B+W guy NM
Newbie
I asked Jon Cone about that yesterday, he suggested some work arounds but they're anything but turnkey. What printer are you using, how are your results and ease of startup? Mike
Does anyone have experience with carbon inksets?
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B+W guy NM
Newbie
Just looked at your gallery, very nice B+W work. The muscles caught my eye in particular.
mrtoml
Mancunian
I am using Piezo pro in a P900. The main problem starting up was flushing all the old colour ink out of the lines. Cone recommends using Piezoflush but I did not use that. Once this is done it is pretty good. I also have a spectrophotometer so I can linearize any paper I want using the Piezo pro toolkit.
I also have Paul Roark's eboni 6 inkset in an old 3880. I mix these inks myself. You can even use the epson driver rather that Quadtone RIP with this setup.
B+W guy NM
Newbie
Thanks for the info Mark. My ET-8550 has not had inks installed yet so I'm really hoping I can find a carbon set to run with it, thrilled it's an ecotank too. I got print samples from FW inks and the carbon museum is gorgeous, has a three-dimensional feel to it.
So you mix your own inks! Mr Roark just came on my radar, went to his site but I don't see where he sells ink, lots of very technical info though. So how do they compare to the Cone setup?
So you mix your own inks! Mr Roark just came on my radar, went to his site but I don't see where he sells ink, lots of very technical info though. So how do they compare to the Cone setup?
mrtoml
Mancunian
For the Roark I can get the black eboni ink (carbon pigment) in the UK. It should be easily available in the US. Then you mix a solution of water, glycerol and some surfactant (like photo flo) and dilute to different shades of grey. Anyone with darkroom experience would find this quite easy. You also then need empty carts with resettable chips (again easy to get in the UK for the 3880). Roark doesn't sell ink.
This is a pure carbon inkset so prints warm. I also use some canon blue ink to act as a toner to get neutral prints. The Eboni only prints on matte papers. Roark has a more recent formula that prints on both matte and glossy so if I were to convert a printer again I would go with that.
I would struggle to see a difference between eboni 6 and piezo on matte papers. But piezo is more flexible and there is support from Cone. With Roark you need to do more work with Quadtone RIP to linearize etc. Whereas Cone has software that does this for you so long as you have a spectro to measure patches.
B+W guy NM
Newbie
So I have some homework to do, thanks. Matt is probably fine for me, and a slight warm tone I'm finding appealing. From what I've read I still might have to cool off the carbon a bit though?
mrtoml
Mancunian
Roark recommends using different papers to adjust tone. Some papers print much warmer than others with the same inks. I have found this with piezography as well. But you won't get neutral prints without including a cool toner of some sort.
Also check out the quadtone rip group if you haven't already. Paul Roark sometimes posts there and answers questions.
QuadToneRIP groups.io Group
This group supports the QuadToneRIP Epson printer driver and the Print-Tool application written by Roy Harrington. QuadToneRIP runs on both Macs and Windows computers. Print-Tool is available only for the Mac. Posts to this list should relate to the use of these programs. Note that anyone can...
groups.io
B+W guy NM
Newbie
Didn't know there was such a group, but did think I'd need to learn QTR. Good thing I'm retired. You ever been to Dinorwick Slate mine in Wales Mark?Roark recommends using different papers to adjust tone. Some papers print much warmer than others with the same inks. I have found this with piezography as well. But you won't get neutral prints without including a cool toner of some sort.
Also check out the quadtone rip group if you haven't already. Paul Roark sometimes posts there and answers questions.
QuadToneRIP groups.io Group
This group supports the QuadToneRIP Epson printer driver and the Print-Tool application written by Roy Harrington. QuadToneRIP runs on both Macs and Windows computers. Print-Tool is available only for the Mac. Posts to this list should relate to the use of these programs. Note that anyone can...
mrtoml
Mancunian
No, but many of my ancestors were Welsh slate miners from Corris near Machynlleth. Although I have not visited there for about 30 years.
Corris Mine Explorers | VisitWales
B+W guy NM
Newbie
If you're not familiar with it, you might find it interesting, I would love to shoot there.No, but many of my ancestors were Welsh slate miners from Corris near Machynlleth. Although I have not visited there for about 30 years.
Corris Mine Explorers | VisitWales
www.visitwales.com
Myrrys.eu
Established
Been away for quite a while from the forum, but not from the life of photography. I bit the bullet, bought et-8550 and the farbenwerk neutral carbon (with warm black channel) inkset. I couldn't be happier. Simply put, I couldn't tell how the pictures are made if I didn't know. The blacks are better then any inkjet print I've personally held in hand before. More akin to darkroom prints specially on Hahnemühle photo rag matt baryta. And when I print on thin washi paper it almost feels like Pt/Pd print on similar paper. There's kind of magic to it. There's a learning curve to operate these inks. It's plug and play to get results but to get what you want and the tonality you're looking for it takes a bit of practice with curves.
Myrrys.eu
Established
Don't look at the frames, just tried to find something to house this test print from this morning. Old picture, new print. Made on super thin washi paper (45g/m²), backed with white acid free paper. Tried doing gilding with leaf silver on the print, this might be something I want to experiment more in the future. With better equipment. 
Michalm
Well-known
Michalm
Well-known
These are my results on Hahnemulle 200 fibre Matt , low oba celulose lightly texutred paper, Farbenwerk Graphite 2 neutral inkset. I have learned how to create print correction curves for printing BW , I have also noticed it is really important to get clarity slider right when printing BW on matt paper. I love how this process takes digital edge off the files.
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Freakscene
Obscure member
The paper that the seascape is printed on is a bit textured for my taste, but the tones on both of these are gorgeous.
Myrrys.eu
Established
For some reason it comes out bit warmer then in real life in a cellphone picture. Also the detail in the windows which is there in the print can't be seen here. But the tonality is wonderful. Oh and of course there's a dog hair on the print already 😀
Both of these were taken in Iceland few years back. Can't wait to go there again. That place talked to me like no other.
Paper here is cheap epson matt heavyweight paper which I tested out for purpose of making maybe post cards out of. Or other similar "expendable" prints.
Both of these were taken in Iceland few years back. Can't wait to go there again. That place talked to me like no other.
Paper here is cheap epson matt heavyweight paper which I tested out for purpose of making maybe post cards out of. Or other similar "expendable" prints.
Michalm
Well-known
Effect of paper is exaggerated here by directional low strong window light , i will be testing number of other papers shorty , baryta matt , etching paper and hahnemule rag 308, but want to fine tune process on a bit cheaper papers first . I'm surprised Carbon inksets aren't more popular .
Myrrys.eu
Established
I feel like the black and white photography market is niche enough to not make these popular. Sure there's monochrome cameras from multiple makers these days, but how much of current photography lives purely in digital form. Besides the regular inkjet b&w is not terrible, not even bad. But they ain't the same still and I do love the tonality of this carbon inkset. Maybe if Epson released b&w only photoprinter with four or six channels of blacks, it could catch on? Though I don't think so.
But I'm thankful these do exist and hope they continue to exist long into future. Loving this. Also for me picture ain't done before it's in print. But that's the old school darkroom me talking.
Freakscene
Obscure member
Agree, niche. Multiple = 2 manufacturers (Ricoh and Pentax are the same entity really). And two of the smallest manufacturers by units sold.
mrtoml
Mancunian
Here are some prints I made recently using Paul Roark's Eboni-6 in my aging 3880. These were printed using ABW mode in the Epson driver.
These are on Fotospeed Matt Baryta:
And these are on Fotospeed NST Bright White (which has OBAs):
These are on Fotospeed Matt Baryta:
And these are on Fotospeed NST Bright White (which has OBAs):
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