Digital BW, The Print

You are bound to get a lot of different answers, but here is my two cents:

  There is nothing wrong with the 1280/UT2 combination, but if you
  are just starting, I would suggest a 4-color printer like the 
  Epson C88. You can use MIS inks, it will make beautiful prints,
  you will only have to deal with 4 cartridges, and this printer 
  can be had refurbished for $59. You could use MIS EZ ink and 
  control output with the Epson driver sliders. If you want more
  control you can use any of the other MIS ink sets. I use UT-FSN
  with great results in a C86. The 1280 is getting awfully long
  in the tooth, and could use some updates, like a smaller droplet
  size and individual cartridges. By the time you become proficient
  it may be discontinued. That said, if you need to print larger than
  letter size the 1280 becomes a good choice.
  
  Your biggest decision is how you are going
  to profile and linearize your inks -- Quadtone RIP, Photoshop
  adjustment or transfer curves, ICC files with embedded curves, 
  blah, blah, blah. If you use the EZ inks I think you can avoid 
  this complexity, at least to get started. As you progress you will 
  probably want to at least experiment with some of the other schemes.


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "monkeytumble"
<spamhole@...> wrote:
>
> The purpose of this post is request knowledgeable input for someone
> about to enter B&W digital printing. Specifically, I'm looking for
> confirmation that the pathway I'm considering should result in
> successful entry to high quality B&W digital printing. The entry
> pathway I'm considering is an Epson 1280 printer and MIS UT2 cartridge
> inks, which will be used with Photoshop CS2 on a PC running Windows XP.
> 
> If you are knowledgeable and would think that another entry pathway
> would be better, I'd like to hear your suggestions.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Jay Decker
> Kennewick, WA
>