etkennedy1

I have found that ABW setting with Epson inks on the 3880 using either Canson Bartya, Ilford Legacy Bartya, or Ilford Gold fiber Silk gives very neutral prints with reasonably uniform gloss. I see no magenta, green or yellow cast. The gloss can be evened out by post spraying lightly with Moab Desert Varnish. I have just switched to ConeColor Pro for the back inks, deeper blacks than I could ever achieve in the darkroom- luminance of 2-3. I find I prefer the ink jet prints to my darkroom prints. I can much more easily get to what I envisioned with inkjet than in the darkroom. The prints have deeper blacks with good tonal separation in the midtones and highlights. The prints have no dust spots or blemishes due to easily done careful touchup of the scanned file in photoshop. I am scanning 4x5s and 5x7s on a Epson 750. If you are not satisfied with a print, it takes a little more photoshop adjustment and push a print button. Also, there is no difference in the tonal range and appearance when you tune the print on a small size paper, then resize larger by changing dpi to get the final print. After 30 years of darkroom work, I am finished in the darkroom, I have sold 1/2 of it. The only downside for me is that ink jet prints are more easily marked/damaged.

I switched 3 months after 30 years of darkroom and am extremely satisfied. After trying 3 printers. 3 different ink sets and tons of paper, I have reached a point where I much prefer my ink jet results. Negatives that were unprintable are no longer. I scan my 30 year accumulation of 4x5 and 5x7 negatives using epson v750 with better scanner holder and silverfast, use silver efx pro and adjust tonal range, then print using epson 3880 with Cone Pro inks and ABW setting. After a day, spray lightly with MOAB desert Varnish Since I don't print larger than 16x20, the v750 gives more than enough resolution. The blacks with Cone inks on Canson or Ilford Bartya papers measure 2-4 luminance, very deep black and are very neutral. The papers measure 97-98 luminance white. I much prefer the ink jet prints. I have calibrated the monitor and printer so what I see is what I get. I don't miss -retouching each print, now I basically retouch the digital file once. After going to digital editing, I could never return to old practice. -print smaller size to adjust print contrast/time to save paper then readjusting time again for larger print -working hours in the darkroom to get a print I think is just right and realizing after drying it is off and have to redo it again -the chemicals and working in the basement in the semi dark I had taken the Sexton darkroom workshop when it was in Snowmass, plus numerous workshop with Sexton and McSavaney. I considered myself a decent photographer and careful worker. I was just about to give up photography, too much frustration in the darkroom. I started to sell my lens, camera and darkroom equipment but decided to give digital process a try. I made a last try at photography using digital and have a renewed enthusiasm. The only downside I see is the prints are much more fragile. - -

If you are having trouble calibrating your development and exposure, you could photograph a white wall at various zone settings on multiple rolls, develop the rolls at different times and send me the film. I would be willing to read the densities for you allowing you to plot the density curves and calibrate your setup.

I recently moved to digital from darkroom, scanning my 5x7 negetives. The key to black for me are the inks in the printer you use. I have an Epson 3880. Epson inks are good, but I found in a switch from epson inks to Conecolor Pro, I am getting extreme blacks. With Epson PK using a step wedge on Canson Bartya I get luminance of 6-8 while using ConeProColor I get 2-4. The Epson Bartya is suppose to go even darker. The effect on my prints are amazing. I never thought I would embrace inkjet in lieu of the darkroom, but the inkjet results are so much better. My darkroom prints look warm and rather dull by comparison. The Conecolor ink prints using epson ABW setting are luminous aided by extreme black in comparision, are neutral to cool and seem to be lighting independent. I was a 30+ year darkroom user.