Digital BW, The Print

----- Original Message -----
From: "dgabbe2001" <dgabbe@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2002 3:10 PM
Subject: [Digital BW] Re: Best printer for B&W Printing???


(snip)> >
>
>
> 1) The which printer should I get question might be better framed
> as some thing along the lines of:  I'm an accomplished silver
> printer and want to shift to quadtone inkjet printing.  I print every
> weekend and make primarily 11x14 prints.  So in a situation like
> this, what is the likely hood the printer will produce satisfactory
> prints is the most important question.

Dave,

For many years I came home from work on Friday and went straight into my
tiny darkroom (aka the laundry room). I would get in 6 to 8 hours including
set up and clean up. On Saturdays another 6 to 14 hours. No room to do
anything any larger then 11x14. As my day job got more demanding I simply
burned out and quit printing.

I agree with Robert. Get a 1280 and the Selenium PT inks.
>
> 2) I believe that generalizations can be made.  I have examined
> somewhere between 25 - 50 prints from 1160s, 1280s, 7000s,
> and 9000s.  So there are likely 30 - 40 indiviidual printers.  About
> 90% of the prints exhibited very fine, teeny, tiny bands which I can
> see unaided (I have good visual perpection in this regard) in the
> direction of the print head motion.  That says volumes.  And in
> fact this behavior seems independent of the inks since it's
> present in MIS and Cone samples printed w/the Cone
> Piezography driver.  May be you have to print 50 pages before the
> banding stops.  I've been had 3 1160s which have this problem.
> My 1280 has decided to run perfectly.  So if you don't like this
> artifact and you don't print frequently, chances are very high you
> will be unsatisfied.  I don't print w/the Epson driver or ImagePrint
> RIP so I don't know if the artifact is present w/them.

I got white banding in the upper 3/4 tones with my 1200 and Piezo. With my
1280 if I get banding, which I have not seen in a long time on either of my
1280's, it is dark banding or corduroy in the lower 3/4 tones which is much
less noticable or unpleasant than the white banding. When I have had the
banding it occurred with both the Epson and the Piezo driver.

If you have to get out a loupe or put your nose on the print to see an
artifact, I would say, quite worrying about it and make some prints.
>
> 3) I would like to spend more time making art and less time
> running test prints.  So the important question around droplet
> size differences between the 1280 & 3000, is whether there is
> visible difference in quality between matched prints from these 2
> printers.

Not at normal viewing distances. Up close the 1280 has an edge. Neither is
perfect.

> So far, I can't see any difference between my 3000 and
> 1280.

Do you already have both? I thought you were trying to decide which one to
buy?

> Remember that 35mm lens perform quite closely to the
> theortical maximum limits of the lens design.  Modern 4x5 lens
> are nowhere close, but that doesn't stop anyone from shooting
> 4x5 or getting stunning prints.

Practical results are senior to theory.

Martin Wesley