Digital BW, The Print

Underlying your post is the notion that B&W digital printing should remain
the domain of those that could afford the wet darkroom you have priced out
for us all.  One of the wonderful results of the new digital technology is
that it has opened the world of printing photographs to a far broader group
of people.  I have no doubt that those amongst us who can afford and are
prepared to devote greater money to the quest for fine B&W will expand their
equipment over time to perhaps include a dedicated B&W printer, but there is
absolutely nothing wrong with trying to squeeze the best out of a given
budget and the resources immediately to hand.  Yes it is _cheaper_ than ever
before, but whether you consider it _cheap_ is a matter of personal
circumstance.  No double standard exists, simply a broadened opportunity to
participate in the wonderful world of photography.


From: claudej1@...
Reply-To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2003 08:33:37 EST
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Digital BW] Again Double standards

Hi all,

As a full time shooter and part time magazine writer, tech. editor, I put
forth the proposition of a double standard for analog vs. digital vs. hybrid
photograpy a while back. However, since it showed up under the title "BW vs.
Color," no one ever responded to my original PREMISE, even though it
resulted in 
over 100 "not quite what I had in mind" responses.

Back in the darkroom days (long time for me as an adopter of digital output
in 1986), we had a color enlarger and a B&W enlarger. We used color paper
for 
color prints and B&W paper for  B&W prints. We used fiber based paper for
the 
"good prints" and high gloss RC paper for publication (which ended up in the
round file after being turned to half toned dots).

To produce, say, up to 16x20 prints, a color darkroom with a 3-lens turret
(for all 3 formats) on a long column enlarger and analyser was about $5,000.
Throw in some plumbing and an EP-2/RA-$ processor, and you could make the
total 
about 20 grand. Zone VI darkroom equipment (cold head, regulator, precision
digital enlarger timer, temperature compensated timer for developer,
archival 
washer for fiber prints, etc.) could be had for a few grand on top of any
4x5 
used condenser enlarger. Since 80's pricing would have to be doubled for
these 
inflated times, we could easily extrapolate the numbers to over $40,000 in
2003 
money. 

Now it seems we are trying to get $400 plastic throwaway printers to do this
the cheapest way possible with colored inks and bitch about metamerism
issues 
because we are not serious enough to dedicate one for color and one for B&W.

In the past, I always reserved fine art B&W for personal work and the Color
to earn a living with. That has not changed.

But now, I celebrate the incredibly AFFORDABLE way we can all create prints
that are better than ever. Yes, I put my money where my mouth is. I'm amazed
at 
how far inkjet has come in the 12 years since I got the first large format
inkjet printer (8-bit Encad in 1991). It could only do 256 colors, but
anyone 
could see that within a short time we would print photos with this
technolory. I 
never imagined the cost would go from 11 grand to less than $100 for desktop
units...............anyway, I digress.

What is wrong with dedicating more than one printer to a specific task?

These things are cheap, people. Get one or two with color dyes, one or two
with 3rd party pigments (one gloss and one matte black), and do the same
with B&
W printers.

I know most of you can't justify "printers by the dozen," or the really big
ones, like some pros can, but for gosh sakes, get a printer dedicated solely
to 
B&W and quit trying to do it with color
inks................................digital double standard, indeed!!

Intelligent comments invited (no flames please).

Claude Jodoin
Tech. Editor
Rangefinder Publications.




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