Digital BW, The Print

I am a fairly new convert to digital photography and rather 
inexperienced with computers in general.  From this and other forums 
I see that the problems I'm having printing b&w (with the Epson 2200) 
are not uncommon, ie: having a color-cast to the prints. I've 
downloaded QuadToneRIP/QTR, but even with the kind suggestions of 
some members of this and other forums, have not been able to use it.
My question is, is the Mac system significantly easier to use - more 
user friendly - than the PC?  Might I have better luck with QuadTone 
on it?  If so, it might be worthwhile to pick up a used Mac CPU and 
use it only for photography, keeping the PC for the internet, etc.  
Any thoughts?  Thanks,  Edward

EITHER PLATFORM CAN PERFORM VERY WELL.  Most graphics applications will benefit from the biggest cpu you can afford, MAC or PC.  So, a used one may or may not be the best approach.  Gotta look at the budget.  
 
As far as which one to buy, you will restart the war.  If you're new to computers go to a good local computer store that sells both platforms and spend some time with them.  Tell them what you want/need to do, how much money you will spend, etc.  You will actually see how the platforms work.  A good shop will be a great help for you at this point.
 
There are a very few applications that will only run on one platform or the other, but it shouldn't be an issue for you at this stage.  A good shop will help you sort that out as well.
 
Good luck!
 
Tom Baker

mastedward <mastedward@...> wrote:


I am a fairly new convert to digital photography and rather 
inexperienced with computers in general. From this and other forums 
I see that the problems I'm having printing b&w (with the Epson 2200) 
are not uncommon, ie: having a color-cast to the prints. I've 
downloaded QuadToneRIP/QTR, but even with the kind suggestions of 
some members of this and other forums, have not been able to use it.
My question is, is the Mac system significantly easier to use - more 
user friendly - than the PC? Might I have better luck with QuadTone 
on it? If so, it might be worthwhile to pick up a used Mac CPU and 
use it only for photography, keeping the PC for the internet, etc. 
Any thoughts? Thanks, Edward 






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









[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

In the last post it was suggest to go to a computer store that sells both. As far as I know, 
CompUSA seems to be the only place to see both side by side. They do have an Apple Rep 
in store too. Barring that, there are real live Apple stores, and you can find a list of them 
on the Apple web site. The only thing that seems like a drawback to me is that you spend 
all that time with the rep in a store, but little time seeing your real applications running on 
a system as you would use it at home/office. If you can arrange it, and can find a local 
photographer who would bring you into his/her studio to see how the programs function 
in the real world on a real computer that would be a wonderful way to make an opinion. 
Maybe someone on this large list is in your area - where are you located?  I've been a Mac 
user for about 10 years, but used PC's as well. I frequently troubleshoot (very simple) 
problems for my relatives on their PC's and am somewhat acquainted with their use. There 
is a large difference in moving around and doing dailly  tasks on both environments - but 
you're probably the best judge of which makes you feel more sane at the end of the 
working day :)  You'd need to see both in action I think. 

Good luck, 
-Lynn

apple just came out with a brand new G4 that retails for 499 bucks. No 
monitor of course.....Even though macs can be a pain, I think macs are 
way easier. I dont use QTR, but I tried it, and It was just the same 
output as my MIS UT2 cartridges, except it printed more slowly. They 
may have fixed that by now, but the main point is, I dont remember even 
thinking about how to get it to work. It was pretty easy as I recall, 
on a Mac...Of course it's always much better if you a have a freind 
that knows macs.......Doug M
On Jan 21, 2005, at 11:38 AM, mastedward wrote:

>
>  I am a fairly new convert to digital photography and rather
>  inexperienced with computers in general.� From this and other forums
>  I see that the problems I'm having printing b&w (with the Epson 2200)
>  are not uncommon, ie: having a color-cast to the prints. I've
>  downloaded QuadToneRIP/QTR, but even with the kind suggestions of
>  some members of this and other forums, have not been able to use it.
>  My question is, is the Mac system significantly easier to use - more
>  user friendly - than the PC?� Might I have better luck with QuadTone
>  on it?� If so, it might be worthwhile to pick up a used Mac CPU and
>  use it only for photography, keeping the PC for the internet, etc.�
>  Any thoughts?� Thanks,� Edward�
>
>
>
>
>
> 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
>
> 	� 	To visit your group on the web, go to:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/
> �
> 	� 	 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> �
> 	� 	 Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of 
> Service.
>
>  

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>>  I am a fairly new convert to digital photography and rather
>>  inexperienced with computers in general.  From this and other forums
>>  I see that the problems I'm having printing b&w (with the Epson 2200)
>>  are not uncommon, ie: having a color-cast to the prints. I've
>>  downloaded QuadToneRIP/QTR, but even with the kind suggestions of
>>  some members of this and other forums, have not been able to use it.
>>  My question is, is the Mac system significantly easier to use - more
>>  user friendly - than the PC?  Might I have better luck with QuadTone
>>  on it?  If so, it might be worthwhile to pick up a used Mac CPU and
>>  use it only for photography, keeping the PC for the internet, etc. 
>>  Any thoughts?  Thanks,  Edward 

Buying an older mac for use as a print engine is eminently practical. You
can get one on ebay for a reasonable price. If you go that way be sure to
get a machine that has usb ports built in otherwise it won't be able to run
the newest version of OS X. You might have to pick up a copy of OS X
separately but that won't add a lot to the total price.

QTR isn't particularly fast and neither is the 2200 so speed of the cpu is
not a big deal if you use it primarily as a print engine. It is a simple
matter to transfer images either via a home network or using one of the many
usb "thumb" drives such as Sandisk's Cruzer mini. One slick thing about the
two machine approach is that you can start the Mac printing and then get
back to the PC for working on a different image or what ever.

I went this route for about a year and became so fond of the Mac that I
ended up buying a more capable machine and use it for all of my graphics
work.

Roger


-- 
Roger L Sopher
Rlsopher@...
http://deCorrales.com

I have used both. Both can do everything you need. Don't assume that one
platform is easy and the other is hard.

If you are new to computers, it makes little difference which you buy, but
Apples are slightly easier and PCs are cheaper. However, the differences are
not great. If you have a good  Apple dealer in your vicinity, then Apple may
be a good choice. If not, there are many more people who can help you on a
PC than on an Apple.

Steve

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Douglas Meeuwsen" <lipshurt@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 2:01 PM
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Mac vs PC



apple just came out with a brand new G4 that retails for 499 bucks. No
monitor of course.....Even though macs can be a pain, I think macs are
way easier. I dont use QTR, but I tried it, and It was just the same
output as my MIS UT2 cartridges, except it printed more slowly. They
may have fixed that by now, but the main point is, I dont remember even
thinking about how to get it to work. It was pretty easy as I recall,
on a Mac...Of course it's always much better if you a have a freind
that knows macs.......Doug M
On Jan 21, 2005, at 11:38 AM, mastedward wrote:

>
>  I am a fairly new convert to digital photography and rather
>  inexperienced with computers in general. From this and other forums
>  I see that the problems I'm having printing b&w (with the Epson 2200)
>  are not uncommon, ie: having a color-cast to the prints. I've
>  downloaded QuadToneRIP/QTR, but even with the kind suggestions of
>  some members of this and other forums, have not been able to use it.
>  My question is, is the Mac system significantly easier to use - more
>  user friendly - than the PC? Might I have better luck with QuadTone
>  on it? If so, it might be worthwhile to pick up a used Mac CPU and
>  use it only for photography, keeping the PC for the internet, etc.
>  Any thoughts? Thanks, Edward
>
>
>
>
>
> 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
>
> . To visit your group on the web, go to:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/
>
> . To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> . Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
> Service.
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




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

This may be opening a big can of worms. The Mac vs PC issue brings out 
the devotees of each ...usually swinging clubs at each other.

I have several of both, working primarily as a database consultant. I 
like the Mac for graphics/email , and then use PCs for work (reports, 
spreadsheets, etc) that may have to be shared among multiple users 
since there are simply more Windows systems out there than Mac 
(something like 20:1) .

I have Quadtone on an eMac running OS/X 10.3,  a Epson 2200 printer, w/ 
Photoshop CS, and have never had a problem with it. Installation was 
simple and when I need more processing power, my wife has a dual 
processor system  on her desk that I can move pics to.

For the most part, either platform will perform the job. There is a 
larger selection of software/hardware for PCs, but Mac software seem 
more "reliable" and less likely to "butt heads" with each other.


On Jan 21, 2005, at 5:16 PM, 
DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com wrote:

> Subject: Mac vs PC
>
>
> I am a fairly new convert to digital photography and rather
> inexperienced with computers in general.  From this and other forums
> I see that the problems I'm having printing b&w (with the Epson 2200)
> are not uncommon, ie: having a color-cast to the prints. I've
> downloaded QuadToneRIP/QTR, but even with the kind suggestions of
> some members of this and other forums, have not been able to use it.
> My question is, is the Mac system significantly easier to use - more
> user friendly - than the PC?  Might I have better luck with QuadTone
> on it?  If so, it might be worthwhile to pick up a used Mac CPU and
> use it only for photography, keeping the PC for the internet, etc.
> Any thoughts?  Thanks,  Edward
>


________________________________________________________

Dr. Robert Young
WWW: http://www.aliconsultants.com

> on it?  If so, it might be worthwhile to pick up a used Mac CPU and
> use it only for photography, keeping the PC for the internet, etc.
> Any thoughts?  Thanks,  Edward

Using two systems will just be a headache. Where's the border between
photography and the rest? Photography is more than just printing.
Now-a-days you have to have a good archiving/cataloguing system for your
digital files, for your scans, etc.

But it doesn't much matter which one you choose. Pick one and go with it
and forget the other.

Daniel

> Using two systems will just be a headache. Where's the border between
> photography and the rest? Photography is more than just printing.
> Now-a-days you have to have a good archiving/cataloguing system for your
> digital files, for your scans, etc.
> 

For what it's worth, I use both systems in my workflow, as the software Qimage is 
written for PC only ( don't feel like running it on Virtual PC on the Mac)
I do all the creative editing stuff on my beloved iMac and network it to my "Printslave" 
beside the Epson 7600. The networking is relatively flawless as both machines "see" 
the others hard drives.
I'm using OS 10.2.8 on the Mac and XP home on the PC. Quite happy with the setup 
as is. The PC has a CRT which I poorman profile, but I don't obsess over it as I am my 
only customer, doing fine art Giclees and now some photography as well.

Generally speaking, in my experience print drivers have been a tad bit more stable on 
the PC and all other software more dependable on the Mac.
There are many ways to have the best of both worlds.

Brian

Besides all other consideration, none of us is using his computer ONLY with one software. Then I have no choice but Windows as the others softs I am using do not exist for Mac.
Pity but the choice is already made....I don't have it !

Michel

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Daniel Ridings 
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2005 6:26 AM
  Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Mac vs PC


  > on it?  If so, it might be worthwhile to pick up a used Mac CPU and
  > use it only for photography, keeping the PC for the internet, etc.
  > Any thoughts?  Thanks,  Edward

  Using two systems will just be a headache. Where's the border between
  photography and the rest? Photography is more than just printing.
  Now-a-days you have to have a good archiving/cataloguing system for your
  digital files, for your scans, etc.

  But it doesn't much matter which one you choose. Pick one and go with it
  and forget the other.

  Daniel


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I usually avoid threads this, but ... I thought I might be able to add a
slightly different perspective.

First, I use a PC with Windows XP.  It works well for me.  It's cheap and
what I used for years.  My family all have PCs.   

I was tangentially involved in the original U.S. government's Microsoft
matter.  (The FTC transferred the matter to DOJ after the FTC deadlocked.)
So, from an antitrust (and avid photographer's) perspective, I've had an
interesting view.

I think with many products, it is easier and cheaper to use what one is
familiar with.  The work and cost of learning a new product or system is one
of many barriers to change.  For example, we still use an archaic keyboard
arrangement.  

As digital photography spreads from the graphics industry to the general
public, I suspect the relative market shares of the systems will tend to
reflect that of the general population.  It's going to be easier and
cheaper.  

I suspect it's just easiest & cheaper for most to go with the system they're
familiar and have.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

Plan your scanners and printers before choosing your platform.  If you are
going to buy a Epson 2200 printer and you have big tif files, PC or mac
OS9.2 are faster than mac OSX in my experience.  Many high end scanners,
such as flatbeds costing over $10,000 (like Fuji), or many drum scanners,
are mac only (or work better in mac because the windows version does not
have all the features of the mac version, for example 16/48 bit on older
Howteks).  Conversely, some low end scanners (like Mustek) or digital
cameras (like HP) are Windows only.
-- 
Thomas Robinson
http://www.historicphotoarchive.com

On Jan 22, 2005, at 12:21 PM, Paul Roark wrote:
>
>
>  I suspect it's just easiest & cheaper for most to go with the system 
> they're
>  familiar and have.
>
>  Paul
>  www.PaulRoark.com

I agree.  Or, one goes with the platform required.  In the world of my 
other interest, which is music, one of the major music programs, Logic, 
was bought by Apple a couple of years ago, and PC support was 
discontinued, which really pissed off a lot of Logic users, and I can't 
blame them.  So what did they do?  They bought Macs. And some of them 
were disappointed in the performance, too- while Mac was the 
frontrunner for many years in music, PC is actually faster and performs 
better in some ways. It's a lot easier to buy a new machine and learn 
to use it than it is to learn to use a new deep application.  For me, 
who has used Mac only, I'm about to go the other way:  I've decided to 
eventually get set up with StudioPrint and Piezotone inks in either my 
9500 0r 7600.  This will require buying a PC, because there is no Mac 
version of StudioPrint.  And while I'm at it, I'll buy a PC with enough 
balls to run Gigastudio, which is a PC music sample library. (Just 
about any PC would be adequate for graphics.  Not true of music.)   
Years ago PCs seemed so clunky and so unreliable and so me-too that the 
idea of having one was really unpleasant to me.  Today, with XP 
especially, I doubt that there's much quality difference between the 
two platforms, and some diehard Mac users will admit that PCs are 
actually better for some things- music on a laptop, for one. If it 
weren't for StudioPrint, though, I'd stay where I am:  happy with a G5.

James Irelan

Historic Photo Archive writes:

> Plan your scanners and printers before choosing your platform.

That depends on the priorities of scanning and printing.  For many
shops, it's not economical to buy multiple computers for different
purposes; and if this is the case, it's important to choose a computer
as a function of _all_ the applications one must run, not just one or
two.

For example, a photographer who uses a single computer not only for
photo work but for accounting and general business use is far better off
with a PC than a Mac, unless he is willing to sacrifice a great deal in
favor of photographic use alone (and today the Mac really doesn't have
enough of an advantage to justify that kind of sacrifice in most
situations).

If one has the luxury of being able to afford multiple computers, of
course, one can pick the ideal computer for each task.

G3 macs are selling for $50 each now.  I bought one to run my SCSI scanners,
an oversize (A3 size) Umax ($75 on ebay) & Polaroid SS4000 slide scanner
($300).

My other two computers are a G4 mac ($700) and a Compaq PC (free).  I can
scan two items and print one, plus email and accounting, all at the same
time.  Very productive.

Anthony G. Atkielski writes:
> That depends on the priorities of scanning and printing.  For many
> shops, it's not economical to buy multiple computers for different
> purposes; and if this is the case, it's important to choose a computer
> as a function of _all_ the applications one must run, not just one or
> two.
> 
> For example, a photographer who uses a single computer not only for
> photo work but for accounting and general business use is far better off
> with a PC than a Mac, unless he is willing to sacrifice a great deal in
> favor of photographic use alone (and today the Mac really doesn't have
> enough of an advantage to justify that kind of sacrifice in most
> situations).
> 
> If one has the luxury of being able to afford multiple computers, of
> course, one can pick the ideal computer for each task.

-- 
Thomas Robinson
http://www.historicphotoarchive.com