Digital BW, The Print

Tom-

Everyone who has replied is a much better photographer than I am, but 
there is one tradeoffs you might be willing to make that will get you 
closer to the darkroom print look....if you are willing to give up a 
bit of longevity (probably to the equal of many wet print estimates), 
you could print with dye inks and get beautiful glossy and semi-
glossy prints that can really be stunning.

This is heresy, I know, but nothing matches the look of an inkjet 
glossy print...I use pigment ink on matte papers for about 75% of 
what I do, but when I just have to have a high contrast, high gloss 
print, I use Lyson Small Gamut inks on a variety of glossy papers and 
love it. I don't have the testing ability of Paul (and probably the 
happier for it in this case <g>) but I've displayed these prints in 
various lights (under glass) and have yet to have a fading or shift 
issue...I probably will over time, so with all the controversy, I 
wouldn't promise anyone they are archival, but the Lyson site states 
that some paper combos will give a 25-35 year life...not too bad...I 
think that is more than Kodak states for most of their processes.

Anyhow...there is an alternative if you are willing to go to the dark 
side of less longevity...

Cheers,

Tom O'Connell


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "pleistocenehome" 
<tandrews@b...> wrote:
> Hi!
> 
> I follow this list a bit even though I am a "color" landscape 
> photographer (I print on an Epson 10K ARC).  However, I have a 
> lot of 4X5 B&W negatives from a previous life that I would now 
> like to print digitally.   At this time I am interested in printing 
on 
> semi-gloss or gloss papers to get a look that is as close to the 
> finest B&W prints I have seen in the past.  Paul Caponigro's work 
> is sort of my gold standard in these matters - very deep blacks, 
> incredible luminosity and awesome gradation in midtones.  
> 
> So, what ink/paper/lf-printer combination would I probably find 
> most satisfying?  I know a lot of you print on rag and other 
fineart 
> papers, but for now I am after that "photograph" look.  Also image  
> permanence is important - so most dye inks, i would guess, 
> wouldn't be suitable. 
> 
> My color prints are on Epson Premium Luster and unless you 
> use a loupe they are often unrecognizable as coming from a 
> digital workflow (though I think they outshine most Ilfochromes I 
> have seen - except Christopher Burkett's work). I would like to 
> achieve the same thing with my B&Ws, which (if I am successful) 
> will probably provoke me to photograph in B&W again.  Many 
> thanks for helping a neophyte!
> 
> Tom Andrews
> http://www.wildlandart.com