Digital BW, The Print

Hello TFielder,

>I've been thinking about the Epson 2400 because I understand that it
>already has the black inks.   However, the R1800 is reduced to $329 @
>CompUSA.  Should I jump on the 1800 or is it better to step up to the
>2400?  I guess the big question is, do I have to buy a full black ink
>set for the 1800 and not have to buy the set for the 2400?  That
>would level the field a bit.

There is much greater difference than just the inks.  The main
difference, in a nutshell, is that the 2400 can do excellent BW out of
the box, with nothing else needed.  The 1800 cannot do that.  It
requires at least 3rd party RIP software, which means more work and a
steeper learning curve.  

There are other differences.  The 2400 uses K3 inks which have very
good lightfast qualities and work well on the new fiber glossy papers.
 I think I'm correct in saying that most people who use the 1800 for
fine BW work also use 3rd party inks rather than the 1800 inks.  This
means using CIS units or refilling carts.

The 2400 performance is a due to a combination of the K3 inks (with 3
blacks which give great tonal gradation) and it's ABW mode (Advanced
Black and White) software driver, essentially a built in RIP which
uses mostly the the 3 blacks with some colors for toning.  It also has
a tone selector (from blue cold through neutral to warm to sepia) in
the driver that makes it very easy to use.

The 2400 results are exceptionally good, but can be improved upon
(mainly by gaining more control over the color inks).  The 1800 is
used by people who are willing to put in the extra effort in exchange
for some benefit, usually falling in one or more of these categories

- less expensive bulk inks
- eliminating Yellow
- eliminating C and M (only using LC and LM)
- using all-carbon ink sets
- using gloss optimizer (Glop) in one channel
- want to try other inks

(all of these can be done with a 2400 as well, but if you're not going
to use K3 with ABW then these's no reason to pay extra for the 2400)

These benefits come at a cost: you must be willing to:

a) learn to use a RIP and get comfortable with ink profile curves and
other technical stuff in order to master the system and get the
results you want, and

b) put up with the inherent hassles and extra tinkering that goes with
refilling carts or maintaining CIS units.

So it comes down to whether or not you would be satisfied with the
2400 results with it's ease of use.  If you desire to go beyond that,
will what you get be worth the extra work and learning curve?  Some
people love to tinker and enjoy, or at least don't mind, that part of
it.  Others are not so inclined and are exceedingly thankful for the
2400 which has freed them from all that.

Article #9 at the link below outlines a good workflow for the 2400. 
It will give a good idea of what working with a 2400 is like.


Regards,
Clayton


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