Eco-Tank Mono Printing

flook999

flook999

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Has anyone converted (or looked into converting) a budget 4 ink eco-tank type printer to use just shades of greys/blacks? Is this viable? Can such inks be sourced. I've had a quick google with no success and thought I'd ask the audience before going too deep in case it's already been shown to be daft/difficult/impossible or even easy :D
 
flook999 said:
Has anyone converted (or looked into converting) a budget 4 ink eco-tank type printer to use just shades of greys/blacks? Is this viable? Can such inks be sourced. I've had a quick google with no success and thought I'd ask the audience before going too deep in case it's already been shown to be daft/difficult/impossible or even easy :D
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IIRC there were a few discussions on DPReview forum about such ink conversions a while back and the discussion included a term I cannot recall in regard to the inkset and where they could be bought (in the USA?) :thinking:
 
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flook999 said:
Thanks I'll have a rummage and see what I can find
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I had a quick look myself...........................could not find the thread(s) I thought I recalled.........annoyingly I cannot recall the 'word' used to describe such an inkset swap out ~ grrrr! But IIRC it certainly was talking about mono printing. I hope you can find it/them and that I have steered you properly in the right direction :thinking:

Please update as you find things out?
 
Box Brownie said:
I had a quick look myself...........................could not find the thread(s) I thought I recalled.........annoyingly I cannot recall the 'word' used to describe such an inkset swap out ~ grrrr! But IIRC it certainly was talking about mono printing. I hope you can find it/them and that I have steered you properly in the right direction :thinking:

Please update as you find things out?
Click to expand...

found this which talks about the 6-ink printers https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/66519465 but I don't want to spend that much. Nothing found for 4 ink eco tanks yet
 
ChrisR said:
I think I saw some monochrome tank printers... yes, here https://www.epson.co.uk/en_GB/ecotank-mono-printers . They don't talk about photo images though, and Keith Cooper was a bit scathing about the grainy quality of black and white prints using only the pigment black in his review of (I think) the ET2850... https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/#bw.
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Yes I've seen those, they appear to be general purpose AIO office printers, not really what I'm after. I think (the cheaper ones at least) are just single black tank
 
@flook999

Because I hate a mystery.....I posted on DPR to see what was advised.....quick answer came with various links and the word I could not recall was Piezography !

I have no idea whether the info will be suitable/relevant to swapping the 4 off Eco-tank inks.....so will look forward to your updating this thread with what you learn and decide to do ;)

Changing a colour inkjet ink-set to do Monochrome only???: Printers and Printing Forum: Digital Photography Review

Expert news, reviews and videos of the latest digital cameras, lenses, accessories, and phones. Get answers to your questions in our photography forums.
www.dpreview.com www.dpreview.com
 
Box Brownie said:
@flook999

Because I hate a mystery.....I posted on DPR to see what was advised.....quick answer came with various links and the word I could not recall was Piezography !

I have no idea whether the info will be suitable/relevant to swapping the 4 off Eco-tank inks.....so will look forward to your updating this thread with what you learn and decide to do ;)

Changing a colour inkjet ink-set to do Monochrome only???: Printers and Printing Forum: Digital Photography Review

Expert news, reviews and videos of the latest digital cameras, lenses, accessories, and phones. Get answers to your questions in our photography forums.
www.dpreview.com www.dpreview.com
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nice find, I'll read it tomorrow (I'm a morning person) :D
 
OK I'm a little late, but I've had a read. In summary, with bottomless pockets (and the space and desire) the answer is an 8 ink printer with varying shades of black carbon suspension inks and a single blue to return the print to neutral (as carbon inks are inherently warmer toned).

There is no budget solution that I can find (ie something that works for a 4 ink eco-tank printer), I'm guessing because if there is the desire to go the dedicated mono route then it's usually accompanied by the willingness to spend to achieve it. In my case it was for dabbling and the odd A4 print.

I'll keep looking and if the knawing want doesn't fade, maybe I'll approach the likes of Farbenwerk or Piezography and see if they have an thoughts
 
Surely there's more to it than filling the tanks with a range of greys, and a modified print driver is needed to translate the image and assign the output ...?
 
droj said:
Surely there's more to it than filling the tanks with a range of greys, and a modified print driver is needed to translate the image and assign the output ...?
Click to expand...

Modified print drivers are available, at least they are for the higher end printers which use 6 or 8 individual cartridges, so far I haven't found anything similar for the 4 ink eco-tank type printer.
 
interesting and informative article on the reasons for a dedicated mono printer and options available, not eco-tank focussed unfortunately

Printing B&W with a dedicated printer and monochrome inkset

Why serious B&W photographers should think about dedicating a printer to specialist pure carbon pigment monochrome inks for the longest lasting, highest quality mono printing.
whisperingcat.co.uk whisperingcat.co.uk
 
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