Digital BW, The Print

On Jul 26, 2007, at 6:54 PM, RITAYAN MITRA wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>    First of all I am amazed how informative and
> helpful this group and its member are.  One other
> thing is all of the members look like high up on the
> learning curve while I am low down....so I have
> reservations asking such broad and trivial questions
> but any help will be appreciated.

Don't hesitate, Rit, to ask any questions about B&W printing; the  
subscribers to this list are very welcoming and helpful.


> My background
>
> I am a graduate student (read: limited resources). I
> am good at composing  shots.  I work with a pentax
> k100d.

Do you have an ink jet printer now?


> My aim
> To do totally b/w photo with strong simple
> compositions with the widest tonal range possible.  I
> need to take very good quality prints and I know
> nothing about how to go on doing it

You've come to the right place. If you use a Mac, you'll also find  
the MacEpsonList.com, also at Yahoo, helpful unless you decide not to  
start with an Epson printer despite the fact (I think) that it's  
probably the best and least expensive way to start.


> My question
> 1) Do you think given my lack of expertise I should
> just depend on a professional for this?

No, because it's feasible to learn to do it yourself at much less  
expense and trying to do that to your satisfaction will cause you  
look harder at prints than you otherwise would.


>   If so can you
> recommend a decent one
> 2) If you think I should do my own digital printing
> can you refer me to a concise how-to material for a
> beginner like me?

You didn't say how much experience you have at printing in general.  
In almost any case, I think it might be best to start with Bill  
Kennedy's book, "The Photographer's Guide to the Digital Darkroom".  
Bill is on this list and has worked for 25 years in the  
photocommunications program at St. Edward's University in Austin. His  
book is about color, as well as greyscale, printing, and I think the  
more general context will be useful to you even though you are  
already focusing on B&W. Given his book's scope, it's very concise.

So are Clayton Jones's articles at

<http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm>

where there is a good overview of, as well as some more specific  
technical articles about, digital B&W printing, which will help you  
get started. Clayton is also an active member of this list and the  
leading proponent of black-only B&W printing, which I think is  
arguably the easiest and least expensive way to put your toe in the  
B&W printing waters unless you already have a printer which won't  
print black-only.

Until recently, there was no advanced text. But now there's Amadou  
Diallo's "Mastering Digital Black and White: A Photographer's Guide  
to High Quality Black-and-White Imaging and Printing", which was  
recently published in the Digital Process and Print Series of which  
Harald Johnson is the Series Editor. Tyler Boley was Amadou's  
technical editor and, Amadou says, his "sounding board". All three of  
them are also active on this list. You don't need Amadou's book to  
get started, but it might be a useful and inspiring reference to what  
lies ahead of you.

Good luck, Rit.
--
Sam