Digital BW, The Print

Hello Ned,

>I'm in the market for a good photo printer.  I'd like to spend less
>than $800.  I typically print black and white, but sometimes do 
>color.  I'd like relative permanance and as
>close-to-silver-as-possible for the money.
 

Some other thoughts in addition to everything Peter said abut the 2400
(which I 2nd).  It's normal retail cost is $849 so unless you find a
sale you may be paying a bit more more than $800.

It's a 13" wide printer.  The only other 13 incher they make (Epson is
still considered the best for BW) is the 1800 which is not considered
a good printer for BW.  So it's either the 2400, or a letter size
printer or something bigger (4800 = 17", 7800 = 24", etc).  The 2400
is the smallest they make with ABW and K3 inks.

As for "close-to-silver-as-possible", this is more a matter of paper
than printer.  Crane Silver Rag (SR) is widely considered the paper of
choice if this is your goal

The K3/ABW printers can do excellent BW as is, but can also be used
with a RIP and other inks, so you aren't limited to one approach.



>I'm moving from the traditional process, so any advice would be
>helpful.  Also, if there are any good websites to recommend about
>printer selection and reviews, I'd appreciate the referal.

The link below has a number of articles, not just about printers, but
also about digital BW printing in general, from a technical overview
to some specific how-to articles, including a couple specifically for
the 2400 (#9) and SR paper (#9b).  You might fine something helpful there.

Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm