Digital BW, The Print

Bernard,

>I have been using a 1280 for about 3 yrs now.. originally I used 
>the epson Black ink Only and got great results printing directly 
>out of Photoshop. Recently I tried the MIS inks with total failure 
>flat prints, meaning low contrast..

Don't expect pigment black to reach the same dmax as a dye.  This may be one
difference you're noticing.  

> now it just so happens that I also changed computers at the same 
>time so calibration might have been an issue.

Matching the monitor to the print could be another issue.  The inks are
going to print differently.  It's likely the file will need work to look the
same as previously.

>I gave up on the full gamut printing 

Without knowing what inkset you're using, it's hard to say what the issues
may be.  

>and went to BO with the eboni ink.. even that was quite a problem
> untill I adjusted my monitor to match my output. This did not
> work for me by using the photoshop utility. I had to do it by eye.. 

Except for the newer workflows that are "color managed," the B&W workflows
often need a custom dot gain curve (see
http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/Monitor-Profiling.htm ) or a curves adjustment
layer to get a good match between the monitor and the print.

> The other thing I had to re learn for some unknown reason was 
>how to adjust levels to get the contrast I need.. this usually
> means blowing out the highlights and then burning.. 
>this is working real well for me..

There's a lot to learn in Photoshop.  Use the Alt key with the levels
adjustment to be sure you don't lose information.  Levels needs to be set
carefully, but I'd use curves once the levels makes sure the full range of
tones is in the file.

> I do wonder though if I even need the Eboni ink.... I think 
>I am back were I started with the epson ink with the disadvantage 
>that it will not allow me to print to glossy paper..

With pigments you need to change inks when moving from matte to glossy
paper.  There are lots of reasons to avoid the OEM dye inks if you want top
notch B&W.  But there is a bit of a learning curve with pigments.

Good luck.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com