A photographer's thoughts on digital black & white printing:
2004-02-26 by Paul Murphy
A photographer's thoughts on digital black & white printing: I started my photographic career over 20 years ago as a black & white printer. I spent a few years in the darkroom printing large numbers of prints for the photographers in a busy commercial studio before becoming one of those photographers. I always preferred to print my own b&w when I had the chance as I really enjoyed it. Gradually I moved away from printing and eventually digital photography became a working reality. I made the switch to digital cameras only last year when I was finally convinced the technology was viable and cost effective compared to film. There was a lot of new stuff to learn, in fact I'm still learning and enjoying the process. It certainly keeps my brain active and the re-education has focused me on the creative process more then ever. I got involved in digital printing a few years ago with Epson desktop printers. As colour printers they were excellent. I had always sent out colour work to a lab, now it was pretty easy to get a print from a scanned negative that looked as though it had come from that lab. I brought most of my colour work back in house. I did try printing black & white on these printers but was never happy with the result. Colour casts were the main problem, I could never get a neutral print and black ink only prints would never be accepted by clients used to those on glossy resin coated paper. So I left digital printing to colour work only and printed b&w the traditional way in the darkroom. Wind forward to a few months ago. I read some articles in photography magazines about quadtone ink systems that piqued my interest. A thorough search on the internet yielded a lot of information. I knew I was in for a whole new learning experience. Firstly I equipped myself with an Epson 1160 and MIS VM Quadtone inks. It was straightforward to set up and get prints from. I used Epson Archival Matte and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper. Ok so these prints were not what I was used to from the darkroom. I had generally preferred gloss or lustre RC finish on my black & white work. Trying these types of papers (Ilford Gallerie Pearl for example) led to differential reflections with the pigment based inks that were unacceptable. Holding one of the prints from the 1160 on matte paper next to a darkroom printed copy is like chalk and cheese. They are two very different media. This is what I needed to get my head around. The matte print when placed under a glass frame gives a lovely classic, timeless image and is clearly ideal for a large size exhibition print. Hold it in your hand and it looks a little lifeless and dull, frame it and it takes on a whole new character. On the internet I read about a new model printer from HP that claimed to deliver exceptional black & white prints on glossy paper using their optional grey cartridge. A lot of research led me to buying the HP 7660. Straight out of the box I got a print that closely matched those from the darkroom. I have spent a few weeks running prints through it with a variety of papers and have found it to be a terrific printer. The combination of HP's Premium Plus Glossy Paper with the grey cartridge has been tested by Wilhem Research to have a lifespan of 75 years. That's good enough for my clients and me. I have had very good results using Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl, though that does not have the archival properties of the HP paper. However if you need prints that don't need to last a lifetime it's the paper to use. The 7660 is limited by its output size compared to the larger Epson models. Hopefully HP will release an A3+ version in the future. I have not used my darkroom for black & white printing since I bought this printer. My latest experience is with an Epson 1290 (1280 in the US) and MIS UT2 inkset. I decided to give this a try after reading about users experiences on this forum. Compared to the 1160, the prints are an improvement. Clearer, sharper images with better shadow detail and increased dynamic range. I can also print on glossy surfaces; Epson Premium Semi-Gloss giving the best result and having, as I understand, an archival lifespan of 200 years. I recently went to a Man Ray exhibition currently showing in the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia) and was pleased to note that the quadtone prints I am making now on my 1290 with UT2 are similar in tone and finish to those on display there. The Man Ray prints date from the mid 1920s. So what are my conclusions? I am convinced that I can retire my darkroom in the very near future and totally rely on digital printers for my black & white work. There are two types of print media that although very different in appearance, offer photographers (and clients) a distinct choice. The quadtone pigmented ink on cotton rag paper when framed under glass looks elegant and timeless. The RC glossy or lustre finish dye based print has the look and feel of a traditional darkroom print. I like to use both where appropriate. This very forum has provided me with much valuable help and knowledge. I must say a big thank you to Paul Roark whose tireless work in this area and quick response to varied requests from many members is to be commended. There are many other members too; who provide knowledgeable and ready help for those learning this often difficult and sometimes frustrating process. Paul Murphy