Digital BW, The Print

Thanks, Clayton, for your extended comments. I just read your earlier 
post (Oct.12) regarding BO printing and noted that you give some good 
reasons for pursuing that path. I'm currently using an 1160 and 
printing with the MIS VM inkset using Paul's curves. For the most 
part I've experienced few problems -- mostly tweaking here and there -
- and the serious problems I have had have been a result of poor negs 
or scans. Even so, I may give BO a try once I get my printer set up 
again. Perhaps it offers a better approach for printing negatives 
with a fair amount of grain.

Chris
--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Clayton Jones" <cj@c...> 
wrote:
> Hello Chris,
> 
> >(Of course, there's also another issue, namely the claim that
> >silver prints are "handmade", each being unique (and somehow more
> >special), as opposed to machine-made, exactly-alike digital 
prints. 
> >This gets into the whole argument about craftsmanship -- not just 
> >in the template print but for each print -- being added value.) 
> 
> This is one of those things that will be debated forever, because 
all
> opinions on this have some validity.  One could argue, for example,
> that carbon ink prints aren't "photographs" since they weren't
> produced using light, but should fall into the same category as
> posters, books, calendars and greeting cards - printed with ink and
> mechanical devices.
> 
> Steve K. and I have had many discussions on this subject.  I'm of 
the
> opinion that their ultimate acceptance depends on us - how we treat
> them ourselves.  If we show carbon ink prints along with silver and
> put a higher price on the silver then we are helping to cement the
> impression that carbon ink is inferior.    
> 
> I think that we are in an important interim period in the 
technology,
> where the technical quality has arrived and more people are coming 
on
> board and showing work, and therefore are attracting more 
attention. 
> But at the same time the current problems with color shifting and
> fading means that more work with problems is being seen, which has 
to
> be creating impressions that will be long lasting and difficult to
> change.
> 
> That's one reason why I have chosen to print black-only (BO) for the
> time being - the color shifting and fading is pretty much a non-
issue
> (assuming good ink and paper).  As I write this I am looking at two
> prints of a lovely still life made about 6 months ago from a scanned
> Tri-X negative.  One is BO and the other is the full ink set (FI),
> both from MIS inks on a 6-ink epson 870.  Both have been hanging
> unprotected in about 18 hours per day of flourescent light for 6
> months.
> 
> In technical quality they are indistinguishable without a loupe (I'm
> getting excellent results with a 6-ink printer and I'm wondering if 
BO
> got its bad rap in the days of 4-ink printers with larger
> droplets...).  But as for color, the FI print, while originally
> gorgeous, has faded somewhat and warm-shifted to an ugly "hershey 
bar
> chocolate" color, while the BO print has retained its more neutral
> color.  In fact, the BO print had a piece of cardboard taped over 
half
> of it the entire time.  I removed it a few days ago to see if I 
could
> see a difference and I cannot tell which side was covered.  Steve K.
> has also seen this print and cannot tell.
> 
> I have no hesitation to send these BO carbon ink prints out into the
> world with the same cautions for care that I applied to my silver
> prints.  I am confident that carbon ink prints will find acceptance,
> but there will always be those who will stick with silver and hold
> themselves above the rabble, just as many Platinum printers consider
> that a higher art.  I think this is good.    
> 
> There is something very romantic about the enlarger, the safelight 
and
> the smell of hypo, and romance is part of what art is all about.  I
> have many fond memories of late night hours in the darkroom and I 
sort
> of miss it, but I'm getting older, have difficulty spending hours
> standing and am more sensitive to the fumes, so I'm not sorry to 
leave
> that behind (anybody want to buy my Zone VI cold light head and
> Stabilizer?).  And it is exciting to be exploring new territory.  It
> has a romance all its own.
> 
> Best Regards,
> Clayton
> 
> p.s. - If anyone would like to see one of my BO prints I will be 
happy
> to send a small print if you will send me an SASE.  Please contact 
me
> by private email.
> 
> cj@c...