Digital BW, The Print

I am in the process of cleaning out my storage room, and I came 
across an old working Epson 440 printer. 
I'm surprised to see that MIS sells the variable mix quadtone inks 
for this printer. Does anyone have any experience with this old 
printer, using these ink sets?
Would I be wasting my time with this beast? It's pretty much a 
throwaway, so I have nothing to lose, except the cost of the inks.
Paul, are there any specific curves for this printer?

I have a 2200, but I'd like to try an inexpensive way to get started 
doing quality B&W printing. 

Any advice would be appreciated. I love working in the darkroom, but 
I'd like to expand my horizons a bit.

Thanks,
Steve