Any ARCHIVABLE LF ink jet printers that can equal darkroom print?

[Carlos Loret de Mola]

For the record, Iris (or giclee if you prefer the fifi term) are dye and NOT pigment prints. And watercolor paper subdues sharpness with its inherent matte texture. Nonetheless, Iris prints can be quite beautiful and look awfully sharp, but you should know what you're looking at and they may not be as archival as you may require.

[Tony Novak-Clifford]

In response to Carlos' post above...there are several companies making PIGMENTED inks for use specificaly for the Iris, Epson 9000 and Roland large format printers...and while these inks have a somewhat "flat" color gamut when compared to dye based inks, they work beautifully for B&W prints.

Also...there are coated watercolor paper stocks that react with the dyes or pigmented inks, reducing the ink absorbtion, dot gain and help in holding the image sharpness.