Digital BW, The Print

Cleavis,

I guess I fit into your decadent category - currently have 7 printers 
all with USB connections hooked to one computer running dual boot 
with Win98SE and Win2K (as well as other printers hooked to other 
PC's). I'll just mix my typically useless 2 cents in with your 
questions.

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., lyonscox@m... wrote:
> Another question...
> 
> Those of you decadent [don't be shy ;-) ] types that have multiple 
> printers...a comment about hook-up please...seems the ideal is to 
> have USB capacity making it easy to hub them or plug/play?

I use two powered hubs - one 7 port (Belkin) and one 4 port 
(Linksys) - each is first tier connected to the two USB ports on the 
computer. Really eases hook up and swapping around. You need to be 
careful with Win98, but Win2K handles the installations much better. 
With Win 98 you typically need to turn off the already installed 
printers and move some files temporarily when installing a new 
printer to the mix (not necessary with Win2K). The different 
generation printer drivers and Status Monitors will cause the most 
grief. Once installed, it is easy to swap things around - Win98 will 
reinstall drivers and create a copy if you don't hook that printer 
back to the port that you unplugged it from though - not a big deal 
just delete the unused driver and rename the copy to the original 
name - this is very important for the Piezo driver to work.

> 
> Second aspect of question...Since I have my 3000, if I did get a 
> second printer...does one proof on one, final on another?

I proof and print from the same printer since each will print 
slightly different. Others may not see that as a problem though.

> 
> Dedicate one for color, one for B&W, with a bias towards the 
printer 
> with best qualities for the most output?

I experiment with a lot of different inksets, but those that I like 
and stay with get dedicated to that printer.
> 
> How frustrated are folks who don't have 13"x19" capacity (here's 
> where you 7000+ folks chuckle I guess)?
> 
> I don't like to store anything bigger than a 16x20" anyhow but 
seems 
> silly to have two printers able to do 13"X19".

Not silly at all if you are using different inksets. I mainly use CIS 
systems on the 1270's, 1280's and 2000P, I use carts on the 980 and 
870. It is nice to have different inks installed for different work 
and papers. Of the 7 hooked to this system, I have stock carts in the 
870, Piezo B/W in carts on the 980, MIS Lightfast dyes in a CIS on a 
1270, MIS color archival in a CIS on another 1270, Enhanced Gen4 pigs 
in a CIS on the other 1270, a 1280 with stock carts for the moment 
(will get a CIS and special blend hex (?) to use both the Paul Roark 
curves and Piezo driver - when I get the time to tinker), and MIS VM 
in a CIS on the 2000P (may go to Indelibles once I'm convinced they 
will run OK in the newer generation desktop photo printers.

Each printer gets profiled for that inkset and a range of papers that 
compliment each other. It is really nice when looking at that image 
onscreen and thinking that would look great with this inkset and that 
paper and hitting the print button to do it. Excessive? YES 
Convenient? You bet!! Time consuming playing with all of this? Yea, 
but the options make it worth it. Plus using the USB to connect with, 
if I want to sub another of my printers into the system, it is plug 
and play.
> 
> Your reflections are appreciated.
> 
> Over accessory prone Cleavis 8-\

Possibly more accessory prone Terry <G>