RE: B/W prints on Epson Stylus Photo

["Tim Atherton" <timphoto@nt.sympatico.ca>]

> Bart, is it really that easy? That sounds marvelous
>
> Jerry

Actually, it is.

I use an Epson 700 for colour and a 740 for quadtones. I tried the six ink
quads, but they don't work well on a wide variety of papers - best on coated
watercolour (banding on Epson papers). So I went for the 4 ink 740 -
excellent. You could equally try the new, larger 4 ink 1160.

For most b&w images I fiddle with the levels, contrast etc, convert from
greyscale to RGB and print. I am 95 - 98%% happy with these. You can get
some muddy midtones, especially on faces (though it isn't that bad). I
usually find playing with the curves will sort this out. I also have a
Concord Rag CMYK curve I got from somewhere. I apply it totally
inappropriately by converting to CMYK, and it somehow does a great job of
lighten up the midtones! Doing this, I have many  images I consider as good
as, and sometimes better than what I did in the darkroom.

I am printing MIS inks on Epson Photo Glossy, the new Photo Matte, Somerset
Enhanced, Concord Rag, as well as waiting for samples of Osprey and some Red
River papers (I know the Epson paper isn't archival - these images are for
pro competitions or editorial submissions - what is important is that they
look b&w).

I am sure the magic bullet may be out there for those mid-tones (complicated
PS actions, Horses, R9 etc etc), but as I say, I am at least 95% happy with
what I can get by going the simple route.

BTW, don't try using one printer for colour and B&W - it takes several dozen
cleaning pages to move from one to the other - a lot of ink and time.

Tim A

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