Digital BW, The Print

Jeff,

since you ask about the "bigger picture" so to speak in the bw
printing world, you may consider looking over the archives of this
list - meaning the last several weeks of posts, or even earlier.
Also, our Files section may have some pointers.

You seem to have narrowed down your choices to two options,
but I am not sure you are aware of all possible scenarios. Briefly:
ImagePrint addresses both color and bw and works with canned
profiles. QTR  (and IJC/OPM which you may not be aware of) allows
you to make profiles and only works for bw printing. If you are
on a PC, there is also StudioPrint which is a full RIP and allows
bw profiling as well as works with color. The big dividing
line here is between accepting canned profiles or be willing
to make your own. In my opinion, canned profiles for bw
are a thing of the past, but many find them convenient.

People have also gotten good results using MIS inks with either
the Epson driver or Paul Roark's curves. The inkset to use
is as big a deal as the software, and you may want to look into
that as well. The leading options seem to be MIS and Piezotones.
The latter are also supported by bw ICC profiles available at
inkjetmall.

You'd be better served if you considered these options in relation
to what your printing needs are. There are big differences in
cost, speed, degree of control, convenience etc.

To answer your other questions:

If by Piezography you mean the old plug in, look up R9 and their
products (available through inkjetgoodies I believe). They also
offer inksets to go with it.  Not dead, but renamed when it
reverted to its creator. 

I don't own a 4000 but by all accounts it is state of the art
and if your prints aren't wider than 17, it is presently at
the top of the heap. There are letter size printers from
Epson that hint at the next big thing, so all this may change in a
blink of an eye...


Antonis





> *Is Piezography dead?
> *Is the Epson 4000 worth the price of admission?
> *Is ImagePrint superior to Roy's QTR? If so, why or how?
> 
> Thanks in advance for any insights that anyone might have.
> 
> -Jeff Curto