Digital BW, The Print

I've moved a couple of times this year and it looks like my darkroom
will be in boxes for a while. I've been on lurking mode listening and
learning as much as I can.  I've been generating some quickie
'beginner's guide' to a person with nada, nothing, except of course a
computer and cameras :)

This is what I have to get so far, and my question is, anyone else can
contribute?  I mostly want to do B&W, 11X14 as biggest (or the next
size up), may try doing digital negs for alt processes:

1280 printer (looks cost effective)
I have Win2K, old, but works
Piezo inks
some type of software to calibrate my monitor?
profiles?
paper
photoshop for dummies

Anyone have anything to add to the list?

I wish there was some type of "happy meal" someone can offer,
supersize, that comes with everything I need.

Thanks

/Lurker mode off

-- 
Eric

Just a few thoughts.  I don't know if you'll really need monitor calibration
printing b&w with a dedicated inkset.  Photoshop has a steep learning curve
(but then most everything else does for me).  If a good beginner
photo-oriented class is available, it will save you much time.  I think your
life in the alt world will be much simpler if you will go with high-res
imagesetter negs, instead of inkjet.  See www.danburkholder.com.  You'll
need a 3600 dpi imagesetter...your local pre-press, in addition to not
knowing what you're trying to do, will likely have 2400 dpi.  Epson
heavy-weight matte paper is pretty good when it's behind glass.  That's
about it...best of luck.

Regards,

  --Ken Carney
    www.kencarney.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Maquiling [mailto:eric@...]
Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2003 7:16 PM
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint
Subject: [Digital BW] Potential ex-darkroom convert


I've moved a couple of times this year and it looks like my darkroom
will be in boxes for a while. I've been on lurking mode listening and
learning as much as I can.  I've been generating some quickie
'beginner's guide' to a person with nada, nothing, except of course a
computer and cameras :)

This is what I have to get so far, and my question is, anyone else can
contribute?  I mostly want to do B&W, 11X14 as biggest (or the next
size up), may try doing digital negs for alt processes:

1280 printer (looks cost effective)
I have Win2K, old, but works
Piezo inks
some type of software to calibrate my monitor?
profiles?
paper
photoshop for dummies

Anyone have anything to add to the list?

I wish there was some type of "happy meal" someone can offer,
supersize, that comes with everything I need.

Thanks

/Lurker mode off

--
Eric


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On 10/16 20:15, Ken Carney wrote:
> Just a few thoughts.  I don't know if you'll really need monitor calibration
> printing b&w with a dedicated inkset.  Photoshop has a steep learning curve

Good response.  So monitor calibration is just for color then.  What
do I know about color anyway?  :)

> (but then most everything else does for me).  If a good beginner
> photo-oriented class is available, it will save you much time.  I think your

2 kids, 0 time, book would be better.  Just got a recommendation to
get "Photoshop for the Digital Photographer"

> life in the alt world will be much simpler if you will go with high-res
> imagesetter negs, instead of inkjet.  See www.danburkholder.com.  You'll

Yes, Dan Burkholder's web site is nice.  It will be a while for me
start all the alt stuff later.  I'm still debating on getting a cheap
4X5.  I miss using large format.

> Epson heavy-weight matte paper is pretty good when it's behind glass.  

Okay, anyone else for the Epson heavy-weight?  Got  a couple of
recommendations for it.

I will probably get the 1280 used....is there a source for refurbished
1280's?  Besides Epson? :)

-- 
Eric

Some thoughts:

1) forget PS classes or books. Make a friend on line, local phone call
or in person (ideal) who you can ask "How do I?". They can tell you
"click X, click Y, then click Z". Even if you have to wax their car to
return the favor. Photoshop is complex but you only need know 1% of it
to start making reasonable prints. Then, you can learn the rest while
you continue to print. 

2) Epson Heavy Weight Matte paper is a pretty good yet low cost paper.
It won't be a limiting factor in the quality of your prints for a
while. So use low cost paper so you can print a lot. You need
experience not an expensive paper.  

3) Epson refurbished printers are essentially new ones that had one
problem. Epson fixes the problem under warranty, makes sure they're
perfect and sells them as refurbs. Both of my refurbs looked brand
new. Plus you get Epson support and new printer warranty. That's a
major deal. (from someone who normally doesn't believe in support or
warranties)

4) Read www.scantips.com and Clayton Jones articles at
www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm  You'll learn a lot in a short amount of
time at those two sites. 

5) Just do it. Very very few ever go back in the dark. Just like in
the dark, you'll get to making reasonable prints quickly. Then you'll
spend the rest of your life getting better. 

Bob Michaels

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Eric Maquiling
<eric@m...> wrote:
> On 10/16 20:15, Ken Carney wrote:
> > Just a few thoughts.  I don't know if you'll really need monitor
calibration
> > printing b&w with a dedicated inkset.  Photoshop has a steep
learning curve
> 
> Good response.  So monitor calibration is just for color then.  What
> do I know about color anyway?  :)
> 
> > (but then most everything else does for me).  If a good beginner
> > photo-oriented class is available, it will save you much time.  I
think your
> 
> 2 kids, 0 time, book would be better.  Just got a recommendation to
> get "Photoshop for the Digital Photographer"
> 
> > life in the alt world will be much simpler if you will go with
high-res
> > imagesetter negs, instead of inkjet.  See www.danburkholder.com. 
You'll
> 
> Yes, Dan Burkholder's web site is nice.  It will be a while for me
> start all the alt stuff later.  I'm still debating on getting a cheap
> 4X5.  I miss using large format.
> 
> > Epson heavy-weight matte paper is pretty good when it's behind
glass.  

> 
> Okay, anyone else for the Epson heavy-weight?  Got  a couple of
> recommendations for it.
> 
> I will probably get the 1280 used....is there a source for refurbished
> 1280's?  Besides Epson? :)
> 
> -- 
> Eric

On 10/17 02:06, Bob Michaels wrote:
> 
> 5) Just do it. Very very few ever go back in the dark. Just like in
> the dark, you'll get to making reasonable prints quickly. Then you'll

But I wanna go back someday, really, really I do!!
-- 
Eric

On 10/16 19:14, Eric Maquiling wrote:
> 
> But I wanna go back someday, really, really I do!!

Reply to myself.  About the Digital B&W printing.  What I'm afraid of,
is spending a lot of money on computer equipment every year.  Would
this be the case?  I can scan my negs on my Epson 2450 (oh, any
recommandations for what DPI I need to scan if say, I wanna print a
120 neg to 11x11 print?), would probably be quite a few megs.  The
work the image on PS, print, and burn as many as I can to CDs.  

Are most of you archiving your scans?  If you have the negs, you can
always scan again I guess right?  
-- 
Eric
Eric's PAW page:  <http://www.maquiling.org/paw>
PAW main page:  <http://www.jeffery-nola.com/links.html>

* -----Original Message-----
* From: Eric Maquiling [mailto:eric@maquiling.org] 
* Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2003 5:16 PM
* To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint
* Subject: [Digital BW] Potential ex-darkroom convert
* 
* 
* I've moved a couple of times this year and it looks like my 
* darkroom will be in boxes for a while. I've been on lurking 
* mode listening and learning as much as I can.  I've been 
* generating some quickie 'beginner's guide' to a person with 
* nada, nothing, except of course a computer and cameras :)
* 
* This is what I have to get so far, and my question is, anyone 
* else can contribute?  I mostly want to do B&W, 11X14 as 
* biggest (or the next size up), may try doing digital negs for 
* alt processes:
* 
* 1280 printer (looks cost effective)
* I have Win2K, old, but works
* Piezo inks
* some type of software to calibrate my monitor?
* profiles?
* paper
* photoshop for dummies
* 
* Anyone have anything to add to the list?
* 
Eric,

If you are going with the Piezotone inks (use the Selenium Piezotone myself)
you will need the software that goes with it. Either the Piezo plug-in or
the bwguys.com version called "Image Export BW".

One thing to keep in mind in making the transition from the darkroom to
inkjet printing is that the inkjet printing works best on matte papers and
is comparable to matte silver fiber paper but very different from air dried
silver fiber. More like some of the alt processes. You have to look at the
change as a change in media not a substitution.

There is a lot to offer in terms of what Photoshop can do for you but as Ken
pointed out it is a steep learning curve. Think about how long it took you
to get silver prints you were satisfied with and while the switch will not
take as long you will have some idea of what you are getting into.

The monitor calibration is great but not required to start. You would be
well advised to create a custom dot gain curve in Photoshop so that you have
a reasonable match between what you see on screen and what comes out of your
printer. This can be done without any special software or equipment and if
you get that far there is info in the Files section on how to do it.

Dan Burkholder's site is a must read. You can use his techniques to make
great silver fiber prints too. I have a couple of platinum/palladium prints
made from contact negs printed with Epson dye inks on a 1280 on Pictorico
film that are really wonderful. Best of all worlds.

Martin Wesley
http://www.carolyn.cc/Guests/MartinWesley/pages/MW_01.html
http://www.borderless-photos.de/guests.html