Digital BW, The Print

> I am relatively new to the group, so please pardon me for not doing 
> the requisite search on this subject.  I have been reading about 
> several RIP software products, but I guess my question really relates 
> to how good can you get your images using Epson inksets with Epson 
> standard drivers.

Not good. There are no workflows involving the Epson driver that will
help you with metamerism in any way. At best your prints will look
neutral under one specific type of light. But even then it's really
difficult, I can notice shifts in color just by moving prints between
the two lights on my desk.

> We should be able to obtain satisfactory results 
> w/o having to pay extra to Epson or whomever to get what Epson 
> promised in its literature, no?

Agreed. Unfortunately that doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon.

If you want to see what a RIP will get you, try the free demo of
iProof PowerRIP:

http://www.iproofsystems.com/epson/pcsupportepson.htm

Unlike some of the other RIPs it's actually really easy to use. You
just select paper type and dpi and print. It doesn't use any special
grayscale settings, so you can easily combine color and black and
white, or tone your prints in photoshop any way you want. However, the
dithering will be slightly more coarse than with the Epson driver,
even at 2880 dpi. This, combined with the lower price, might make the
Epson RIP a better choice if you actually decide to buy one.