Digital BW, The Print

At 1:40 AM +0000 1/2/06, konadante wrote:
>
>Now I'm sure this post has been exhausted - many times over- but I'm 
>interested to
>expanding my printing techniques.

The printers and inks and papers are still evolving, Russ, so even 
when there's a temporary consensus, the answers to these questions 
can't be exhaustive for long.


>   I am a staff photographer for a large newspaper and
>have gotten away from my fine art background- shooting mainly 
>photojournalist images
>for the past few years.  I want to create fine black and white 
>digital prints, but I'm not sure
>where to start.  There is a load of information out there but I'm 
>having trouble digesting it
>all- I would appreciate help in condensing all that info.

So this need isn't going away, but this list chews on it relentlessly.


>   If anyone has the time - I have a
>few broad questions- What types of new printers are best used to 
>create b&w images?
>What inks do you prefer?  And  finally a little about the software 
>needed (mac user).

In addition to the link Clayton gave you to the information on his 
site, there's also Paul Roark's
<http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/R220_R2_Readme.htm>
on where to start with an Epson printer (R220), a MIS ink set (UT 
R2), and Roy Harrington's QuadTone RIP (QTR), which Roy provides both 
for Mac's and for Windows.

I think that your first big decision is whether to start down the 
quadtone path or start down the black-only (BO) path or start down 
both paths at once. Not that it's necessarily an either(QT)-or(BO) 
situation except at the individual print level. On the contrary, for 
many it's a both-and situation. But often with different inks and/or 
printers. For example, for economy and simplicity, you might start 
printing black-only on the R200, especially if you already have one, 
and later begin to print also with the UT R2 ink set, eventually with 
Roy's QTR, on an R220.

In any case, because you're on a Mac, you might want to subscribe 
also to the MacEpsonList, which is another Yahoo list.


>I know these are broad questions and very subjective- but any 
>information would be greatly apprenticed. Russ Powell

Good luck, Russ, and please keep posting. I'm about to celebrate the 
new year by starting over along some combination of the same lines.
--
Sam