eric_luden

<p>This has certainly been a big issue as long a digital imaging has been evolving. I worked with Ilford, (then HARMAN technology, as the parent company is known) until 2008. They did finally make a silver gelatin RC paper that could be exposed via a photographic RGB digital enlarger (ie Lightjet or Lambda) and then have the print processed in traditional chemicals(ie a "wet" process) The initial driving force behind this R&D were commercial applications (large retail displays for Abercrombie & Fitch and other stores). Once they perfected the RC version they went to work on the Fiber version. After about 9 months of testing, Ilford Galerie Digital FB was born. It is indeed the same paper as the Ilfobrom Galerie graded darkroom paper. This has nothing to do with the Swiss Ilford Galerie inkjet paper. So now photographers could have a wet process digital fiber print.<br>

Once they figured out to to this, I decided I wanted to open my own dedicated b&w lab using these two papers. I have been a B&W fanatic all my life and this solution allows me to marry my passion for B&W photography and digital imaging. We have been open for 2 years and are growing slowly. Much of my time is kind of evangelical, trying to get photographers to understand that this process even exists. I have avoided the "mine is better" discussion. Being able to provide a true silver gelatin print from a digital file is unique. For those who want this look, it is now available. I appreciate all the choices for inkjet output, but I am a big fan of seeing my image in the paper, not on the surface of the paper. Secondly, I am a purist, so using any color in a B&W process is just unacceptable to me. Even the best Epson printers in the ABW mode use a small amount of Light Cyan and Light Magenta ink. The other option is printing on color paper, which is what most of the labs are doing. Again, I cannot print a B&W photo utilizing a color process.<br>

So, if you're still reading and interested in what we do, I hope you at least take a look at our website: www.digitalsilverimaging.com</p>

<p>We use both the Epson v750 and the Nikon 9000. We use the SilverFast software on both scanners. We use the 9000 on all 35mm and 120 along with the glass carrier. If necessary, we also use the Aztek glass carrier and the wet scanning solution they offer with the 9000. It adds another $600 to the total package price, but we have had some excellent results at our lab, Digital Silver Imaging. We are printing up to 20x30 on silver papers from both 35 and 120 and getting excellent results.</p><div></div>

<p>HI Audrey. I would agree with Guido. I'd invest in the Epson V750 scanner. You can get very high quality scans and the SilverFast scanning software that comes with it is very good. You can set some basic parameters and set up a fairly automated workflow. We use this scanner for the large format negatives and the Nikon 9000 with a glass carrier for our 35mm & medium format film.</p>

<p>We looked at some of theother Photoshop actions available, but we think that Nik and their U-Point technology is the best plug-in available. It has radically improved our workflowat our digital black & white lab. We have made some b&w prints for the Nik booth at the Photo Plus tradeshow last fall. We like the control it puts in your hands, how it works with grain, and that the effects are all local, to a specific area of the image, and not general changes. You should also consider looking at Sharpener if you haven't tried that.<br>

Eric Luden<br>

Digital Silver Imaging</p>

<p>Hello. We use the Epson V750 and have found the SilverFast scanning software to give us the best control for b&w scanning. They also have some excellent presets built in for various film types and this is very useful. I would encourage you to scan flat, keep the shadows open and the highlights below 250. You can always adjust these in Photoshop with levels and curves. We are also using Nik Software Silver Effects and this is an excellent tool for doing b&w. It saves countless hours as a Photoshop Plugg-in. You can get this through us at a very good price. Hope this helps.<br>

Eric at www.digitalsilverimaging.com</p>

<p>Hello. For scanning, I would recommend the Espon V750 if you really want good scans. If you can afford it, the Nikon 9000 35/120 format scanner is ideal and spring for the anti newton glass carrier. We use that in our lab and have been making very large (Up to 30x40) prints on true b&w photographic papers. <br>

As for inkjet printers, the latest Epson printers do an excellent job. The 2880 in the advanced b&w mode is good. The thing to keep in mind is that all inkjet printers use some amount of color to build density to create a gray scale image, so you cannot completely avoid some color shift. There are dedicated all black ink systems, however this involves altering your printer and you cannot go back to color, never mind voiding the warranty!<br>

Alternatively, you can work on your scans and upload the files to a place like ours for true black and white prints from a digital file. We use a Durst Digital photographic laser enlarger to expose one of two Ilford silver gelatin papers and then process them in b&w chemicals. You get no tonal shift, just beautiful neutral tone images!<br>

Hope this helps. Eric at www.digitalsilverimaging.com</p>