Digital BW, The Print

Peter,  pepper grain:

Are you scanning? I had pepper almost always (depending on film stock)
with Nikon's scanning application, vanished it totally when using that
application neg>neg>pos but then produced MUCH better results
(startlingly good...better than my own good silver prints) with ease
using VueScan Pro (don't recall why I got the "Pro" version, maybe I
was feeling inferior that day). 

 I'm having some problems with what traditional 
> photographers call 'pepper fogging'

> Are these black pin pricks of ink common to ink in otherwise light 
> smooth toned areas unavoidable with inkjet printing?  

I've not seen pepper with Nikon since switching to VueScan or ever
with Epson flatbed/Silverfast/Epson OEM, even blown up to 12X18.