2400 for B&W

[charles_stewart1]

Like a lot of people, I'm still tearing my hair out trying to get

decent black and white prints from an inkjet printer. I scan film

negatives.

 

My strategy has been to buy the entry-level printers corresponding to

the print engine technology that their big brothers use; for example,

I bought the Epson 780 some years ago (the best so far), on the

understanding that it made images like the 1270. (I think I've got

the numbers right.) I'm trying to find the optimal output type before

buying the large-format equivalent of these printers.

 

I read the reviews exhaustively, but I've been taken in more than once

by the claims of reviewers ("The ultimate, right out of the box; no

need for darkrooms any more; no metamerism!") Bull. And it doesn't

do much good to look at sample prints on the computer screen.

 

Right now I'm alternating between the 780 and a C86 with MIS inks.

Neither is very satisfactory. I would like to know if anybody's got

good experience with the Epson R2400 at this point. Again, there are

glowing reviews to read, and the claims for this as a BW printer are

comparable to those for the others. But I now have 4 printers, and

two of them (HP's) are gathering dust. I don't want to spend 8 or 9

hundred to add another to the junk heap.

 

Thanks for anything you can tell me.

 

Chas.

 

What I'm looking for

[eric friedemann]

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DQsa&unified_p=1

 

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DZLR

 

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DQkM

[david_gillich]

I just started scanning color images last spring and printing them on my R800/R1800. I am extremely happy with the results, and am now also looking for a B&W alternative.

 

I considered buying a 2400, but with an R800 and an R1800, I just don't want to buy another printer. Inkjetmall just introduced their new K7 inks. I am excited to try them because they are formulated to work well in the new Epson printer heads. They are also formulated to be the same ph as epson inks, so you do not have to flush the old ink before you can use these inks. This means that you can interchange the inks whenever you want. I want to buy some and try them on my R800. I bought sample prints from inkjetmall, and they are better than any of my darkroom prints. (I am not the best darkroom printer.) For me this is the only way to go for printing B&W images.

 

The 2400 is supposed to be good for B&W, but I am sure that it cannot compete with the 7 neutral gray inks from inkjetmall's new k7 inks. They should be out for the R800/R1800 this week, and I intend to buy them immediately. You could possibly buy a used/refurbished 2200 and buy this inkset as well.

[aeiffel]

I used to print mostly on glossy RC papers in my wet darkroom (diffuser head, nikkor 50).

FWIW, I sold my enlarger 2 days after I got my R2400 and printed a dozen pictures on Premium Gloss using Epson inks. I'm sure I could get even better results with MIS & co, but for now I'm blown away by what the "standard" R2400 offers. In 20x30 and 30x45cm sizes I get similar or - more frequently - much better results than I was able to achieve with my RC wet prints.

[jordan_w.]

First, I should point you to the B&W digital printing group at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/

 

It has a huge message volume and is bound to have your answers.

 

Personally, I'm wondering why you're unsatisfied by the C86 with MIS inks. This combo gets really high reviews, and yours is the first negative opinion I've read... not that I'm disputing your opinion, I'm just curious.

[patricklavoie]

Hi, i use to print BW on my epson 2200 with a RIP...excellent neutral BW under any kind of

lamp. My friend bought a R2400 he print with the ADVANCED BW option...it is so neutral and

clean that i just bought a 4800 for my home and a 7800 for the studio. Excellent choice, no

doubt. I print on mat paper, velvet, watercolor etc....so i cant tell about the bronzing or else

that glossy can have as a problem. sorry. Oh and for the exemple that you could have seen

at your retail store, ask them if they printed them with or without the advanced mode...you

could be surprise by there answer. Im a freak when it come to neutral BW. My 4800 answer all

my pray!

[daniel_smith6]

"I used to print mostly on glossy RC papers in my wet darkroom (diffuser head, nikkor 50). FWIW, I sold my enlarger 2 days after I got my R2400 and printed a dozen pictures on Premium Gloss using Epson inks."

 

Maybe this is just an indication that you weren't a very good B&W printer?

[aeiffel]

Exactly Daniel, that's what I meant too.<br>

Now I can get the result I'm after 10 times faster and without trashing tons of paper like I did. This gives me plenty of time and money to shoot more, which is my favorite step in photography.

[awindsor]

Daniel,

 

there are a good number of fine art printers who switched from darkroom printing to inkjet printing. Some of them certainly were good darkroom printers.

 

Charles,

 

I would say that the B&W prints are completely neutral and completely without metamerism. As far as I can see no colour ink is used when printing untoned B&W.

[daniel_smith6]

"there are a good number of fine art printers who switched from darkroom printing to inkjet printing. Some of them certainly were good darkroom printers."

 

What does that have to do with this guy?

[charles_stewart1]

All this is very interesting, and thanks to you all. I was asked why I was not too pleased with the C86, and I find it a little difficult to answer in concrete terms. Something is missing with the MIS neutral inks, in the way of dynamic range and subtlety. I realize that's vague, but after trying many papers and settings, dull and lifeless are the words that come to mind. "Soot and Chalk" is the term Ansel Adams used.

I seem also to be getting a very slight magenta cast. I've heard you can mix and match the warm MIS inks with the neutrals to achieve better results, but I can't get any starting-point suggestions from MIS, and I'm getting a little weary (and financially strained) from trial and error. It's impractical for me to go back to a wet darkroom at this time, other than to develop negatives, and perhaps I'm hoping in vain for the luminous look of a fine silver print, and just have to accept the inherent limitations of the medium. Most of my inkjet prints sure look like pooh, though.

[adam_boley]

I recently attended a class with Greg Gorman, a high profile celebrity photographere who shoots mainly b/w, and he convinced me that the 2400 was the way to go. During the class we printed several nuetral b/w images that just looked awesome. He did not switch totally to digital till he was finally satisfied with the new k3 set of inks. I highly recomend you check out his website at www.gormanphotography.com

[thomas_sullivan]

found this <a href="http://photoshopnews.com/2005/05/16/interview-with-greg-gorman-about-the-new-epson-printers/"><u>interview with Gregg Gorman</u></a>