I should have specified that I did not hold a white background above the steel plate when taking the photos. There is also no doubt that Tom White's Epson printer produces the best results while the HP produces slightly lighter transfers. Besides, since he developed the solution and best combination of products that work, he's a lot better at this procedure than most of us.
Part of the test was to illustrate that printing with HP composite black does in fact work ..... contrary to original beliefs as the rule kinda got carried over from the Epson printers.
also ... there is some image prep that can be done in Photoshop to eliminate gray areas in the image prior to printing on the film. This will also produce a sharper transfer with better contrast. I did not alter the scanned image in my previous post.
I hope the following photo helps prove my explanation. The original scan of the William Hogarth line engraved illustration was Photoshopped by adjusting highlight, shadow and midtones prior to printing. A white piece of copy paper was then held above the plate while the photograph was taken. Note that the transfer uses HP Vivera "black-only" ink and the "experimental" film. I have used a line engraving illustration because a transfer like this is a great way to practice and learn this type of engraving technique for self study.
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KnifeEngraver .... you bring up a very valid observation and I hope that Tim Wells does not remove your post from this "results only" thread.
The "white" appearance that Tom White's transfers have can be mis-interpreted as something on the metal itself when, in fact, it is simply a white refection to give better contrast for the photo. I am using his "Transfer Magic" stuff which, in my opinion, is the best stuff available.
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I will freely admit that I have tried to be a non-biased consumer advocate regarding Tom White's product ... at times against the product until it has been proven beyond doubt, that the product will work as well as (if not sufficiently close to) the Epson film it was originally designed for. Of course I come out looking like the "bully" bad guy but ultimately, that is to your benefit.
I believe that those who have purchased Transfer Magic can continue to use it with confidence despite the discontinuance of the Epson film and those that are thinking of buying it will know that there is a product that will work well with it. Many thanks to Tim Wells for doing some digging and finding this "experimental" film and I look forward to learning when and how the new film will be made available. Perhaps as a product which can purchased through Steve's site.