Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "J. Arthur Davis" 
<jarthurdavis@e...> wrote:
> It is not a case of not trusting. There are now at least 10 
manufacturers of
> papers and probably as many ink manufacturers all after our 
business.


It is bigger than just inkjet; it's the whole computer business. I 
agree with Jim here; it's a maturing business now, and we don't 
jump automatically at the next new set of "New and Improved". 
My attitude could probably benefit with a good case of amnesia. 
I'll list of some the things that I talk to with my therapist:

1. The Nikon LS4500: Supposedly "great" medium format 
scanner. I paid, used, about $7500. It made lousy, lousy scans. 
And when it went down I could get no support for it, even from a 
company as large as Nikon. One time that it went in for service, 
they forgot to even open the box, and just sent it right back to me. 
I've never felt so bad as when I sold it; I'm sure that next guy is 
sitting in HIS therapist's office, talking about ME.

2. The Epson 7500 ($5400): I somehow missed the section in 
their marketing materials that advised you not to print B/W 
images with it. They gladly took my money, touting all the way 
how great the printer was. Not only could you not print a 21step 
wedge with all chips the same color, but if you took it to a window 
to view it, it turned green. (I will say, they took the printer back and 
refunded my money).

3. Profiling Software/Hardware: Also an expensive investment. 
The claims are high, until you really want critical results, then you 
start hearing that you can't really get GREAT profiles until you 
invest in software that reads four or five thousand patches; 729 
is just not enough. Also it seems like the Xrite DTP41 is about 
the only reader that'll get close in these "inexpensive" handhelds. 
And it's about two grand.

--------

I just feel a bit like the bait-and-switch thing at a car lot. 
Promises, promises, then you buy, then all you need to do is 
drop another two grand to get REALLY good quality.

Part of why I'm voicing this publicly, Harvey, is that I wished 
someone had said all this publicly to ME. I think then, I would 
have had a bit more realistic expectations about inkjet printing. I 
come out of eighteen years of anal-retentive fiber B/W printing, 
so admittedly, I'm a pretty tough customer. But I also agree with 
what Martin said in an earlier post: if some of the limitations of 
these products are stated up front, in advance, then maybe I 
wouldn't feel kinda burned. But when you're dropping thousands 
at a time, it's hard to keep a good attitude when the prior product 
wasnt' up to snuff. 

I'm sorry and I apologize if my tone got a bit out of hand. But 
sometimes, I think a good stiff dose of honesty is good for a 
reality-check; it can also save in the pocketbook and in the 
frustration factor.

I agree that many of the people in this group probably ARE on the 
cutting edge of quality B/W inkjet printing. I guess it would be 
good for me to remember that. I guess many of these solutions 
are not gonna be perfect right out of the box. I just wish there was 
even the slightest bit of conditional/qualifying language in their 
claims though, BEFORE I write the check.

I've found the guys at Lincoln Inks, MIS, George Coon, and 
Robert Rex to be pretty forthcoming. If you ask them a straight 
question, you'll get a straight answer. (You might have to ask it 
two or three ways, but you'll finally get there!). Also, Tony C 
seems to be a straight shooter, from what I've read. I was just 
concerned to see a whole new list pop up; we've got enough 
work to do on this list to keep us all busy for months! 

-Mark Tucker, http://marktucker.com