Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, hogarth@s... wrote:
> jerry78008 wrote:
> 
> > I know full well that this posting flies in the teeth of the basis of
> > this B&W list, in that this list is about the fine aspects of self
> > printing. Whereas this posting is more in the realm of those who print
> > in color also and do so less frequently than a B & W fine artist
> > printer. However this group is by far the most intelligent and
> > communicative. And we have been limited and judicious in our postings
> > and with all this camera/lens talk going on now, at least this is a
> > posting about printing...
> >
> >
> > Over the years it was the common norm to bring one's film to a
> > developer / printer. Black and White was more do-able in the garage or
> > basement, but color was challenging to the point of being practical
> > and cost effective to just drop off and pick up.
> > Then digital scanning came into technical workability at home. And few
> > service bureaus or print locations had other than a high end esoteric
> > Iris type printer. Thus the cottage industry of at home color printing
> > on Epson printers etc.
> > The 3rd party inks and papers industry flourished.
> > Now it may be that the printing services have come full circle and are
> > offering printing of digital files on a full gamut of printing devices
> > and the cost per print has come way down. Even Costco lets you
> > electronically send in your finished files and one only has to pick
> > them up.
> > Likewise with service bureaus. Only the pick up.
> > The question / point is :
> > Has the cost purchasing and the trouble of maintaining ones own inkjet
> > printer, become actually less cost effective and more bother than
> > using dedicated print services (who have now fully adapted to digital
> > files) ?
> >
> > One can now do all the digital dark rooming that one needs to in
> > Photoshop and present a finished file that should look quite as it
> > would on one's screen or own printer output. In the older days of
> > film, one was left at the mercy of the judgment dark rooming of the
> > developer / printer.
> >
> > I have not done all the math, but particularly in major cities, where
> > the printers keep stocks of various art papers - (and have such
> > continuous use of their own printers that clogged nozzles is never a
> > grave concern) –
> >
> > Might it be sensible to give up the hassles and lifespan of ink jet
> > printers and return to the former model of having dedicated
> > professionals do the printing and just run down and pick up the prints
> > the next day or the same day ?
> >
> > My spouse and I co-wrote this and will present it to groups of
interest.
> > We do very much welcome responses.
> >
> > Jerry
> >
> With all due respect, I think your premise is wrong. This isn't about 
> money - it's about control. No one can print my work like I can. No one 
> cares about my work like I do. When I print it myself, I get what I 
> want, and I get it when I want it.
> 
> Besides, if you know what you are doing, and everyone learns
eventually, 
> the care and feeding of inkjet printers isn't that much of a hassle.
> -- 
> Bruce Watson

Thank you Bruce, this is a valid and intelligent response. I, the
spouse and I, have printed with some 9 iterations of Epson inkjet
printers.


Thank you Bruce, this is a valid and intelligent response. I, the
spouse and I, have printed with some 9 iterations of evolving Epson
inkjet printers.
I was coming to the conclusion that the capacities, at least in the
color printing world, and with the very significant fact that digital
files can be finalized in the designated color space (adobe RGB, SRGB,
etc.). Then what should come out the other end of a color print, in a
service bureau, should be so, so much more uniform and predictable
than 5 years ago, even, in the digital inkjet world.
Back in the days of color film printing, which I would not consider
doing myself, one could or would have to bring the print back for a
redo, but today the digital darkroom has given printers a pretty much
ready to go "do it this way" file, that would seem to be just needed
to be spit out by an Epson 9600 or Fuji Frontier or, which can't be
done at home, a "C" print on long used and accepted traditional
photographic paper. 
I am trying to see if firing up an Epson 2200, as yet unused and
returnable, is really worth it any more, particularly since I live in
a large city with pro printers all over the place competing for my
business. 
I am not asking anyone else to decide my life for me, but yours and
other responses are, indeed, valuable.
Please continue to any other responses.