Digital BW, The Print

I'm getting started with digital. I've been scanning 35mm B&W film 
and getting familiar with photoshop.  I don't have a printer yet and 
I'm having some difficulty deciding what's best for me.  

I'm looking to start out with something inexpensive and I'm willing 
to limit myself to A4 size prints. I'm really surprised that none of 
the smaller epson printers available today seem to be supported by 
Piezography, MIS, Lyson, etc.  These would include the C80, 820, 
785EPX. I know that the chipped cartridges are most likely the cause 
of this. I've though about trying to find something used but I really 
would prefer to save this as a last resort. So, is there any way to 
get one of these printers working with a monochrome ink set?

I recently noticed that the Canon printers don't have chipped carts
and reviews of the S900 and S820 are mostly positive. The price is a 
little high for these printers but empty cartridges are available.

If I get a printer that is currently unsupported by MIS, fill the
cartridges manually, and generate transfer functions using the Nevins
method, will I get acceptable results?

Are there any other low cost A4 size solutions?  I'm not looking
to create large archival prints of the highest quality just yet.
I'm just looking to get some results now that will help me learn and
stay interested. Should I just start out with black ink only as
mentioned in the  Nicholas Hartmann interview?  Would duotones be a
good starting point?

Sorry for all of the questions but I've seen very few inkjet prints
and I'm not really sure what to expect.  Thanks.  

Doug Santoli
Waterbury, CT