Praise For a Super DigitalBW Product: Outstanding Results!! Short Version
2001-10-02 by Steadman Uhlich
Hello Digital Printers and Lurkers! The following post is serious but written in a light good hearted and sincere "tone." From time to time this forum gets so negative as to make one wonder about the aims and bias of the posters. Lots of negative postings and problems. I suppose forums can get that way, as most people need somewhere to vent and release their frustrations or prove their expertise. But wouldn't you really rather read about a really great product that can give you great results...that is, deliver great looking digital B&W prints? I know I would. Why don't we see more of these posts? Hmmm? Well here is my simple contribution (for those new to the list). I think Jon Cone's Piezography BW is great! (exclamation point on purpose...don't miss it) I really like the PiezoBW software and inks. That is because they are very user friendly and easy to use. They also produce prints that look outstanding on cheap printers! They have enabled me to produce the highest quality prints without stepping into a wet darkroom or paying a pro lab or....without waiting days or weeks for prints, and without futzing around with transfer curves etc... I highly recommend the system to those who want to get started in digital BW printing and expect high quality prints with minimum hassle. The PiezoBW software is very easy to use even for first-timers or beginners who don't know much about Photoshop or even digital printing issues. It works for me. Of course, some people really want something that "is" difficult to use or requires special knowledge of various arcane software. Some people will not be satisfied without tweaking or generally "engineering" their own version of software. I just don't happen to be one of those people. I prefer to take/make photos and sell them. My motto is "keep it simple." Not only is the software easy to use...it also comes with over 27+ paper profiles (created using a very expensive profiling machine and trained technicians that know how to use it...two things I don't have to have) which are easy to use and deliver consistent and great results. I like that because someone else has done the hard and time consuming work of profiling the papers and ink. I like to concentrate my time on the other aspects of photography. To put it another way, a first time digital printmaker (possibly you) doesn't even need to know about "curves" and "transfer functions" and other in-depth Photoshop knowledge in order to make beautiful digital BW prints. Really! Now some people say the Piezo inks are expensive. I say: "So what!" I buy expensive things all the time when they give me the satisfaction of having the best and deliver quality results. When was the last time you bought the cheapest lens you could find for your camera? When was the last time you bought the cheapest steak? OK don't answer that last question. But if you are after quality...high quality...I don't believe you can find a higher quality digital BW ink product that is backed up with such good customer service. Also, "expensive" is a relative concept. The cost of the ink I use on a typical print is a minimal cost in relation to the final price I charge for the print! Negligible really. So what if you use 50 cents or even $1 worth of ink on a fine art print that may sell for hundreds of dollars? Heck, the custom cut mats some photographers buy can cost more than the materials (paper and ink) used to make the print itself! So what is the issue? Do folks spend as much time complaining about a $25 matboard? Heck, that is just stiff paper with a cut out center. And my inks are not where the cost really lies. The true cost is in my time. Think about that. If you missed that point...I can't help you with it. You may read a few complaints from some users. I say "So what!" I know and correspond with many more happy users who produce outstanding digital prints using this system of software and inks. Sure some folks have problems. I even have clogs that temporarily keep me from printing from time to time. So what? Nothing is perfect. But when I get a beautiful print from my cheap $249 Epson 1160 printer that sits on my desktop....I am thrilled that the technology is available so cheaply....yes cheaply! So I say if you can't stand to do printer maintenance or spend time occasionally cleaning your printer...you should look for another pro lab to do your print work. Heck, if I was printing in a wet darkroom, I would have to spend time cleaning the trays, mixing the chemicals, testing the temp, breathing the fumes, and all that other nice stuff that people love to forget. Oh yeah, lest we forget... Besides great products (software and ink) those folks that work for Jon Cone are pretty great too. Every (and I do mean every) time I have called Inkjetmall.com and asked for customer service or tech support, I have gotten outstanding service. Outstanding customer service and tech support is hard to come by and worth more than a pretty penny. Sometimes it is customer support that can really make a product work despite the variables. And this customer support...how much does it cost me? So far it has been free...but worth its weight in gold. You may read about Green Prints or Green Ink. I have stated before on this forum and others, the only green I see is the kind that goes in my wallet when I sell my prints. I have even asked others on the forums to provide me with green prints...and still have not seen a single one. Do they exist? Sure they do. Somewhere. Anything is possible. But I have not seen them and I continue to have beautiful prints (deep rich black and white) come from my printers. In fact, if you were to look at a few smiling faces of my happy customers...you would know what I mean. They love the prints! So you read this far? Read on. Look, the above posting is not in jest. It is real serious. I love this stuff. Why? Because it has liberated me from the crooks I dealt with at two local pro labs. It has given me control of my printing. It brings the "artist" back into the equation. And the quality is better than I have gotten by using other third party labs. Is that simple and direct enough? Now some folks will have other favorites. That is fine with me. I just want to let you folks that are having a hard time deciding which way to go (i.e. to start with digital BW printing) to have an opinion of a happy user of at least one product you can consider. And of course there is always someone out there that has a gripe about everything or anything. Some folks just have bad luck. Some just have a bad attitude. Some just have a bad printer. "You takes your chances" with technology. I took a chance on Piezography and have been well rewarded (in prints and sales) for it. In any event, good luck with whatever system/inks you buy and happy printing! Steadman P.S. I never say "heck" in real life. Only on this posting. Go figure! (I don't say that either..grin) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]