Digital BW, The Print

> ... If I move to one of the larger
> printers with the ABW inks, how does the quality of the print compare to
> the 1400? My understanding is that the 1.5 picoliter is only available
> on the 1400...

I've used an Epson 1800 (1.5 picoliter) and currently use a 3880 and 4880.  I use the 3880 for colour and for ABW on glossy papers, and the latter for B&W only (four black inks plus two colours for toning). 

The only advantage of the 1.5 picoliter printer was that it could do a decent MK-black only print.  I could never see any advantage in resolution, smoothness or gradation, and I can't comment on the colour since I am slightly red-green colour blind.  (And the 1800 had a terrible paper-loading mechanism. Grrrr.)

The 3880 has been the most clog-free and reliable printer I have used. The ABW prints are excellent, and really do look like excellent traditional prints.  My only tiny reservation concerns the use of non-carbon pigments to cool the print tone.  (...and it doesn't have roll-paper capacity, of course)  

If you find the warmth of MIS Eboni black on matte paper acceptable, you can get really lovely prints with Eboni (MK) plus Epson LK and LLK (essentially ABW without any colour pigments).  Or you could do the same thing for glossy papers with Epson's Photo Black (PK).