Matte Black or not so much photo Black..

[The Hat]

I did this ink test to see how much more or less ink is laid down when using the Photo and Matte black inks on my Pro 9500.

I only used one ink cartridge at a time on each print and the rest of the cartridges were filled with GO, I got this with Media settings of Photo glossy paper (PK Black) and then Plain paper (MBK Black), both were printed on the glossy paper.

The colour original was printed normally using PK black on photo glossy paper (Sihl)
click to enlarge.
The Colour one obviously, This is the PK Black, This one the Matte Black..

 

[CakeHole]

Could it be something as simple as it applies more ink deliberately when you select Matt Paper settings as that paper could absorb more ink than something glossy?

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Since the colors are not printing those printouts show that the transition points are different by media at which the driver starts mixing colors to create mid to light gray tones instead of dithering black

 

[The Hat]

Nope, you guys have to think through it again, the two paper type settings used were plain and photo but both prints were actually printed on glossy paper.

All of the colours were printed while using transparent Glop for this demonstration, so none of them can be seen on paper except the two specified blacks, the print driver gets completely naturalised and has no input whatsoever..

This method was only to show how much difference there is when using either PK or MBK black with your prints, it’s a matter of simply swapping the chips on both cartridges to achieve the desired effect..

 

[martin0reg]

...
the two paper type settings used were plain and photo
...

I am not sure (having no pro9500) - but isn't inkstainedfingers referring to the paper SETTINGS .. not to the paper actually used..!?

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Yes, the driver settings make the difference, the paper /glossy is the same. And the print driver does not know that there is GLOP in the cartridges instead of ink, the only color printing is black.
And dithered black together with actual inks create an actual gray level. And if those colors are missing you see the transition point at which the black share of the inks is reduced to zero. And lighter grays print white because of the GLOP

 

[The Hat]

Again you guys are missing the plot here, this demonstration was to show the difference in density of the two types of black namely Matte and Photo black, it’s not about the print driver or anything else, especially GREY.

If you use the normal PK black on your photos and you not satisfied with the output you then have the choice of using Matte black in the PK cartridge position, sometime it is a necessary thing to do on quite a few of Matte Art papers.

Both black inks can be used in the same position negating the possibility of any interference from the print driver..

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

O.K., fine, if you are printing with different black inks, on the same paper, with the same driver settings then the pictures show quite a visible density difference indeed between those. I'm not using a matte black on my Epsons, I don't know whether they are comparable in this respect or not.

 

[martin0reg]

Sorry no canon pig here ...
But regarding the two blacks in my epson 3880 I am indeed not satisfied with PK on real matte paper (like inkjet paper or matte photopaper), so I soon had to accept the need of MK for these papers, even if it costs some ink to swap the channels..
MK on any other sort of photopaper, may it be glossy, semiglossy, luster, seems to easily rubb off on these papers.
So for me the paper dictates the black: MK on any real matte paper, PK on any other photopaper from glossy to luster.

 

[The Hat]

@martin0reg I am sorry you have that problem of the ink rubbing off, I use Sihl gloss and the Matte ink dries much the same on that as the Photo black does.

The extra deeper colour you get while using Matte black is more prominent if the media is set to plain but far less when it’s set to Matte paper, but at lest it gives you the option, even if it is sort of cheating.

I mostly use the paper settings to change which ink I want to use and only occasionally do I swap the cartridge chips..