Digital BW, The Print

Hello Clasia,

>I want to get into B&W digital prints in a big way and have been 
>reading about RIPs and other printing software programs.  I've heard 
>great things about Epson's R2400 printer and their ability to print 
>rich neutral blacks with their K3 inks.
> 
>Can anyone give me any recommendations on whether it's worthwhile to 
>get any one of these software programs - Bowhaus IJC/OPM, ImagePrint 
>RIP, Quadtone RIP, or Qimage?  Pros and cons?  Advantages and 
>disadvantages?  What's absolute best if cost was not an issue?

There is no simple answer this question (except that Qimage is not a
RIP like the others).  There are many ways to approach BW printing,
and the answer depends a lot on personal experience and preferences. 
It's sort of like saying "I'm getting my drivers license, what kind of
car should I buy?".  They all (Yugo, Chevy or Rolls) will get you to
work and back.  IMO it can only be answered by you, after some hands
on experience.  

The 2400/K3 truly is a great printer.  Since a RIP is not required to
produce top notch BW, I'd recommend just starting with that.  After
you have some actual experience all the things you read about here
will have more meaning and the answer to your question will emerge out
of the murk.  At some point you'll know what you want to do and you
can purchase a RIP whenever you're ready.


Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm