Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Editor P.O.V. Image 
Service" <editor@p...> wrote:
 
> Everyone needs to get a grip... These are just TOOLS..
> 
> There is no such thing as a perfect, one-size fits all, does 
everything TOOL...
  
  Hey Keith this was an awesome post. It hit home a couple of 
important issues. But Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeth the squeeky wheel gets 
oiled. If people don't bring it up and question, complain, etc. those 
providing the products will assume everything is good and that 
there's no need for improvement. Besides if feels so good to rant 
sometimes ;) 
   On the subject of dye vs. pigment I would beg this question of any 
and everyone using digital B&W. WHAT DO YOU WANT? If providers knew, 
really knew, what everyone wanted/needed there probably wouldn't be 
this dye/pigment divergence. 
   Your tool analogy was perfect, the one size fits all campaign 
isn't working and I believe a detriment to advancing the technology 
this art. The technology needs be mute and in the background allowing 
artists to create, not struggle with a lot the issues that we see 
coming up here for instance. It's turning artists into technicians 
and I (call me naive) imagine it's taking away a lot of the enjoyment.
   So I would ask the question WHAT DO YOU WANT in your inksets, 
software, printer platforms. 
   I think a critical mistake was made at the beginning with the jump 
into carbon pigment inks, now before I'm tarred, feathered and set 
aflame let my qualify that. I think a better route to take would have 
been to match the characteristics of the best traditional 
photographic techniques currently available and slowly evolve the 
chemistry and technology to eliminate the bad points and perfect the 
good. What happens to a silver, selium, sepia, or palladium/platnum 
traditional print when it's exposed to light, ozone, etc?
  OK sorry for the long post anyone who actually read this. Please 
fill me in as I have been in this group since April and still haven't 
gotten a good idea of what's relly needed.

Thank very much in advance to anyone who responds.
Jeff