Digital BW, The Print

I would love to print some of my images on archival materials.
I work on a newspaper, and understand PhotoShop to a certain 
degree. I would love to scan some of my images that have flaws, 
like scratches, clean them up, then print them with archival 
pigments and paper.

But the prices. Yeegads. It seems you have to purchase an 
Epson archival printer, like the 3,000, 2000P, 5500 or 7500 to 
use archival pigments. Then there's these things called RIPs 
and piezo technology and . . . 

Isn't there a way to make archival images on the less expensive 
printers, like the 1280? Can you use pigment inks in the 1280? I 
read they have dye inks, which don't last long.

Al - just spent hours searching and reading articles at site. WOW
www.seeinglight.com