Back on the List and Seeking Advice

[Northeastern Motorcycle Tours <sreid@sover.net>]

After a very busy season leading motorcycle tours, I'm settling in for the
Vermont winter and getting ready to focus on photography again.  A lot has
happened since I last participated in the list (June?) and I learned a
tremendous amount just combing through the archives.  Like everyone and his
brother (or sister) I want to be able to create high quality archival
prints from my desktop.  I've ruled out the 1270 and the 2000P because they
can't yet use a CIS and I will be going through a lot of ink this winter.
So the plan is to keep the 1160 as a quadtone printer (adding a CIS) and
setting up the 1200 with Media Generations Enhanced 4 inks and a CIS
(ordered that stuff this morning).  Perusing the list I discovered that A)
Generations seems to be the preferred archival ink and B) Glacier Matt
seems to be a preferred paper for those inks (I'm also going to try Media
Street's Aspen).

For personal and some commercial work I've ordered a Canon D30 which
arrives tomorrow.  The files from that camera blow me away; best tonal
transitions I've ever seen from a small format digital.  As Michael
Reichman has argued, this new camera truly rivals film. On my desk in front
of me now is a print made from a D30 file on Epson heavy weight matte using
stock inks on a 1200.  It looks wonderful and the paper surface is quite
nice.  Using the Generations ink and Glacier paper, can I get close to what
I'm looking at now? (I'll be profiling with Monaco but am a rank neophyte
with profiling).  In other words, if I'm trying for an Epson inks-esque
gamut (and sense of three dimensionality) on a matt surface paper, am I on
the right track?  Input is very welcome on list or off.

Once upon a time, I earned a degree in photography and worked as an
exhibition printer and photographer.  (I don't have much work up on the web
but there are a couple pics at
http://www.motorcycletours.com/northeastern/photographer.htm if anyone's
interested).  Beginning a new motorcycle touring business froze my
photography work in the mid-nineties and it's just now thawing back out.  I
have all kinds of experience with silver prints but I'm just beginning to
get Photoshop under control. Living out in the sticks as we do, there are
not many folks doing digital work and I'm in the process of starting a
small side business doing commercial digital photography, scanning and
printing for local clients.  As such, I need to get up to speed this
winter.  So, sorting through the rambling, here are my initial questions in
a nutshell:

1. Is the Epson 1200 with CIS the right printer for archival color?
2. Are Generations inks still in favor?  If not, what have folks been using
successfully?
3. Which papers seem to profile well and work well for the Generations 4 inks?
4. Has anyone had a chance to compare the 2000P output with the Generations
output? Results?
5. Can Monaco profile this stuff or will I need Horses? (now renamed to??)

Any other advice?  Please pile it on.  Thanks in advance.


Sean Reid
Northeastern Motorcycle Tours
New England, Adirondacks and Canadian Maritimes
http://www.motorcycletours.com
802-869-3999
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