.
I've seen prints made with the current generation K7s from a 9600. The guy printing was a true master printer, and the prints were amazing. He's made a number of tests printing the same file with the K7s and a 9800 using the K3s. Side by side the K7s are quite noticeably better. As in sharper, smoother, much better highlights (detail and smoothness), and better shadow detail.
But again, if you really need the deeper blacks you can get from prints on glossier papers, the K7s aren't for you. But if you want the best B&W you can currently get, the K7s are currently the best inkset going -- IMHO. Clearly you should do your own research and your own testing (get a file printed several different ways and make your own evaluation and decisions) because YMMV. It all depends on how you see and what you value, and no one can tell you about those things but you.
Part of that research is to delve into the archives for the Yahoo groups that Ernst lists. There have also been some interesting discussions of the pros and cons of various printing techniques on the LargeFormatPhotography.info website forums. I remember someone (almost positive it was Tyler) posting some excellent examples -- print scans from Epson K3s and Cone K7s to show how much color ink was used in making the Epson "B&W" print. I just can't put my fingers on that thread right now for some reason (memory like a sieve most likely)