Digital BW, The Print

>
> ...a good cleaning and nozzle check did the trick!

I routinely check the nozzles before printing a photo if the printer 
has not been used that day yet.

 
>  I use PS elements 3 right now, do I 
> need to upgrade to work with curves or ICCS?

Not necessarily, but full Photoshop is probably worth it if you're an 
avid photographer and the financial situation is OK.

However, Elements has a print preview that works just as well as full 
PS with respect to the ICCs.

While Elements does not have the curves adjustments built in, there 
are plug-ins that can supply that capability.  In fact, the one I 
have on Elements is called SmartCurve by Easy Filter.  You'll have to 
Google those terms to find the download.  I think it was a freebie, 
but I'm not sure where I got it.

I actually have this installed on my full PS also.  It shows all the 
curves at once, color coded.  As such, I can see the relationships 
among the curves.  In particular, I can see that the convergence of 
the R, G, and B curves is even and, as such, the black & gray ink 
substitutions should be even.

On the other hand, I much prefer full PS over Elements and think it's 
worth the investment.

Hope this helps.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com