Black and white printing
Apr 22, 2020 10:54:50 #
Zooman 1 wrote:
I am working on a project with black & white p... (show quote)
Yes, a low-end printer like yours cannot possibly render B&W well. You need one with dedicated black cartridges . For instance, my aging Epson Stylus Photo R3000 uses 4 - Matte Black, Photo Black, Light Black and Light Light black. It's capable of producing beautiful B&W images. I also have an HP Office Jet that features one black cartridge and a 1 colour cartridge. The B&W prints from this printer have a slightly coloured overtone. So buying a dedicated photo printer would be a good idea but they don't come cheap.
Apr 22, 2020 11:10:09 #
Zooman 1 wrote:
I am working on a project with black & white p... (show quote)
You could get by with a Canon PIXMA PRO-100 Printer at reasonable cost and a Canon PIXMA PRO-10 Printer would blow your socks off. But at an even higher price would be a Epson P-Series with Pigments. Photo printers print at least up to 13x17" or 13x19" and a few well beyond. I've had a Canon PIXMA Pro-9000 and Pro-100. They all use many inks cartridges and go through ink pretty fast. Some of the Commercial Epsons have large refillable tanks!
Note, I'm still not happy with the B&W prints I get from any printer I've used thus far, but I am picky from being used to printing film to silver prints using an enlarger for decades. InkJet prints just don't give me the B&W I want really. The color though is much better than a traditional C-Print.
Apr 22, 2020 11:15:21 #
Jim70 wrote:
So, the problem could be either your conversion or the printer. To test this out, I'd suggest you send this image to a reputable commercial lab with instructions to print B&W, then compare.
I suspect a more advanced printer would also give better results.
I suspect a more advanced printer would also give better results.
Try Nations Photo. They will print a black and white on black and white paper and I have never had a bad print from them (color or monotone). Also, if you are mounting with a window overlay, you can order the print with a 1/4" border. I usually get the black border because I use window mats with a black core, so if I get one off slightly it will be less noticeable.
Apr 22, 2020 11:32:54 #
speters wrote:
I print with an Epson 3880 pro and the black& whites are just great, a lot of times they turn out better than they did when I did some in the darkroom back in the days!
And I have an older Epson 3800 which still gives excellent results -- especially black and white. Both are 17inch. If you don't want to spring for a newer Epson, you can try looking for a 3800 or a 3880 on Ebay. Get one in "good working order" -- it's worth it. Note: A full set of new inks is still expensive -- $350-$450.
Apr 22, 2020 11:48:25 #
Picture Taker
Loc: Michigan Thumb
I did bite the bullet and bought a Canon Pro 1000. Does fine work, but not cheep prints. My choice of this printer was-- I was at a Photo event and Canon was offering 1 free print per person. I saw Canon was using Canon Pro 1000 printers. Good enough for them to show off Canon good enough for me.
Apr 22, 2020 12:06:03 #
Apr 22, 2020 12:16:10 #
nadelewitz
Loc: Ithaca NY
My Canon Pixma MG5420 printer/scanner, not a current model but I got it used cheaply, is not a "high-end" unit with eight+ colors. It does have three colors and two blacks....a dye black and a pigment black. The printer decides how to use the two blacks depending on what it's printing...documents, photos.... It also uses the color inks in B&W prints.
It does a beautiful job with B&W photos. You don't need a "top-shelf" printer, like say the Canon Pro-series, to do nice work. Or eight colors. The Pixma also does a very good scanning job.
It's up to you how you want & need to spend your money.
It does a beautiful job with B&W photos. You don't need a "top-shelf" printer, like say the Canon Pro-series, to do nice work. Or eight colors. The Pixma also does a very good scanning job.
It's up to you how you want & need to spend your money.
Apr 22, 2020 12:25:20 #
ecurb
Loc: Metro Chicago Area
Zooman 1 wrote:
I am working on a project with black & white p... (show quote)
Wow, this can open a can of worms!
Yes, I'd look into a printer with multiple inks. I'd, personally, avoid Epson as my last Epson printer leaked ink from the print head, ruined stored paper and the desk it was on. Look at HP and Canon. Look into different papers. Try to get an arts grant, this can get expensive!!
Apr 22, 2020 13:41:58 #
Apr 22, 2020 14:13:43 #
missiletracker
Loc: Paupack Pa
I use a epson 3880 with Cone inks, 7 cartridges with different shades of grey, and a clear coat. The resulting prints are every bit as good as the results I used to get from my darkroom. The printer uses refillable cartridges with Cone inks that are about 1/3 the prince of epson inks. The inks are pigmented coated inks same design as Epson. There is no bronzing or surface reflection unevenness in the prints. It does require 2 passes through the printer, 1 for printing and the 2nd for clear overcoat. I highly reccomend it.
Apr 22, 2020 14:20:13 #
missiletracker
Loc: Paupack Pa
Also, the newer Epson p800 will work with 3rd party inks if you purchase 3rd party firmware for about $50. Epson site has the P800 refurbished listed for $499. I have bought 3 of epson refurbished printers and never had a problem nor have a clog problem. The 3880 and P800 are 17in wide printers. Beware the P600 or P400 models, the do not have a replaceable ink dump cartridge. You have to have it replaced by epson $$$$.
Apr 22, 2020 14:30:13 #
DebAnn wrote:
Yes, a low-end printer like yours cannot possibly ... (show quote)
I do a fair amount of printing B/W on my Canon Pro 100 and the results are super.
Apr 22, 2020 14:34:38 #
Retina wrote:
Has anyone here used a De Vere digital enlarger?
I’ve seen one demonstrated. Not impressed... a standard mini-lab has four times the resolution (600 RGB dpi to the paper) up to 12x18 inches. I prefer the high end 24 to 44 inch Epsons with Pigment inks for archival exhibition prints.
Apr 22, 2020 15:32:48 #
Photoshark
Loc: Oregon
Zooman 1 wrote:
I am working on a project with black & white p... (show quote)
Make it easy on yourself. Let Costco do it. When they make a mistake you don't have to eat it
Apr 22, 2020 15:49:03 #
cahale
Loc: San Angelo, TX
Zooman 1 wrote:
I am working on a project with black & white p... (show quote)
Quick answer; yes, the more advanced printer, with 7-10 ink cartridges would do better. The post does look a bit washed out on its own, however. Re-post with download capability so we can look at it up close. Cheap printers are - well - cheap printers.
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