Digital BW, The Print

I wouldn't consider myself an expert but am willing to express my
views. My view is that the current hardware is very good but overkill.
It's the skill of the user that makes the difference. The new Nikon
scanner seems very good from what I've seen and so is the Epson 2200.
But you will get better results from a cheaper scanner and printer,
spending the extra money on film and paper and just printing a lot.
Just as a Leica 7 or Nikon n100 or Canon (latest high dollar model)
and expensive lenses won't get you better photos than a 20 year old
camera and experience, the hardware you mention won't get you better
scans and prints. 

I've seen enough prints in various print exchanges to conclude that
the most previous generation of scanners and printers are really good
enough to the point of you not being able to tell the difference.
Experience and skill will make a difference, not hardware. Spend the
money on consumables and develop the experience and skill. 

Swapping from b&w to color is simple if you use prefilled carts, very
difficult if you use a CFS. 

Unfortunately there is no definitive textbook on digital printing that
I know of. It changes too fast and there are too many opinions. But
it's not complicated, you just need to spend some time at it. Think of
it being a direct corollary to wet darkroom printing. No enlarger, no
lens, no paper, no book will make you good. Only time and experience. 

Lastly, this list tends to discuss problems, the latest equipment, and
moving from the 98% to 99% perfection level. No one every says "I've
been making really great prints for the last year using old equipment
with no problems" as that's just not newsworthy. But I do believe it's
quite commonplace.  

Bob Michaels

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "ansjem"
<ansjem@w...> wrote:
> Hello all,
> I have recently lost traditional darkroom access and am slowly making 
> the switch to a digital darkroom.  My first step was getting a 
> computer that can handle the load.  Now, I'm embarking on the 
> daunting task of choosing the best scanner and printer within my 
> budget.  I have been lurking on this list for a couple of weeks now 
> to get a sense of the issues and am realizing (as many of you have 
> pointed out), just how complicated digital printing is.  
> 
> I shoot both b&w negs and color slides and would like to be able to 
> print at least 11x14.  I think I am ready to take the plunge in 
> purchasing the Nikon Cooscan 50 and an Epson 2200, but wanted to get 
> feedback from all of the user experts on this list.  Considering that 
> I would like to print both b&w color, is this the best way to go?  
> How easy is it to switch between b&w and color inks?  Are there any 
> good, up-to-date guides to entering the realm of the digital darkroom?
> 
> Thanks
> Ansje