OCP pigment black question

[costadinos]

I have a question regarding the Epson pigment black made by OCP, maybe someone here with experience with that inkset can help.

I tried using the complete inkset made by OCP for the R2000, and, apart from the Magenta being really weak, the photo black was also not very good. Dmax wasn't nearly as good as the OEM or as tbat from IS or IF ink.
So, since buying all the colors from the same supplier is a lot more economical, I was thinking of using the black that is supposed to be used in another model.
One option would be the K3 pigment black. Has anybody had the chance to compare these two OCP blacks and can tell if the K3 black is indeed better?

OCP calls the R2000 black "BKP110", and the K3 black "BKP202".

 

[cls]

I have BKP202 and BKP203 both are very good
BKP202 T0591 Photo Black (K3) 19 per Litre
BKP203 T0598 Matte Black
BKP 110 T0541 Photo Black (R1800) 29 per Litre
BKP 114 T0341 Photo Black (K2) 19 per Litre

 

[costadinos]

I have BKP202 and BKP203 both are very good
BKP202 T0591 Photo Black (K3) 19 per Litre
BKP203 T0598 Matte Black
BKP 110 T0541 Photo Black (R1800) 29 per Litre
BKP 114 T0341 Photo Black (K2) 19 per Litre

Have you by any chance tried the BKP110? I'd like to know how it compares to the BKP202, since the 110 is not that good.

 

[cls]

sorry didnt try it but i guess it the same...

 

[Lucas28]

The OCP inks Ive used are:
BKP202, photo black K3
BKP201, light black K3
BKP200, light gray K3

Im satisfied with these inks, there is no clogging and it is real good pigment ink.
The difference with BKP114 is the gloss, which is very high on BKP202. The lower gloss BKP114 gives a deeper black.
Of course you can exchange BKP110 by BKP202, it has the same high gloss, but the outcome can be a different colour tone.
Lower gloss pigment inks give a deeper black.

 

[costadinos]

The difference with BKP114 is the gloss, which is very high on BKP202. The lower gloss BKP114 gives a deeper black.

That makes sense, as the BKP110, that's meant to be used in the "high-gloss" R2000 is even weaker.

So if I really needed the deep blacks I should go for the BKP114. I'm buying the inks from Octopus Office and they don't seem to sell that any more.
Do you know if the same ink is used in another cartridge for which they still sell ink? (In the OCP website they only mention the T0341 cartridge for use with the BKP114).

 

[Lucas28]

The BKP114 is more or less 'semi-gloss'. It is not sold often, because there is hi-gloss BKP202 en matte BKP203. The matte ink shows the deepest black. It must be the reason why Octopus-Office doesn't sell BKP114 any more. But it still can be ordered at OCP.de

So the options are:
BKP115: matte K2
BKP114: semi gloss K2
BKP203: matte K3
BKP202: gloss K3

And some interesting literature:
http://www.ocp.de/complist/index.html

 

[costadinos]

Thanks for that link, very informative.

One thing I don't get after browsing it though, is why they recommend using the BKP115 black with almost all of the C, CX and workforce series (that only have one black).
Won't there be issues with that ink rubbing off when used on glossy papers?
Or is it that the BKP115 can be used on all types of papers (but causing more gloss differential than other inks)?

If that's the case that would also be a good option for achieving good dMax when using semi-glossy or textured glossy papers where gloss diff is not an issue.

 

[pharmacist]

Thanks for that link, very informative.

One thing I don't get after browsing it though, is why they recommend using the BKP115 black with almost all of the C, CX and workforce series (that only have one black).
Won't there be issues with that ink rubbing off when used on glossy papers?
Or is it that the BKP115 can be used on all types of papers (but causing more gloss differential than other inks)?

If that's the case that would also be a good option for achieving good dMax when using semi-glossy or textured glossy papers where gloss diff is not an issue.

Not at all: all the aforementioned printers use the CMY printing method for photo printing, so no black is used on photo paper. "Black" is simulated by mixing cyan+magenta+yellow together to make something very black.
Only printers having a photo black will have a true special black for this type of paper, which obviously will you a rather dark gray effect when used for text printing.

On my Epson Workforce WF-7525 printer, the photo printing is pretty good, but it lacks that extra punch compared to prints made with my Epson Pro 3880 or R3000, both using a special dedicated photo black cartridge to increase the contrast.

 

[Tin Ho]

On my Epson Workforce WF-7525 printer, the photo printing is pretty good, but it lacks that extra punch compared to prints made with my Epson Pro 3880 or R3000, both using a special dedicated photo black cartridge to increase the contrast.

I have finally acquired a R2880 in decent shape (very low miles) and have been enjoying photo printing and experiencing the inks. From the Hobbicolors K3 ink that I am using I have found that the matte black is the darkest black and the photo black is more like a dark gray. However, despite being a dark gray, in comparison with the matte black, it produces plenty of deep dark black on glossy photo papers. The amazing thing is it prints nice dense black without bronzing. The matte black if used on glossy paper the bronzing would be quite significant and unbearable. Obviously the black pigments for matte black and photo black are quite different. I think R3000 and R3880 use the same ink used in R2880? These printers are probably the best Epson photo printers.

The matte black is the darkest black for matte paper printing. It produces darker black than my laser printers period. I have printed quite a few 13x19 prints using Epson heavy weight professional watercolor matte paper. The print quality simply blows away similar prints from my Canon Pro9000 MKII.