Digital BW, The Print

Rusty -

I went through the "confused" stage and finally realized that the carbon
approach is not rocket science (although given the state of NASA's budget
the past 20 years, rocket science certainly is not cutting technology).  

As to Paul Roark's material, I have found it to be an extraordinary
repository of material.  Paul's resourceful PDFs all have dates which allow
one to follow the incremental development of carbon approaches through time.
If you find yourself interested in a "recent" approach, simply do a search
on this site (Yahoo) to gain an understanding of his current thinking.
Meanwhile, you are doing the right thing.  Install the MIS you have on the
way and jump in.   Turn to this group as you run into questions. 

Having said all that, the carbon approach requires a "tinkering" mind.  Inks
need to be fresh and need to be "used."  Carts (or machines) require shaking
from time-to-time to avoid clogging.  Over time you'll see all that
discussed on this site.  I don't know if you are starting with a set of
"loaded" carts or you bought the bottles of ink; however, you will want to
quickly move to bulk ink.  Finally, get a box of rubber gloves :).

Last, while you will achieve incredible B & W images with the carbon
approach, there's certainly nothing wrong with K3 inks and ABW direct from
Epson.  Using that inkset and Epson's paper is a very simple approach and
will yield great prints.  

Last, (I don't get a commission for this), Paul Roark sells his prints very
inexpensively.  I'd recommend buying a print to hang by your desk as an
example of the incredible result available from the "tinkering" carbon
approach.

Best -  Tom