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Why Ultratone 2
Right after we finished introducing the Ultratone inks, we discovered another B&W ink blend using the
Ultratone shades. This new blend was made specifcally for the Epson 1280 printers. It can print sepia
tones, where the original Ultratone ink could not. It also can be used with just the Epson sliders to
produce warm to neutral tone prints. This means adjustment curves and the purchase of Photoshop are not
required. However, with the use of adjustment curves, UT2 can print a broad range of tones from dark
sepia to full cool. The original Ultratone only goes from warm to cool, no sepia. Plus we discovered
that UT2 makes a superior glossy print. So, we could not ignore UT2. Original UT is a great ink that
can be used on a number of printers, so it has a place as well. (Thought you would ask, so this is the
answer up front.)
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ULTRATONE 2 CARTRIDGES FOR THE 890 & 1280
Cartridges prefilled with Ultratone2 ink are available for the 890 & 1280 printers. Click on
the blue part number links to order.
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| Printer Models |
UT2 Cartridges for Epson 890 & 1280 |
| Cartridges |
UT2 |
Price |
Description |
| Eboni Black |
ARC-T007-UTK |
$22.08 |
Eboni black for use on matte paper and some glossy's. |
| Photo Black |
ARC-T007-UPK |
$22.08 |
Photo black for use on gloss and semi-gloss paper, not for matte papers. |
5 Shade Cartridge
890 |
ARC-T008-UT2 |
$32.76 |
For making sepia to cool Prints on Epson 890 printer |
| 5 Shade Cartridge 1280 |
ARC-T009-UT2 |
$32.76 |
For making sepia to cool Prints on Epson 1280 printer |
Note: See Roark's workflow below. UT2 can be used with or without curves.
Note: Eboni black when used with UT2 will work on some glossy papers.
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UT2 BULK INK FOR THE 890 & 1280
The MIS UT2 Ultratone ink for the 890 & 1280 printers is available in 4 oz and pint bottles. Click on
the blue part number links to order. This ink will not work with other Epson printer models.
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CONTINUOUS FLOW SYSTEMS FOR THE 890 & 1280
If you are a frequent printer or doing some production work, then we recommend you purchase a MIS Continuous Flow System
for your 890 or 1280 printer. This will save you a tremendous amount of money. The cost to operate a CFS is at least 10
times less than using cartridges. If you only print occasionally, then do not get a CFS. If left idle for 3 or 4 days
at a time, CFS units can start to develop problems. Our AUTOPRINT program
(see CFS Page- halfway down) can be used to prevent problems from occuring,
provided the printer and its computer remain powered.
| Continuous Flow System with UT2 UltraTone
B&W Ink - for Epson 890 & 1280 Printers |
| Printer Model |
Part Number |
Description |
Price |
| Epson 890 |
CFS-890K-UT2 |
Prefilled CFS with UT2 Ink & Eboni black |
$215 |
| Epson 890 |
CFS-890PK-UT2 |
Prefilled CFS with UT2 Ink & Photo black |
$215 |
| Epson 1280 |
CFS-1280EK-UT2 |
Prefilled CFS with UT2 Ink & Eboni black |
$215 |
| Epson 1280 |
CFS-1280PK-UT2 |
Prefilled CFS with UT2 Ink & Photo black |
$215 |
For more information about these CFS units, go to CFS-890 or
CFS-1280. Or start at the beginning and get an overview
of all the available CFS Units.
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WORKFLOW INSTRUCTIONS
Making Prints with MIS Easy B&W UT2 Ultratone Inks on an Epson 890 or 1280
Here is Paul Roark's workflow for making B&W prints with UT2 inks. These inks are a
variable tone ink and can be used to produce warm or neutral prints by using just the SLIDERS on the Epson driver. To
get the full range of tones from the UT2 inks, image adjustment curves are required. With curves, the inks will
print from full sepia to cool on a variety of papers. These curves were created by Paul and they are free.
Follow the steps outlined below and you will end up with a beautiful B&W archival prints.
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| A. |
Download the adjustment curve file, ut2.zip. Extract the files using
WinZip for PC's or
Stuffit for Mac's. Save them anywhere on your hard drive, in a folder you know the name of, like UT2 Curves.
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| B. |
Use Photoshop 5.5 or higher or the Picture Window Image Editor. Start with the best
possible grayscale image. Don't start with a color image. Convert the mode to RGB for printing. Do not resave the
image after you convert to the RGB mode, or after applying the adjustment curves, this is only for printing purposes.
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| C. |
Load and apply the desired Image Adjustment Curve. Click on Image, Adjust, Curves, and Load.
Then click on Browse to find the adjustment curve you have downloaded. Highlight the curve to be
loaded and click on OK. The curve will be applied to your image.
Each curve is for a specific paper. The curve names indicate the paper to be used. In most cases Hahnamuhle Photo Rag,
or Epson UltraSmooth will also produce good results due to their similar profile with EAM or EEM. Other papers
may require an adjustment to the curves. Use the article by Dirk Hobman below to understand how to modify
the curves.
When a curve is applied, the image will turn nice bright colors, but these are false colors.
The image is no longer WYSIWYG. This is for printing only, and should not be saved over
the good grayscale working file. Do not attempt to edit the image once the curve has been
applied.
(Note that a Photoshop Action (macro) can program a function key to convert to RGB, call
up and apply the desired adjustment curve/tone, and get the user into the print driver.
That is, this can be a one-button procedure/workflow.)
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| D. |
Making the Print -
The Epson driver is used to print this inkset. Follow Paul's instructions
for making the print. Here he provides detailed instructions and settings for making warm or neutral prints without
using any workflow curves.
Read UT2 Information and Settings
by Paul Roark. If you are going to use the Photoshop curves, he describes which ones to use for the various tones
and papers.
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| E. |
Going Beyond Perfect -
Be sure to let the print dry before judging the color or tones. If you need a good stepwedge
to work with, you can download the one we use. For barrier type papers
(glossy, luster & semigloss) spray prints with a protective coating like PremierArt Print Shield or Lyson
Print Guard. This spray largely eliminates the differential reflections (including what some call bronzing) and makes
the print surface so tough it can be cleaned with a damp cloth.
If you would like to know more about how the Photoshop Curves are constructed, you can read the information provided
by one of our "expert customers", Dirk Hobman. Dirk explains how to make curves for the MIS UltraTone
B&W inks. Plus he offers a couple of graphic forms for keeping track of the data that is gathered in the process.
To read his article on B&W curve making, download this file... hobman.zip.
There is an excellent forum called
Digital B&W, The Print. The forum discusses all digital technologies related to
making monochrome prints from digital sources, including the MIS ink sets and
workflows. If you are using MIS inks or plan on using them, this is a great place to
find additional information and to contact current users.
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Information about the Inks
If you are using matte paper, then put in an Eboni black cartridge (ARC-T007-K). If you are using glossy or
semigloss paper, put in a Photo black cartridge (ARC-T007-PK). The 5 inks in the color cartridge do not have
to change, they will work on matte or glossy papers. Do not use MIS Universal black (MK). The
fade resistance of MK is not adequate for making archival prints.
Do not mix these inks with other Non Ultratone inks. For refilling or Continuous Flow Systems, you must start with
virgin empty cartridges. Provided this condition is met, no flushing or purging of the printer is needed. One or
two cleaning cycles will remove any color or non Ultratone ink from inside the print head. These inks will not
clog or damage your printer if you follow this advice.
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| G. |
Alternate Printing Methods
The workflow described above uses the Epson driver software for controlling the printer. There are other drivers or
RIP's available for printing in B&W with MIS UT2 inks. QuadTone RIP
and Bowhaus are both available for use on Mac computers. Neither of
these will work on a Windows machine.
Quadtone RIP is gaining more support and functionality each week. Roy Harrington, the author, has created profiles for MIS
UT2 on the 1270 and 1280 printers. We have not seen the prints, but customers using this software say the prints are
great. We support Roy's efforts and have encouraged him to develop a Windows version of Quadtone RIP. He is working on it.
If you are a Mac OSX owner, we suggest you visit his site and read about this unique way to make prints and profiles.
Bowhaus is an approach similar to Quadtone RIP, but with a more graphical user interface. We have seen prints done on a
2200 with the Bowhaus software and MIS Ultratone inks. They look very good. On the Bowhaus site, if you download the
Printmaker program, you will get some profiles to use with our 2200 inks. Printmaker works only on Mac OS9. A version for
OSX is due to be launched very soon, per Bowhaus. Bowhause profiles for use with UT2 have not been created yet, as far as we know.
Both Quadtone RIP and Bowhaus allow you to make your own B&W profiles or to use pre-built profiles which they supply.
We support both of these alternate methods for making prints with our inks. Hopefully in the future the software will
continue to mature and benefit B&W artists and photographers even more. These are exciting times for the Digital
Darkroom.
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WHICH PAPER TO USE
Hahnamuhle Photo Rag
Epson Enhanced Matte
Epson Archival Matte
Epson Ultrasmooth or Scrapbook
PremierArt Fine Art Hot Press
Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl & Glossy
Epson Photo Glossy (SO41141)
Epson Premium Glossy, Luster & Semigloss
When to use these papers and which curves to use with them are discussed in
Paul's instructions.
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