Is This Progress?

I recently spent a few hours browsing through my archive of black and white prints. The great majority were printed in a darkroom, with an enlarger, trays, and chemicals. That all changed about four years, when I changed over to digital. I still shoot and process film from time to time, just to keep in practice, but when I print, I print with an inkjet printer--an Epson Style Photo R800 to be precise. It's fine for color prints; for black and white, not so much. The results are so sucky compared to my old silver-based stuff that I get depressed and go back to printing color.

I was under no illusions about the R800 being a great black and white printer when I bought it. It was simply the best I could afford at the time. I'm reasonably sure that my problem can be solved by dropping $600-800 on a new printer. Some would move the minimum higher, to at least $1200. It's a moot point though, but I can't afford either option. Or let's put it this way: I could afford it, but would prefer to keep my children clothed and fed. Fatherhood has a way of warping one's priorities.

Anyway--and this is the real subject of my rant--the real cost isn't the printer, it's the consumables. If I use the printer much at all, I'll end up spending more on ink and paper than the printer itself. Is it really worth paying a minimum of $1000 just to get a few dozen "exhibition worthy" prints? If you think so, I'd love to know why.

Comments

[Dave Pawson]

"Or let's put it this way: I could afford it, but would prefer to keep my children clothed and fed. Fatherhood has a way of warping one's priorities."

No, that's not warped. That's called getting your priorities right! I doubt Epson make any printers that taste nice anyway :-)

[robert e]

Since you use darkroom prints as the standard, I feel obligated to note that (at least in my experience) achieving "exhibition worthy" prints in a darkroom is not cheap, easy or quick.

To the issue at hand: Have you considered third party inks and drivers for making fine black-and-white prints on the R800? That's one lower cost option, initially, though limited to matte papers for that particular printer. If you don't want to mess with your main printer, or prefer glossy, another option is to put similar inks in a low end Epson which would become a dedicated B&W printer. That's if you can put up with low end print speeds and paper handling.

Paul Roark, among others, continues to use and develop these inks and workflows, and describes them on his website: http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/

and he and other digital B&W printers habituate a lively and friendly Yahoo group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/

However, does trading some time and effort for hundreds of dollars really address your rant? That may depend on whether the purpose is personal or professional, and on volume. Either way, I hope you find a solution that is both affordable and satisfying for you, and share it with us!

[Gordon Lewis]

"Have you considered third party inks and drivers for making fine black-and-white prints on the R800?"

Yep. I've tried Paul Roark's monochrome workflow with MIS inks and an Epson C84 printer. The resulting prints were a significant improvement over what I was getting with my R800, but nozzle clogs were frequent and print times were slow. I'm using the past tense because MIS no longer sells this inkset. Epson's lawyers won a lawsuit, you see. This might be the case with Piezography inks as well. I haven't investigated because it would cost at least $500 just to get started. One has to buy not only a continuous ink system (which saves money in the long run) but the inks and Quadtone RIP software as well.

I suspect I'll be better off in the long run if I just bite the bullet and buy a larger printer, such as the new Epson R2880 or 3800. After all, it's summer. All my kids need is a bathing suit and a couple of sandwiches every day. The fact that gasoline is so much more expensive now is all the more reason why they should walk more: They need the exercise.

Should I find a more affordable and equally satisfying solution, I will indeed share it with you. I only hope that you will do likewise.

[robert e]

Not to mention just how cool it is to be able to print wider than eight and a half inches!

FWIW, when I checked MIS' site in the middle of writing the above comment, I noticed that prefilled black and white cartridges and empties were back in stock. MIS never stopped selling the inks, btw, just the replacement cartridges, which were the subject of the ITF ruling. They must have refined their understanding of what was prohibited, or found a supply of non-infringing cartridges.

And isn't a bathing suit and a couple of sandwiches a day all any of us should need in summer?

[Mike]

Why change from the darkroom to the computer room if you've got the one set up and running? Seems like it's just more expense and another learning curve. Haven't we enough to do already without saddling ourselves with more expenses? Is it really necessary to get a new look? Is it so much better? Is not our limited time better spent taking more photos and making more prints than in purchasing more equipment that becomes obsolete quicker than ever before?

[Gordon Lewis]

You raise valid points my friend. I've turned these very thoughts over in my head countless times. The only catch is that although I still have all my darkroom equipment, it's not "up and running." I'd have to set everything up in one of the rooms of my house and none are ideal. I'm also limited to printing at night, after the kids are asleep. I need to be able to set everything up and take it down in a few minutes, otherwise I'd be spending more time doing that than printing.

My best option seems to be the garage attached to my house. It's reasonably dark and comfortable at night, has electricity (but no plumbing), and isn't too dusty.

Option two is to use a rental darkroom in nearby Philadelphia. Since it's an hour away, I'd have to set aside at least a half-day to make the trip worthwhile, but that shouldn't be too hard to manage every once in a while. I'll definitely keep you all posted.