Regarding the "archival" qualities of the Epson ABW mode, I summarized some of the http://www.aardenburg-imaging.com/ data on page 2 of http://www.aardenburg-imaging.com/ . The bottom line is that the delta-e of the ABW mode was multiples of that of the 100% carbon pigment inksets. (With delta-e, lower is better.)
That is consistent with the observation that the ABW mode uses a fair amount of color and the gray inks themselves are blends of carbon and color.
Because the Aardenburg-Imaging tests did not isolate the Epson K3 LK in the tests, that is what I'll do in my next round. I'm curious how it performs.
While I'm obviously a fan of dedicated B&W inksets for those who focus on B&W and want the best quality (and value with the Eboni-based systems), the OEM ABW mode printing is very convenient for those who also want serious color and stable enough for most purposes.
For those like me, however, an Eboni carbon based B&W printer for high end B&W, and a Claria (or Noritsu branded Claria) dye setup for color as well as high gloss B&W is a very nice combination.
Paul
On Sun, Jan 10, 2016 at 9:40 AM, Michael-K michael3442@... [DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint] <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Paul Roark, regarding the archival qualities of pigment inks, would you mind commenting on where Epson's ABW feature fits in? Thanks.