Digital BW, The Print

Hi Tom and All,


>First of all, if you want to get the best results and most enjoyment from 
>this, you must be well grounded in the processes of making a photographic 
>print.

I am working on that as we speak and will be taking a class in the spring 
on tractional printing methods.


>  Secondly, try to get a REAL reading on the financial commitment you want 
> to make in this process.

This is one of the reasons I asked for recommendations on setups, because 
I'm pretty clueless as to what all I need.  I guess I'm looking to 
determine the scope of the gear needed so I can make an educated decision.


>Thirdly, you also must understand how b&w printing, and how much color you 
>will do, and for what purposes.  The last two points are key in 
>determining which hardware/software you acquire.

For the foreseeable future my printing will be strictly B&W for the purpose 
of displaying in my home, giving as gifts and sale at craft fairs perhaps.


>  For instance, RIP's can make life much easier, and the printing process 
> can go well right out of the box, but they tend to be expensive 
> ($300-$2500 or so, depending on the printer(s)). But, if you are going to 
> do equal amounts of b&w and color you will probably either need to use 
> the manufacturer's drivers, or buy a RIP.

Could you define what a RIP is?  I'm not quite sure


>  If you're going to concentrate on b&w, there is a tremendous amount of 
> information available on this forum that will help you get into it for a 
> very modest amount of money, but with more work and sweat on your 
> part.  Be sure to
>  keep in mind that spending more money will not guarantee better end 
> results than you can get with the products/processes discussed on this 
> forum that won't cost you your life savings.

I don't mind the work at all, and I would rather invest sweat than money 
:)  Seriously, that is what I'm hoping to achieve: the best results 
possible at a reasonable cost


>
>However you go, welcome to an evolving process that is great fun to work with.

Thank you for your advice and the warm welcome.

Take care,

Jim





>
>Tom Baker
>
>
>Jim Mooney <jmooney776@...> wrote:
>Hi All,
>          I recently found this groups and am intrigued by the idea of
>making B&W prints on my own.  I haven't yet switched to digital capture but
>I also don't have the space for a darkroom so this seems like a great
>solution.  My questions to the group are:
>
>What would you all recommend as an affordable basic setup consisting of a
>printer, inks, papers, software, and perhaps a scanner?
>
>Are there any resources such as a FAQ that go through to get the basic
>concepts down?
>
>I guess I consider myself an impassioned amateur photographer and my
>shooting consists of travel, outdoors, and some people.  I'm a IT person
>who works with MAC's and PC's so I hope that I can contribute to the group
>if anyone has any computer issues.  I'm a total novice to digital photo
>work, so I won't have much to offer in that area yet.
>
>Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.
>
>
>Take care,
>
>Jim
>
>
>
>
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