Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "John" <jge@...> wrote:
>
> 
> So would it be fair to propose a concise answer to my question as:
> 
> The simplest thing to do would be to acquire the QTR driver and print
> using your Epson OEM UltraChrome inks.   This has the advantage
> that you can print color without reconfiguring the printer.    Because color
> inks are blended to produce the various shades of grey, metamerism
> is a risk.   It is unacceptable with the OEM Epson driver, but significantly
> reduced, to a degree considered acceptable by many users, using QTR.
> 
> If you don't mind dedicating your 2200 to B&W work (or having to change
> out ink cartridges and flush the system when you want to print color),
> a better solution is to buy the UT7 ink set and print with either the Epson
> driver or QTR.
> 
> John
> 
> 
> > I've had an Epson 2200 for awhile for color printing. I would like to get into
> > B&W printing.   Trying to read through the archives here, I am a bit overwhelmed
> > with the choices; UT7, UT2, Eboni-6, etc.  Not to mention the variety of driver:
> > Epson's, QTR, OPM.
> > 
> > So I'd like suggestions as to the best way for me to proceed towards getting
> > good quality B&W prints.   I would like some balance of simplicity and quality.
> > I do not think I want to get into filling my own cartridges or building my own
> > profiles; and I do not have a densitometer.  I see the Epson 1400 highly
> > spoken of in some of the threads, and given its surprising low cost, I would
> > consider switching to it if the consensus is that it's worth it.
>
John, my recommendation would be to get the UT-7 ink set and go to work using the Epson driver.  I use UT-14 inks in an Epson 1400.  The work flow is pretty simple and it produces very high quality, satisfying black & white prints.  I believe this is also a good choice for longevity, using acid and lignin-free paper without optical brighteners (Moab Entrada Rag Natural is my paper of choice).  I haven't tried QTR, but if you are planning to use your 2200 for both BW and color printing, that may be the way to go.  If you do a lot of printing, a dedicated BW printer makes sense.  The 1400 is pretty inexpensive.