I had a 2200, now I have a 3800. b/w with the Epson inkset was terrible, with the Cone NK7 inks and the quadtone RIP it is wonderful, except the Dmax is not high since they only work with matt papers. For some images the lower Dmax is not a hindrance.
The 3800 does a wonderful job with b/w on glossy papers. Images that benefit from greater Dmax really shine; other images look better using Cone inks.
Overall, I am very satisfied with the 3800.
I tried the ABW printing on the Epson 2400 and really couldn't stand it. You can look under a loupe and see alot of cyan and magenta inks and can watch the cartridges drop as you print. QTR would allow you to drop the colors though, I've seen Roy Harringtons prints and they are nice. I switched my 2400 to CIS with pigment inks, matte, and never looked back.
I wouldn't call myself a master of digital b&w printing but I've been doing it for about 7 years so hopefully I've learned a few things along the way.
I've used dedicated quadtone inks (MIS) and I've used the Epson inks in a 2200 with QTR (www.harrington.com). I thought the 2200 and QTR were an excellent combination, at least as good as the MIS inks I had used previously. If you'll be keeping your 2200 for a while I'd strongly suggest that you look into QTR. I don't think that you can just use the Epson inks in a 2200 without a RIP of some sort and get optimum results and QTR does an excellent job for little money ($50). I don't even think it's possible to do that in my Epson 3800 (because I think QTR will produce better results even in a printer that uses K3 inks than the Epson drivers alone) but you can come much closer with K3 inks and Epson's Advanced B&W than you can with a 2200 and no RIP.
You can make great b&w prints digitally, better IMHO than can be made in a darkroom, but you do need to spend some time and effort learning how to do it. The Yahoo group that Bruce mentioned is an excellent resource, as is the Yahoo QTR group if you go that route. I haven't read the books he mentions but I did take a one-week workshop from George deWolfe and if his book is as good as his workshop was then the book should be very good.
Brian Ellis
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
a mile away and you'll have their shoes.
Search recent threads here. There was a good discission in the last 1-3 months regarding Epson printers. Many folks feel that the 3800 new with a full supply of ink is a good deal.
The photo-matte black ink switching with Epson gets expensive. In fact, everything about the small Epson ink carts is expensive. That's how they make money.
Wayne
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I have both the 3800 and the 2200. Since the OP asked about the 2200 I would suggest that he try QTR and the Epson inks for the 2200. With that combination I've been able to make some very nice prints on matt paper. I think as a starting point the OP might find that combination very satisfactory.Originally Posted by Ron Marshall
The Cone inks will certainly make very beautiful prints.
Based on my experience I had nothing but trouble with the MIS inks (several different inksets, printers, carts, and CIS) so I quit using their products a long time ago and don't reccomend them to others.
Don Bryant
It's worth a try to use standard ink sets. But you would probably have to go to a custom-made printer profile rather than using the canned profiles that come with the 2200. Getting a color ink set to print purely neutral B & W is one of the most challenging things a printer profile can be asked to do. As has been said, it depends on how particular you are, and also what you're looking for. Sepia tone and other tints will be easier on a color ink set than Quadtone, etc.
Congratulations. There isn't anything like a great b&w print. I've been working on getting the right print from this technology for a number of years. I couldn't be happier the results.
My system has a few more complications beyond what most people need. I am using a 12-slot Roland FJ-540. I take Cone's Piezotones and expand the quad-black set to a 6 black. I did this before he invented the K6 and K7 sets and just kept doing it because its easy enough once you know how and have the tools, and I like my set better. Both the Peizotone and K6/7 sets are amazing, way beyond what other systems can come up with, and just what a b&w nut needs. My focus is museum quality printing.
I suggest a RIP and there are two very good ones for b&w printing, QTR (very inexpensive!) and StudioPrint. Cone also will do custom profiles for your printer, I think they still do that. For those that print a lot, Cone has just added inks in 1 liter bottles, which offer a nice savings over the smaller quantities.
My favorite paper is Hahnemuehle Photo Rag 308. It's expensive, but feels great in your hand and makes a rich, velvety print. They started making paper in the 16th Century and it shows.
Feel free to contact me for more info if you need it.. Tyler's suggestion of Amadou's book is also very good.
Best,
Lenny
EigerStudios
Museum Quality Drum Scanning and Printing
I'm also a fan of the Cone K6/7inksets with Photorag or similar papers. To me prints made with these papers and inks offer a degree of sublety that is missing with even very well profiled K3 inksets. Whats more they are pretty much plug and play with the standard profiles Cone provides with QTR - custom profiles are really just the icing on the cake. The only downside is having to choose between the different inksets in advance (unless you have several printers).
Good luck
David Whistance
PS - this inkset works really well with the 2100/2200 generation of Epson printers
I've used Cone inks in a 2200. It produced very nice output. However, I also have prints of the same files made by Paul Roark using some of his inksets, Eboni 6 and...well, I'd have to check. The results are just as good, although the prints are slightly different. The Cone inks are more plug-n-play, but they're more expensive. Some of Paul's ink sets give the ability to print on both matte and gloss papers.
I'm not a fan of bw prints made with the 2200s OEM inkset.
K3 printers can produce very good bw prints. I've gotten the best results with QTR, but the ABW mode can produce very nice prints. (I don't look at prints through a loupe. I save that for my ground glass.)
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
Thanks for all the advice! I looked on the Cone site, Inkjet MAll, but I could only find CIS systems for the 2200. Do they not sell K7 inks in cartridges? The MIS Eboni inks do come in cartridges, but more of you favor the Cone inks.
I'd like to have the CIS system, but its more expensive, and I'll have to sell off more old gear before I can afford it.
Dave
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