Digital BW, The Print

Hello Jay,

>The purpose of this post is request knowledgeable input for someone
>about to enter B&W digital printing. Specifically, I'm looking for
>confirmation that the pathway I'm considering should result in
>successful entry to high quality B&W digital printing. The entry
>pathway I'm considering is an Epson 1280 printer and MIS UT2 
>cartridge inks, which will be used with Photoshop CS2 on a PC 
>running Windows XP.
> 
>If you are knowledgeable and would think that another entry pathway
>would be better, I'd like to hear your suggestions.

Add my vote to what others have said about the 1280.  It's an older
design for dye inks and has a well earned reputation for giving people
the fits with clogs and banding problems when used with pigment inks.
It is quite possible for 1280 printer woes to dominate your time and
energy and detract from the real reasons we do this.  Back in the days
when the 1280 was the primary desktop machine in use this forum was
dominated by clog and banding issues (the Bad Old Days).  Some people
report few problems with them, but my perception is that they are a
minority.  I agree with Paul about the 2200 if you want to use that
type of approach, it was designed for pigment inks.  

However I have a different opinion re the worth of the 2400 as
primarily a BW printer.  My own path has gone from a 1280 era machine
(the smaller 870), through a 2200 and currently a 2400.  I use the
2400 strictly for BW and find it to be superb and worth every cent of
it's price.  The reason is the inks it uses and the kinds of workflows
possible with it's driver.

You didn't say what degree of complexity you want to pursue, but if
you are at all inclined to a simpler approach without the use of
profiles, RIPs and densitometers, then the 2400 is worth its weight
in gold (so to speak).  It uses the Epson K3 inks (or MIS substitutes
if you want to fill your own carts) and has what is essentially a
simple built in RIP which produces very fine BW prints with it's
Advanced Black and White mode (ABW).  It is so good it can be used
with a simplified workflow without the need for the above mentioned
complexities (see article #9 at the link below), or can be used with
all of that for a higher degree of control - whichever you prefer. 
Basically it offers the ability to make gallery quality BW prints out
of the box with a minimum of fuss, without closing the door to
the more complex workflows if and when you desire to go that route. 
The results are superb.  And of course it can also make color prints.

These K3 ink printers are the latest Epson technlogy and IMO are the
best way to get started because they are so versatile and are the
direction the technology is going.  But they are more expensive.  The
2400 lists for $849 and can usually be found for a bit less.  If you
can afford it you'll probably be glad you did.  


Regards,
Clayton


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