Digital BW, The Print

Hello Everybody!

As some of you remember I was totally new at BW printing and I 
decided to buy Epson C88 plus printer, MIS Pro UT-EZ inkset, 
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 and Epson Enhanced Matte paper.

Now it is time to share my thoughts.

I started with printing color pictures with original inkset on EEM 
paper. Results? For me - stunning! Resolution, colors, contrast - I 
don't need more than this. OK, blacks could be better but it is not 
so visible for me.

Then I tried BO printing (still on Epson inkset) and I was woeful. 
Terrible banding. I made nozzles check, cleaning and other required 
procedures but without any effect on paper.

OK, I forgot BO printing on this printer. I have been waiting for 
package from MIS and finally I received it. I changed cartridges, put 
EEM paper and printed first picture. BANDING, blacks were also so-so. 
I made nozzles cleaning and other stuff, loaded Photo Rag and waited 
for change in quality. And IT WAS THERE! No sign of banding, blacks 
were blacks finally, that was a huge difference. But I said - OK, it 
is only scan from 35mm made on flatbed scanner. Now it is time for 
MF. I chose and prepared picture (scanned on the same Epson flatbed 
scanner from Ilford HP5+ developed with Ilfosol S) loaded Photo Rag 
paper and then I printed it. I set everything as Paul Roark advised 
(Gamma 2.2, Contrast -10). For the first couple of seconds/minutes 
(?) I couldn't say anything. I was blown away! BLOWN AWAY! 
Resolution, blacks, tonal transitions. I would spend all my life in 
darkroom and I couldn't produce anything like that!!! Then I checked 
ink levels and worried for a while :) But it was definitely worth of 
it. Now I have to order additional inks from MIS but as I already 
wrote...

...IT WAS WORTH OF IT.

Thank you very much for help.

Happy me!