Digital BW, The Print

Hello-
I am trying to make B&W prints from negatives I make in old cameras
and process the old fashioned way. I am scanning my negatives on my
neighbors Dimage Dual II. My current tussle is with the printer.

My old printer had a heart attack and went to printer heaven right in
the middle of a deadline panic. So credit card in hand I zipped off to
Staples prepared to buy the cheapest replcement. But I was seduced by
the fact that the HP Photosmart 8150 could run a black cartridge 
with three grays.

The trouble is that under incandescents it prints three warm browns,
very nice warm browns that are three warm grays in sunlight. I have
been exchanging a multitude of e-mails with the HP help department
since early July. So far they sent me a replacement cartridge and have
replaced the entire printer, to no avail.

I'm afraid this is metamerism (sp). If so I suppose there is nothing I
can do until Hewlett the P changes the ink. And I should face the fact
that I was bedazzled by a cheap and tawdry $150 orchestra of bells and
whistles .. and a brass band and the Morman Tabernacle Choir. 

I have been using Photoshop Elements, HP Premium Plus paper and the HP
#100 gray cartridge.

It was suggested that I try Ilford Smooth Pearl. What do you think?

Maybe I can make a virtue out of necessity. The warm prints are very
nice. But I would like to have a neutral black from time to time.


Any advice and information is very welcome. 
   David