Digital BW, The Print

Hello All,

Have read and absorbed the obvious expertise of many list members for a
while now, read the FAQ section, etc., and feel like I am witnessing the
early stages of an exciting new technology.

However, to follow this forum, one definitely gets the impression that black
& white inkjet printing as it stands today too often succeeds only in spite
of itself. Head clogs...air bubbles...color changes and permanence issues...
Fantastik(?!)...a workflow that seems neither intuitive nor WYSIWYG when
compared to color inkjet or darkroom printing...perhaps it's the natural
tendency of these groups to focus on the problems, but the picture I get of
this process is of a temperamental and not yet reliable system. I know that
some members of this list appear to be getting excellent results, but from
what I've seen, this seems to be primarily more "fine art"-style photogs who
spend a considerable amount of time finessing each print vs. the inherently
faster pace of portrait work, etc.

Here's my situation: Although I have a quote-unquote "real job"
(translation: depressingly non-photography related), I manage to run a
growing photo biz doing primarily candid, available light portrait work,
with an ongoing goal of making more from my "fine art" stuff. At this point,
I can get the improved control & consistent quality results I want in my
portrait work through scanning & Photoshop, then taking the files to our
excellent local service bureau for output on a ZBE Chromira printer. To my
eye, this process produces prints that equal or beat traditional wet
enlarger-based prints, quickly, with none of the issues of inkjets. The
problem, of course, is the extra time and lower profit from having to markup
service bureau prints. (For my clients, printing larger than 8x10" is rarely
an issue, so I can still manage SOME profit....)

So my question is, for a photographer who must regularly produce
high-quality B&W prints,  on a deadline, with consistent and predicable
results, smooth skintones and at least the permanence of a traditional
enlarger print, is ANY form of B&W inkjet printing yet up to the task? I
don't want to just debate the theory, but actually hear from those who a)
are successfully using this system for portrait work and/or a quicker
turnaround type of photo business; or b) those who tried it but  felt they
needed to use some other non-inkjet system to meet their needs.

Please note that I have nothing but the highest respect for Paul Roark and
everyone else on this list who are doing so much to advance this field. I am
not so naive as to expect a solution to fall into my lap with no effort on
my part; just not sure that this particular process is yet a good match for
my particular needs. Believe me, I hope I AM wrong about this, as I would
much prefer to be doing it myself!

Thanks,
Doug