Digital BW, The Print

Clayton -

I found your comments interesting and they gave me a
"camp" to identify with.  I am a recent convert (at
east in part) to black and white, having spent years
with Cibachrome etc and recent years with Epson color
prints on Luster paper.  I therefore fall into at
least the semi-gloss camp - specifically the Premium
Luster camp and can't relate to matte finishes.  But
then, when I use to paint - eons ago - I used oils and
couldn't relate to water colors.  I still can't.

I don't know if that excludes me from anything "fine
art."  Since I know Ansel Adams' work more via some
exquisite book reproductions, which were on rather
glossy paper, I don't think of his work as being on
matte paper.  I think of it as having the jet black
blacks that I love and the stark vibrancy of what I
liked about Cibachrome.  I can now get way better
color prints with Photoshop and Epson than I could
with Cibachrome, and am hoping I can get "Ansel Adams"
prints using a digital approach.  I realize this is
all rather arrogant, but one can dream.

Peter
 


--- Clayton Jones <cj@...> wrote:

I think ultimately it will depend on the papers. 
Follow my logic
here: I have seen how over the past couple of years as
more and more
people have gotten interested in BW digi printing,
many new names have
appeared in the forum, and it seems to be no longer
primarily fine art
types.  Forum members now seem to fall into two broad
camps, those who
are fine art oriented and prefer matte papers with MK,
and those who
seem happy with the glossy type papers and PK,
especially because of
the greater Dmax.  I can't tell for sure, but I get
the impression
that these glossy users are the same kinds of
photographers that used
RC paper for darkroom prints, which is a very large
market segment and
probably what Epson is aiming at.  Right now the fine
art matte users
seem to be holding on to what they've been doing, and
probably will
for some time.  

However, I think if someone invents a paper, cotton or
otherwise, that
truly looks and feels like ADFBG, and is truly
archival, and truly
allows a range of tones using truly archival Epson
inks, then the fine
art matte/MK folks might switch en masse and 3p ink
folks could be in
trouble.  Certainly the 3p ink folks must be watching
developments
very closely.

But in reality, there probably will always be many
good paper choices
and 3p ink folks will always be figuring ways to go
one step better,
so I think there will always be a 3p ink and paper
market of some
sort.  But it seems clear to me that the digi BW
market is more and
more becoming mainstream and is taking on the
two-sided coin aspect
that existed in the film/silver market - RC vs Fiber
orientation.  And
I think it is this orientation, the paper, that will
be a major
driving force that will affect the ink market.  I
think the ink will
follow the paper, but how this will all play out is
anyone's guess...

These ruminations are just impressions I have from
long term forum
reading and watching industry trends.  I'll be
interested to hear
others' thoughts. 

I am currently revising my "Great Paper Chase"
article, testing some
new papers, and have been on the phone with some paper
vendors - I
have some interesting observations that make me think
the cotton matte
papers will keep up, but will post them in a separate
thread.


Regards,
Clayton


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