Digital BW, The Print

the fact that my 1280's printhead apparently needs to be replaced and that i needed to print some 8x10s this weekend gave me the excuse to go out and buy an hp 7960.

it sure is fancy looking.  i wish they would have done without the direct print capabilities, display, etc.  who needs it?

well, so i put in the #59 grey cartridge and fired up some prints.  i was totally FLOORED!  what came out (using HP's super premium plus glossy) was nothing short of spectacular.  perfect transitions, neutral tone, beautiful light greys and shadows.

i can honestly say that the results out of the box beat anything I ever got out of my 1280, even when using the MIS VM hextones.  that is not to say that someone like paul roark can't get better prints, but for more intermediate level folks like me, it was spectacular.

of course i don't have to go into the things that aren't great about the printer for pro applications (chiefly the paper size for me) - they have already been discussed, but for any beginning to intermediate level printers out there who are looking for a no-fuss 8 x 10 printer that produces great sellable prints, I highly recommend the 7960.  I bought mine at Office Depot for $298.-

i'll get my 1280 fixed and use it for larger formats, but for now up to 8x10 i will probably use the 7960.

cheers,

boris

p.s.:  there seems to be one quirk with the driver.  in ps6, after you have printed one picture, you have to close photoshop and re-open it before you can adjust the printer settings for the 7960.  any ideas?

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