Digital BW, The Print

I guess I don't understand the problem. We have choices all the way
from free RGB curves with inexpensive MIS inks, QTR for $50 that you
can literally do anything with, Imageprint for a number of options, to
StudioPrint and Cone.
The neat innovative stuff is always developed by those outside the
mainstream with an eye for some need the major market feels unnecessary.
There are a great number of people making beautiful B&W prints these
day, any number of ways.
Epson has never been in the forefront of how to make outstanding
prints on their own hardware, it's always been addressed by third
parties needing, and developing, more. Even the Atkeson profiles,
which finally made Epson printers work "right" out of the box, were
only brought under the Epson umbrella after they were developed
independently.
Roy, Cone, StudioPrint, ImagePrint, Lyson, Generations, MIS, Paul, you
name it, these are where the advances come from, and it's for the
best. Epson will never see the need for what an advanced artist wants,
it would never occur to them.
Gallery was always more expensive then a mainstream Kodak paper. The
people that need these things are small in number, and they are the
only ones who need it, and they are the ones who can define the need.
Things have come a long way because of all these people, we're up and
printing.
I'd say Epson and the other biggies should stand back and let us do
what we need to do.
Goofball obsessive niche developers are exactly what we need more of.
Tyler

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, claudej1@a... wrote:
>  
> In a message dated 10/16/2004 10:07:16 AM Pacific Daylight Time,  
> DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com writes:
> 
> Unless  the enthusiasts are
> into this in the numbers that are possible the market  size will limit
> development and keep costs higher than they would be  otherwise, and
a lot of
> neat innovative stuff will never get  developed.
> 
> Regards, David B. Brooks
> 
> 
> 
> I agree with your assertion here. As long as Epson thinks that
printing  B&W 
> with color inks is acceptable, I don't see it happening. THEIR
market  reseach 
> probably tells them that it's not worth making special inks and
drivers  for 
> B&W only as it's perceived as a "nitch" market.
>  
> Used to be that even RA-4 prints were for color only, but with
lasers and  
> pixels, it seems acceptable to make B&W prints from color paper as
long as  the 
> profiles are acceptably neutral. The average person has no clue about  
> metamersim.\
>  
> There may be only 3 or 4 labs in the country who have dedicated B&W
 laser 
> printers with Dektol processors on the back end.
>  
> Archival really means longer life than the buyer, so we should seek
older  
> clients with more money.
>  
> Claude
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]