Digital BW, The Print

Digital printing of B&W has many potential pitfalls, there are many
competing approaches, none that have become the gold standard and 100%
problem free. For someone like you with so much traditional
experience, it could be very frustrating to nail the process to your
satisfaction.
HPs are certainly not printers widely used for fine B&W and I doubt
many on this list will be able to give you much input. This is one
area where price is definitely not the primary consideration
particularly for a production environment, since some systems don't
work at all.
I would highly advise you to get samples of B&W output from that
printer, on a few different surfaces, before making a decision. It
would be good to know, if you see results you like, exactly how it was
done. Was it done "out of the box", or were additional expensive
options (a RIP?) utilized?
Also try to find some current users, ask about issues like banding and
metamerism. There are many systems that, despite decent color output,
can't print good B&W at all.
Perhaps there is an HP.
Tyler

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com,
"historicalphotographs" <historicalphotographs@y...> wrote:
> Hi all. New member here...you all sound very enlightened about 
> printing black & white digitally so I thought I jump right in... 
> 
> I have 25+ years printing in a darkroom and only about 3 years into 
> digital printing...so bear with me, please.  I have a business 
> printing commercially from historical black & white negatives for 
> commercial interiors and am ready to purchase a large format 
> printer. Needs are not larger than 24" and prints must be long 
> lasting (20+) but not 100 years.  I have been looking at the new HP 
> Designjet 130.  Price is right and sounds good.  Anyone know 
> anything about this printer??  Thanks!