Digital BW, The Print

Karo  -
 
One of the primary reasons that I left the darkroom (and I learned in person from AA) is that I can get results in digital that were/are not possible in the darkroom.  The selection of paper types for darkroom use is not nearly as great as digital output.  True, you can't get an exact match to the darkroom method, but many of us believe that we are getting better results now than in the darkroom.  If you MUST have the darkroom look, you'll need to stay in the darkroom, at least for now.
 
Tom Baker

Clayton Jones <cj@...> wrote:
Hello Karo,

>What is today's VERY, VERY BEST technology for digital black 
>and white printing? 

You will probably get several different answers to this.  Imagine
asking a bunch of zonies what is the best paper...

There are several excellent systems available, and all are being used
to make beautiful prints by people who have paid their dues, worked
hard, and learned.  It's not easy to decide which system to invest in.

One thing to beware of is the trap of thinking that the printer/ink
system is the only element in the mix that results in a good print. 
The other side of the coin is the user's skills in the software used
to prepare the image (usually Photoshop).  That's a whole 'nother
ballgame with a big learning curve all its own.  You can be a super
photographer and buy the best system and if you don't know your way
around the software you will produce poor results.

You say that "excellent is not good enough".  That's a pretty loaded
statement, sort of like stacking the deck in advance.  I don't know
what you have looked at so far, but if you are satisfied that what you
have seen is the best that can be done and it's not good enough, then
maybe digital printing is not for you.  On the other hand you might
make an effort to view some prints from a true master printer like
Paul Roark, Roy Harrington, Tyler Boley and others, and be sure you
really have seen what can be done before making up your mind.

Many (if not most) of the photographers who frequent this forum have
many years of dedicated darkroom experience, and have left it behind
and aren't looking back.  So you can conclude that either they have
all lost their senses and are opting out for poor quality so they can
play with their new high-tech toys, or maybe, just maybe, there is
some good reason for it.


Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm



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