Digital BW, The Print

Hello, Keith.  You will no doubt receive much good advice here.  I have
(had) a fine darkroom for many years, printing silver on fiber paper and
platinum/palladium on hand-coated paper.  For the last few years, all
printing has been "digital", now on an Epson 2200 (I don't print very large)
with factory UC inks and the ImagePrint 6 RIP.  There are several other ways
to print b&w, but this one is fast and easy.  I like my Epson prints better
than my darkroom prints, but there is one thing: So far as I know, and I
would like to be corrected, there is no way to replicate the look of an
air-dried fiber print.  It's just something you have to get over, but once
behind glass I like my Epson prints (on good matte paper such as PhotoRag).
Most of the time in converting digital images to b&w I use a really useful
PhotoShop action which allows you to pick the film effect you want (e.g.,
TriX)in the channel conversion, and then in a second action set up the
"darkroom" for final adjustments.  Wish I could remember where I got it.

Regards,

  --Ken Carney
    www.kencarney.com  

> -----Original Message-----
> From: kwcoop2000 [mailto:drcooper@...] 
> Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2004 12:27 PM
> To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Digital BW] New to forum, excited to find that this exists!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hello-
> 
> I know that this is a group of experts and new "upstarts" are 
> probably a pain, but I'm glad to find what appears to be exactly 
> what I'm looking for.   I have a home darkroom and have labored over 
> my good 'ol chemicals for years.  I have also crossed into 
> the digital realm but been unable to reproduce what I can do 
> in darkroom when it comes to my preferred medium - black and 
> white.  I have an oodle of equipment but find myself still 
> getting my hands wet in the darkroom to get the prints that I 
> really want.
> 
> If you aren't already bored with my ramblings, I'd like some 
> advice based on your experience, and based on some of my 
> existing equipment.
> 
> I have a Nikon F100 and am very comfortable with Tri-X 400.  
> I have years of B&W negatives from my beloved old Leica M6 
> that I no longer own.  I process my own film at home and have 
> scanned some into my computer using a Nikon Coolscan IV ED 
> film scanner.  Then use PS Elements to tweek the images to my 
> liking (or at least the best they look on my standard Dell 
> CRT monitor).  But this is where it ends.
> 
> I have an Epson 785 EPX photo printer, but the black only 
> results are not good.  I usually just use basic black only 
> settings and Epson premium photo paper, glossy.  The prints 
> are dark gray and muddy and I can see print lines, even at 
> 28800 resolution printing.
> 
> I also take multitudes of digital images with a Nikon D100, 
> but I'm not as happy with these images when converted to 
> greyscale.  I really prefer the look and tonality of my Tri-X negs.
> 
> You guys appear to have pioneered into where I need to go 
> from here.  Any advice as to which steps I should take next? 
> 
> I can buy an Epson 1280 if it would do me some good. I don't 
> mind keeping my darkroom for film processing reasons, but 
> would love to use the benefits of Photoshop form tweaking my 
> images instead of printing in the darkroom.  I just need an 
> output that will give the good "black blacks" that I love 
> about my darkroom fiber prints.
> 
> Thanks for any advice you can share from you experience.
> 
> Keith W. Cooper
> Little Rock, AR
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor 
> --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. 
> Yahoo! Companion Toolbar.
> Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free!
> http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/ucIolB/TM
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> ------~-> 
> 
> Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, and other 
> resources as they are often being updated.
> 
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint
> 
> If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or 
> you wish to unsubscribe, please edit your Membership 
> preferences by visiting this same page.
> 
> Please follow these basic guidelines:
> - As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier 
> messages to keep them short.
> - Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks 
> or flames. Hostile, aggressive or argumentative users may be 
> removed from the membership without notice.
> - Keep your posts and threads related to the group topic of 
> digital B&W printing. Users who persistently make off-topic 
> posts may be removed from the membership.
> - By posting on this forum you agree to abide by the group 
> rules and guidelines, and to abide by the actions and 
> decisions of the group Owner and Moderators. See "Group 
> Topic, Rules and Guidelines" in the Files section:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/files/
> 
> BY PARTICIPATING IN AND/OR POSTING MESSAGES TO THE DIGITAL 
> BW, THE PRINT YAHOO! GROUP YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE 
> THAT THE "OWNER" AND "MODERATORS" OF DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT 
> YAHOO GROUP SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DIRECT, 
> INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY 
> DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF 
> PROFITS, GOODWILL, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES (EVEN 
> IF THE  "OWNER" AND "MODERATORS" OF DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT 
> YAHOO GROUP HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH 
> DAMAGES), RESULTING FROM: (i) THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE 
> THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP; (ii) UNAUTHORIZED 
> ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (iii) 
> STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE DIGITAL BW, 
> THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP; OR (iv) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO 
> THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP.
>  
> Yahoo! Groups Links
> 
> 
> 
>  
> 
> 
>