Digital BW, The Print

At 04:30 PM 12/2/03 +0000, you 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.
>


You shouldn't be having so many problems getting a very good B/O print. If 
it looks good on the screen it should also print well.  I use the 1280 with 
plain Epson or MIS dye inks. My images from 35mm panorama negs are around 4 
to 6 in. high by whatever length at 360-700 DPI, scanned with a Epson 3200 
scanner at 3200 DPI.  I print the grey scale image 1440 on EAM.  with no 
other adjusting. Behind glass they are easily mistaken for silver prints.

You have looked at this haven't you?: http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm

AZ

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