Digital BW, The Print

You can print black only and achieve good prints using Epson OEM 
inks for the 1280.  The problem with longevity remains with dye 
inks.  This link to Clayton Jones articles will get you started in 
no time.
Paul

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "dhappi2" 
<dhappi@h...> wrote:
> I have started reading about B&W and BO printing recently and 
found 
> that is a HUGE area that I don't really have time to master right 
now 
> as I currently struggle with a million other technical issues and 
> digital printing is not my main business.  However I would like to 
> produce some "ok" quality B&W photo prints with the Epson 1280 
using 
> the Epson inks that we currently have.  So far, everything I do 
looks 
> terrible, but am sure it is a problem with my expertise. BO is 
awful, 
> almost like the head is clogged and is out of ink, grainy beyond 
> belief, but there is still black ink left, and we have run the 
> cleaning routine repeatedly. FI is better but still has banding, 
the 
> ink still seems to spatter and crap out around any text like with 
BO, 
> and is still just really BAD quality. Printing from Photoshop 7, 
no 
> profile (at this point I don't even care about levels or tone, 
jsut 
> want it to print without banding or spatter) I Have tried 
grayscale, 
> RGB and CMYK modes, and nothing seems to help. Tried printing at 
720 
> and 1440, 1440 is a little better but still unacceptable. I am 
also 
> wondering if this printer can handle different kinds of elements 
on 
> the page such as flat color areas/graphics, logos and text, or if 
> this printer is strictly for photos only?
> 
> Everything I have read says we ultimately have to buy the Eboni 
inks 
> for BO and/or others for FI, but I want to get at least a passable 
> quality from the standard inks with this printer or I don't think 
I 
> am going to have much luck with better inks. I have a need to 
print 
> just 2 photos in the next two days of passable quality and don't 
have 
> a lot of time to learn or order special/expensive inks.  Later I 
> would like to learn and get better inks, but right now we just 
need 
> to get something done. I had assumed that this printer was capable 
of 
> basic printing with the standard inks, perhaps I am on the wrong 
> track and my problem is somwhere in a software setting or I have a 
> bad cartridge?
> 
> Is there a way to get the best possible quality out of the 
> 1280/Photoshop 7 with the Epson inks?
> 
> Windows Xp
> Photoshop 7
> Epson 1280 Photo
> 
> Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.