Digital BW, The Print

Well, my Epson 2200 died. I need to replace it.  My primary use for 
a printer is archival quality black and white wide format - either 
11x17 or 13 x 19.  With the 2200, I used Imageprint to get neutral 
B&W prints.  I use Windows XP.

I sell my work at art shows so archival quality is essential.  My 
options are:  (1)  buy an Epson 1280 and use with some third party 
archival inks (suggestions welcome) (2) Buy another 2200,  (3) hock 
a kid and buy an Epson 4000.  

I'm only going to be using this printer for black and white 
printing.  However, neutral B&W is important and archival quality is 
important.

Any suggestions as to which printer to buy and which inks to use if 
I go the 1280 route???

Thank you.

Elizabeth

At 3:30 am +0000 7/16/04, interrogtr wrote:

>Well, my Epson 2200 died. I need to replace it.
>
>{...}
>I sell my work at art shows so archival quality is essential.  My options are:
>{...}

>(2) Buy another 2200,

Not a bad idea if it has been working well for your application.

>(3) hock a kid and buy an Epson 4000.

That kid has _got_ to go....   :-)


Best wishes.

-=-Dennis


(I'd look at my finances and go for the 4000 if I could rationalize 
the purchase or buy another 2200 if not.)

Hi Elizabeth
 
Sorry to hear about your 2200.  I would really make a decision between the 1280 and the 4000.  If you plan on making 16x20 images, you can get the epson 4000 with the piezo inks/profiles.
 
If you only plan on printing up to 11x14 (on 13x19 paper), I would suggest getting the epson 1280.  You can use the piezo inks or the MIS UT2 inks with the epson 1280.  

I use the epson 1280 with the MIS UT2 inks and love the results..I have also seen the piezo prints and am very fond of them as well.  Call up MIS and IJM and ask for some sample prints before making your investment.
 
Good luck 
Ross

interrogtr <interrogtr@...> wrote:
Well, my Epson 2200 died. I need to replace it.  My primary use for 
a printer is archival quality black and white wide format - either 
11x17 or 13 x 19.  With the 2200, I used Imageprint to get neutral 
B&W prints.  I use Windows XP.

I sell my work at art shows so archival quality is essential.  My 
options are:  (1)  buy an Epson 1280 and use with some third party 
archival inks (suggestions welcome) (2) Buy another 2200,  (3) hock 
a kid and buy an Epson 4000.  

I'm only going to be using this printer for black and white 
printing.  However, neutral B&W is important and archival quality is 
important.

Any suggestions as to which printer to buy and which inks to use if 
I go the 1280 route???

Thank you.

Elizabeth



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> From: interrogtr [mailto:interrogtr@...]
>
> I sell my work at art shows so archival quality is essential.  My
> options are:  (1)  buy an Epson 1280 and use with some third party
> archival inks (suggestions welcome) (2) Buy another 2200,  (3) hock
> a kid and buy an Epson 4000.

Remember that the 1280 doesn't have as low a dot pitch as the 2200. I don't
know how visible that will be.

--

Ciao,                   Paul D. DeRocco
Paul                    mailto:pderocco@...

Hello Elizabeth,

>my Epson 2200 died. 

What happened to it?  


Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm

I have a 1280. 11x14 paper is available as well as 13x17. You can get
both in Epson papers from B&H and probably lots of other places.

> Well, my Epson 2200 died. I need to replace it.  My primary use for 
> a printer is archival quality black and white wide format - either 
> 11x17 or 13 x 19.  With the 2200, I used Imageprint to get neutral 
> B&W prints.  I use Windows XP.
> 
> I sell my work at art shows so archival quality is essential.  My 
> options are:  (1)  buy an Epson 1280 and use with some third party 
> archival inks (suggestions welcome) (2) Buy another 2200,  (3) hock 
> a kid and buy an Epson 4000.  
> 
> I'm only going to be using this printer for black and white 
> printing.  However, neutral B&W is important and archival quality
is 

> important.
> 
> Any suggestions as to which printer to buy and which inks to use if 
> I go the 1280 route???
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> Elizabeth
> 
> 
>

I've gotten a 1280 (via Ebay, quite inexpensively) and use MIS UT2 and Eboni 
on Epson heavyweight matte papers. It is a new world after trying to get my 
color Canon to print B&W. Probably obvious to the real experts in this group, 
but quite remarkable to see in reality.  Worth a try.   

Don


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

For what it's worth, I've owned a 2200, a 7600, both running QTR with the 
Epson UC inkset, and a $50 C84 with the MIS UT EZ (warm) inkset.   I put a print, 
from the same .psd file, run though each process, in front of a group of 
nonphotographer friends.   Every single person picked the C84.   

To my eye, the dither pattern of the C84 in the midtones is rougher, but the 
prints for some reason have more punch -- lights are lighter, darks are 
darker.   None of this is scientific, of course.   But if you are okay printing onto 
letter-sized sheets, the slightly smoother dither isn't worth the extra $2900 
for the 7600.   I wouldn't waste the money on a 2200, and I would probably 
get a 7600 instead of the 4000 if size matters.

Sanders McNew.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello Sanders,

>...Every single person picked the C84.   

That's a good testimony for this little miracle machine and Paul's
genius with the inks.  However you may be concluding too much from
this test.


>the prints for some reason have more punch -- lights are 
>lighter, darks are darker. 

What you are saying here is the prints have more contrast, which is
what the viewers are responding to.  

>...for some reason

The reason is the C64 driver is increasing the contrast, probably
something that was programmed into it because they figure most C64
users won't be photo techies.  If you increase contrast on the 2200 or
7600 to match you would get a similar print...

>the dither pattern of the C84 in the midtones is rougher

...or better because of a smoother pattern

Hello Sanders,

>...Every single person picked the C84.

That's a good testimony for this little miracle machine and Paul's
genius with the inks.


>the prints for some reason have more punch -- lights are
>lighter, darks are darker.

Which means the prints have more contrast, which is probably what the
viewers are responding to.

>...for some reason

The reason is the C64 driver is increasing the contrast, probably
something that was programmed into it because Epson figures most C64
users won't be photo techies (similar to Kodak's reasoning for
increasing color saturation for consumer grade films). If you increase
contrast on the 2200/7600 to match you would get a similar print...

>the dither pattern of the C84 in the midtones is rougher

...or better because of a smoother dither.


>I wouldn't waste the money on a 2200, 

There are several reasons someone might choose a 2200 even if they
only print letter size.  A wider variety of inks, CIS, and especially
the ability to print on any sort of thick stock through its rear
feeder.  There are quite a few high quality thick papers that give
auto feeders the fits.

The C64 is terrific but there are lots of things to consider in
choosing a printer.

Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm

Clayton, greetings.

Your points, as always, are well-taken.  I was unaware of the C84's print driver 
contrast boost -- interesting.  I will say, in defense of my friends, that they found the 
prints from the three machines nearly indistinguishable.  I agree with you, that there 
are many variables to consider when buying a printer.  But again, if you can live with 
letter-sized prints, and you don't sit around with a loupe comparing these prints all 
day, it's hard to see how one might justify buying one of the big machines when the 
C84 does such an incredible job with the UT EZ inkset.  

Before I leave this subject -- does anyone know whether the new C86 offers any 
improvement that would be material to our use of the C84 with the MIS inks?

Sanders 



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Clayton Jones" <cj@c...> 
wrote:

> Hello Sanders,
> 
> >...Every single person picked the C84.
> 
> That's a good testimony for this little miracle machine and Paul's
> genius with the inks.
> 
> 
> >the prints for some reason have more punch -- lights are
> >lighter, darks are darker.
> 
> Which means the prints have more contrast, which is probably what the
> viewers are responding to.
> 
> >...for some reason
> 
> The reason is the C64 driver is increasing the contrast, probably
> something that was programmed into it because Epson figures most C64
> users won't be photo techies (similar to Kodak's reasoning for
> increasing color saturation for consumer grade films). If you increase
> contrast on the 2200/7600 to match you would get a similar print...
> 
> >the dither pattern of the C84 in the midtones is rougher
> 
> ...or better because of a smoother dither.
> 
> 
> >I wouldn't waste the money on a 2200, 
> 
> There are several reasons someone might choose a 2200 even if they
> only print letter size.  A wider variety of inks, CIS, and especially
> the ability to print on any sort of thick stock through its rear
> feeder.  There are quite a few high quality thick papers that give
> auto feeders the fits.
> 
> The C64 is terrific but there are lots of things to consider in
> choosing a printer.
> 
> Regards,
> Clayton
> 
> 
> Info on black and white digital printing at    
> http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm