Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Tony Bunting 
<tonybun2001@y...> wrote:
> Thanks for the feedback.  This is exactly what I am looking for.  
I did not see any workflow/profles on MIS and thought the printer 
was either new or not good for B&W printing. Being new to this I 
would hate to be on my own.  I will place a call to MIS/inksupply on 
Monday to see what they have to say. Any other feedback?

Hmm.. a lot depends on your overall digital background and 
understanding, how much money you want to throw at the project, the 
complexity level you feel you can tolerate as a beginner, and wether 
or not you need to do color (color means staying with the 6-ink 
machines foe best results) with the same printer. If you need color, 
have about $1000.00 to spend, I would suggest the 2200 with the 
Epson stylus RIP (Raster Image Processing) software. There are a 
number of people using that, you'd have some help. For another $200 
you could get Imageprint 5 instead, there are more people using 
that, and profiles available that produce excellent B&W. If your 
budget is lower, and you need color, I'd suggest the 1280 or 890 and 
cartridges of one flavor or another. Least expensive solution is MIS 
inks and filling your own, but if you can afford it, I strongly 
reccomend pre-filled carts, it's much less trouble. Somewhere in-
between is the Sundance (AKA old Piezotones) driver which is a 
Photoshop plugin. It produces excellent results, but (as with 
Imageprint) you're dependent on their profiles, which means using 
the papers they choose to profile. You're also pretty much limited 
to their inks, though MIS does sell one type that should work at a 
much more reasonable rate. Conetech has just released a new setup 
for the 1280 based on ICC profiles (and again, their inks and paper 
choices). Go to Piezography3000 group for more user feedback on 
that, and inkjetmall.com for the official line on that.

Finally, if you don't need to do color and can dedicate the printer 
to B&W, the older but very capable 1160 can still be purchased new 
sometimes on Ebay, or some British stores. This machine has one 
strong advantage, other than being the cheapest 13-inch wide printer
that'll do the job. It is Paul Roark's favorite test-bed. I'm sure 
you've noticed that Paul is the guy who's excellent work has 
provided us with one of the best and least expensive ways to do 
this, with variations and contributions by other printers. So the 
1160 curves for new inks get written first, though he's never too 
far behind with the rest of the printers.

Steve

> 
> 
> 
> I think a lot of people are curious about that printer, but so far 
> no one on this list has admitted (or had the nerve)to trying it. 
It 
> has a 2 picoliter drop size, half that of a 1280, and recent posts 
> suggest that the newest high-load pigment inks (which we all want 
to 
> use because they have better fade-resistance) are at the ragged 
edge 
> of what will pass through the (1280) nozzles. I would love to be 
> proven wrong, but my gut feeling is that the 960 won't handle the 
> black pigment ink. It might handle a hybrid like Generations 4, 
but 
> the dye content of that ink compromises the lifespan of the print 
a 
> bit. Also, there are no workflows for that printer, you'd be on 
your 
> own. 
> 
> Most folks on this list are using: (in sort-of reverse 
chronological 
> order):
> A) 2200/2100  B) 1280/1270/1200/1160 C)890, 870, 940
> and the occasional 7x/9x wide format machine. 
> Interestingly, with the right workflow, the 4-ink machines are as 
> good if not better at this than the six inkers, so if you want a 
new 
> machine, the C-82 might turn out to be a viable candidate. Since 
it 
> is arleady set up for pigments, it will probably do the job. It is 
> still a bit early for even that one, I don't think you can get 
empty 
> carts or prefilled with B&W inks, though you should check with MIS 
> (www.inksupply.com) on that. 
> 
> Welcome to the list, and best success with your efforts.
> 
> Steve Karafyllakis
> 
> http://www.stevekphoto.com
>