Digital BW, The Print

I am have a few newbie b&w printing questions, so I hope that there 
is someone with patience out there. 

Background. I am a hobbyist: whilst I like b&w photography, the only 
place you'll find one of my prints is on one of my walls. I've got a 
Canon 10D, and PE2, which was bundled with it. I have just acquired a 
silveroxide.com FP4 plug in filter for PE2. My printer is an HP 5550, 
which is not the best starting point, I suppose (I get the impression 
that HP printers are not considered serious contenders for b&w 
printing). I am told it shares the same engine as the hp7x50 range. 
It takes two carts at a time: either two colour or one colour and one 
black. Two colour carts produces acceptable prints up to 8x10. It was 
also cheap as chips. 

What I am finding when I print b&w images so far is this:
- using two colour carts produces unmistakably sepia prints. 
- using only the black cart produces a dirty, slightly brown tinted 
printed, which is highly grained (around ISO800), and moreover the 
transverse printing lines of the cart are visible. 
- using one colour and one black cart produces a print that looks 
blue & white. Interestingly, the local photoshops produce a similar 
looking print from b&w images. I haven't tried any of the more 
commercial print processors in London yet. 

My questions are
1 What is the best I can expect to get from my existing set up? I 
have seen references here to 4 and 6 tone black printing, but mostly 
in the context of Epson and Canon printers. I am guessing therefore 
that there is some hardware distinction that stops these inks being 
using in HP printers. Is that right? If not, any ideas on where I 
start looking for 4/6 tone inks that would be suitable, and how I 
would get them into the HP carts I have (by which I mean I guess that 
you can't just bung any old tone into any old part of a cart)?

2 I have tried (but I am thinking about) using profile prism to 
profile my printer. Is that a pie-in-the-sky idea for b&w? I assume 
you need access to a good quality scanner – anyone able to confirm?

3 If the limitations of my existing set up are unsurmountable, then 
from the things I've gleaned here, I guess I am looking at something 
like an Epson 2200. Is that the realistic "entry level" printer? I 
ask because if so, then assuming I can find a satisfactory bricks and 
mortar outlet that can/will produce a good print, my volumes probably 
cannot justify a 2200. 

Thanks for listening, sorry about any jargon gaffs, and thanks for 
any responses.

GB

Hi,

   I just found this forum this week and I have a few questions that have probably been asked and answered a hundred times.

   First, I have an Epson 1270 I'm using for color printing using Mediastreet Enhanced Generations pigment inks. I want to be able to do B&W digital and I've been looking at the MIS inks. There seems to be a suggestion that by using cleaning cartridges you can routinely switch back and forth between various ink cartridges on a 1270. I am suspicious that this is far from easy and I'd be better off getting a printer and dedicating it to B&W inks. Especially considering that I can pick up a used 1270 for the cost of 2 or 3 filled cartridges, trashing a couple or cartridges would pay for a second printer. Any comments?

   Second, if I do get a second printer is a 1270 really the best choice for B&W (at least at similar cost). I've seen recommendations that an Epson 1160 would be better since it has fewer colors, others suggesting an Epson 1200 since it has not IC in the cartridge, others suggesting a 2000P since it was designed for pigment ink and many others saying not to waste your money on Epson printers at all (these seem to suggest $5000 printers that wouldn't fit into my apartment). Any opinions here?

   Third, back when I did old fashioned wet darkroom work, my favorite paper was Dupont Varilour Double Weight Glossy which I dried without ferrotyping. When that went away I changed to Ilford Gallerie which was lots more expensive and almost as good. These papers gave a smooth surface (and great detail) without much gloss. Does anyone have an opinion about a paper I can get that will come close to this and work with pigmented inkjet ink? The Epson Matte is nice, but not at all the same.

   Fourth, do most people on the list use pre-filled cartridges, or do you fill your own? Is filling cartridges much or a hassle?

   Sorry if these are all "asked and answered" questions - but from what I've seen, you guys seem to know what you are doing -- and I don't.

Chuck Peacock