Digital BW, The Print

I have finally arrived at 35mm scanned B&W that EASILY (cookbook)looks
better than decades of optical B&Ws (eg condenser Durst). 

1) Nikon V...4000ppi, excellent negative holder, fast (THANKS JAPAN!)
2) VueScan as TIFF (THANKS ED!)
3) Photoshop filter> "noise"> "dust/scratch" filter, avoiding soft
grain(THANKS ADOBE!)
4) Minimal USM (4/3.1/64 with grainy-pushed Tmax400)..avoids fringe
5) Black-Only (THANKS CLAYTON!) or QTRgui (THANKS STEPHEN)
6) THANKS EPSON ! (2200,OEM pigments,EEM)

Amazing sidelight: inherently softish negs (Vivitar Series 1 short
zoom and Tokina short zoom) benefit ESPECIALLY from Unsharp
Masking...bigger improvement for negs from those old hobbiest lenses
than from inherently razor-sharp primes Canon/Nikon/Leica (gave both
Viv and Tok away in disgust when new, embarassed by results for
clients...may have to revisit Ebay) .