Digital BW, The Print

Steve, I tried the epson ink in BO, and wasn't even close to happy. But I have been able to get very usable digital negs.
I've been been printing silver based images 40 years and carbon prints for almost 15 years and I have never seen any digital prints that I was happy with. I'm sure there are some that have gotten the digital print to the point that it is very hard to tell them apart.
From what I can read and from talking with folks the biggest problem with clogs I CIS, I am going to use new empty carts and see what happens.
I'll just have to try some different papers. I make my own paper for my carbon prints so I'll give it a try also. 
Water issues force me into this corner, so it's either try digital prints or quit photography and that ain't gonna happen.
I'm trying to keep a open mind, I'll give it a couple of years.
Dennis
--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, deandadin@... wrote:
>
> Hello, I used to have the 2200 printer and I did B&W printing from  scanned 
> negs and digital output. I was able to get acceptable B&W prints  using the 
> regular Epson inks for the 2200. You will never get fantastic B&W  prints 
> from the 2200 no matter what inks you use. They will be OK at best but  you 
> cant compare them to regular silver prints. I printed on many papers  
> including Japanese Gampi tissue paper and the results are interesting but if you  
> put a digital print next to a silver print you will choose the silver print 
> in a  second. I now have the Epson 3800 printer and I can say the same. 
> Digital prints  have a digital look to them. I can get some pretty good quality 
> out of the 3800  but I would not sell an exhibition quality digital print for 
> the same price I  can sell a silver print. I am printing on the Epson 
> silver fiber type digital  media now and it still has that digital look to it. I 
> have been printing silver  prints for 30 years and I teach both digital and 
> silver printing and it is clear  that digital B&W printing has a way to go 
> yet. If you use one of the glossy  silver type digital papers they will have 
> that bronzing look to them with the  2200. If you use a matt paper there 
> will not be bronzing but you will have muddy  shadow detail. One big problem 
> with using the off brand inks is that the 2200  can have clogging problems. I 
> have not used off brand inks in the 2200 because I  found that the 2200 
> worked pretty well with the standard Epson inks. I was never  really happy with 
> digital B&W because of my silver background and I still am  not that happy 
> with the prints that I can do with the 3800. My students go ohh  and ahh when 
> I show them my digital B&W prints but the ohhs and ahhs stop  when I show 
> my silver prints at the same time. The silver prints blow away any  digital 
> print that I can do. There is no comparing the two types of prints. You  must 
> calibrate your monitor no matter what. Any of the spider type calibration  
> units work fine. Get one in the 175.00 range. I hope that this is a help for 
>  you. Steve
> 
> 
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