Digital BW, The Print

Martin wrote:

>... Want to look at ALL the options to get a B&W print ...

For sure.  I just hope we can get more of the Piezo list experts over here.
I appreciate the knowledge those folks have, but the one product focus is
too limited.

>Inkjet is the major interest at the moment but ...

I've used a number of methods to get silver prints -- imagesetter contact
negs (expensive and bad dot gain -- but I might be able to control it now),
LVT (soft), Fujix 8x10 internegatives (not bad for some images even enlarged
to 16x20).  So far, the inkjet is simply the best, easiest, and cheapest B&W
digital output I've found.  So, I've temporarily abandoned my efforts to
make digital silver prints.

However, inkjet on the new large format transparency materials might make a
great what to get to a silver print (or platinum).  Several years ago, there
simply was no overhead transparency material that was larger than 8x10, and
inkjets can not be enlarged.  However, there are now at least two sources of
materials that will apparently work and are in large rolls.  The Epson
material might even work for pigments.  (I might try to get a sample and try
it.)

>I'm really interested in what Allen comes up with for
>silver contact printing

Ditto.

>and the work Phil Bard is doing with A&I to get a 4x5 silver
>neg for enlargement from a high end film recorder.

When I was in L.A. I worked a lot with service bureaus.  I must say that
unless you are very close to them and have a lot of work so that you can
establish a good working relationship, I think people are better off doing
it themselves.  For me, now living in the sticks, that is one attraction of
the inkjet.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com