Digital BW, The Print

* -----Original Message-----
* From: kaiyen.rm [mailto:kaiyen@...] 
* Sent: Saturday, September 13, 2003 4:53 PM
* To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
* Subject: [Digital BW] One of those "newbies"
* 
(snip)
* 
* My specific questions are:
* 1 - the 1280 seems to be the honda civic of printers in terms of 
* after-market upgrade options.  is this a sound place to start as a 
* base for the system, or am I painting myself into a corner, 
* technology-wise?

Allan,

From all the prints I have seen, I would have to say that the model of
printer does not seem to play a role in final print quality. Using the
grayscale carbon pigment inks, the quality of prints from the 1280 will be
just as good as the 2100. The person behind the camera and the
computer/printer is the big factor!
* 
* 2 - I think that I'm torn between a Piezography and an MIS VM 
* system, with a CIS.  The Piezography is more expensive.  
* How "dotless" can the Epson driver get with MIS VM inks?

I have used both and find them dot less. The 1280 and other printers do have
a characteristic linear pattern in the direction of head travel in some
tonal ranges but you have to use a loupe to see it. I think the end result
with the Piezo and MIS-VM workflows is equally good. Personally I prefer the
Piezo as I feel I can get to a finished print faster and easier. Ink costs
ultimately are negligible compared to what you wind up spending on paper so
I don't believe that is much of an issue. However, if you want variable hue
than MIS-VM is the way to go with the 1280 at the moment.

If you are on a Mac and go with the VM inks then you should be looking at
the free QuadTone RIP rather than the RGB separation curve workflow.   
* 
* 3 - Do I give up anything, tonal-range-wise, by going with one 
* system over the other?

No.   
* 
* I realize that most won't bother with such trivial questions, and I 
* apologize for being a newbie.  But I'm trying. 

Don't apologize. Occasionally long time users will post the usual "just
search the archives" comment. In reality finding anything in the archive in
any coherent fashion with Yahoo's search engine is pretty tough.

We start the forum in large part to answer questions like yours. So ask
away.

Martin Wesley
http://www.carolyn.cc/Guests/MartinWesley/pages/MW_01.html
http://www.borderless-photos.de/guests.html