Digital BW, The Print

I hate to throw in a monkey wrench in here but has anyone tried the HP
B9180 with black and white. I have heard very mixed reviews. On
another note Epson is releasing the 1400 in a couple of weeks and it
uses the Claria dye based inks. Hopefully we will get some pigment
based inks to use in this printer;) Both of these printers are much
less than a 2400. I would like to upgrade from my Epson C86 with the
MIS-EZ ink set sometime this spring and am trying to find the most
inexpensive way to get the best quality with larger prints. Is it
worth the wait to see how the 1400 works out?

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "jason_copple"
<jasoncopple@...> wrote:
>
> Clayton,
> 
> Once again thank you for your help.
> This is a printer I was looking seriously at and you have swayed me.
> One question; do you know of any troubles that may arise between
this printer and my 
> Intel based Mac?
> 
> Cheers,
> Jason
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Clayton Jones"
<cj@> wrote:
> >
> > Hello Jason,
> > 
> > >In answer to your questions, I think at most 11x14 prints, that's as 
> > >large as I blow up 35mm
> > 
> > Ok, you'll need a 13" printer.  My recommendation right now is to get
> > an Epson.  IMO they still offer the greatest versatility (can use a
> > wide variety of inks plus availability of support products such as
> > refillable carts).  
> > 
> > >In terms of technical, I'd like to get some decent results as soon 
> > >as I can but be able to tweak the process as my skill/confidence 
> > >with this new medium increases.  
> > 
> > Based on this I recommend the 2400.  It's ABW system is essentially a
> > simplified built in RIP and produces extremely fine BW prints
> > out-of-the-box.  Using the simple workflow (described in article #9 at
> > the link below), you will right away get very fine results with very
> > little fuss.  The 2400 is also very versatile.  Any time you are
> > ready, it will allow you to experiment with other approaches,
> > including RIPs (with profiles, curves, densitometers, etc) and a good
> > selection of other inks.
> > 
> > >As for glossy or matte prints, I've always used graded fibre based 
> > >papers air dried in the rack. I found RC too glossy and matte papers 
> > >a little flat (I'm not sure that helps). 
> > 
> > Another reason for recommending the 2400.  There are three general
> > paper types available now: glossy, matte, and the newer "silver rag"
> > type papers which are the closest to the ADFBG look.  It sounds like
> > this is where you'll head.  These papers require the PK black ink, and
> > the 2400's K3 inks look great on them (very little, if any, bronzing
> > and gloss differential).  Many of the other inks, which you'd be
> > required to use with the other models, don't work as well, if at all,
> > on these papers.
> > 
> > 
> > >...and they would be strictly B+W. 
> > 
> > The 2400 will run fine with the various dedicated grayscale ink sets
> > (requires a RIP) should you decide to go that route.  With the K3 inks
> > you can do color printing as well as BW.
> > 
> > 
> > I hope this helps.  The 2400 and the larger K3 models have radically
> > changed the BW printing scene.  It has never been easier to get
> > started from scratch and get gallery quality reaults with a minimal
> > amount of effort, tears, and frustration.  It's expensive, but IMO is
> > a great investment.
> > 
> > Regards,
> > Clayton
> > 
> > 
> > Info on black and white digital printing at    
> > http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm
> >
>