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Author Topic: Printer Recommendation for Black and White  (Read 4129 times)

Jasper

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Printer Recommendation for Black and White
« on: February 16, 2018, 11:59:18 am »

I asked this question on another thread ("Which Printer for Black and White") but didn't receive any responses, perhaps because it is a very specific question.  So starting a dedicated thread to get help from those that are more up-to-date on printers than I...

Background:
I print low volume. just for personal use (will spend a few months printing nothing then print a flurry of prints together).  My current printer, a Z3100 24" has irreparably died so I need to replace.  I prefer quality over price considerations.

Input needed:
I am looking for a good printer that I can convert to B+W, preferably buying new, but I would consider used if older models are considered better.  I would prefer 24", but 17" would be OK.  Please could someone provide a recommended printer and inkset for (i) 17" option and (ii) 24 in option.

One thing I would be interested in is understanding which are better for low volume work - e.g. I have heard that Epsons are vulnerable to clogging if not used for periods of time, but not sure if that still applies with third party dedicated black insets.

Thanks
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patjoja

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Re: Printer Recommendation for Black and White
« Reply #1 on: February 17, 2018, 04:42:14 pm »

Hi Jasper,

If you're looking for a printer which can use 3rd party B&W inksets, then I think you can narrow your manufacturer choice to Epson.  I'm not up to date on all the Epson choices, but my 3880 has been a great 17" printer.  I'm in the middle of updating it to B&W inks myself.

Patrick
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Jeff-Grant

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Re: Printer Recommendation for Black and White
« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2018, 04:53:54 pm »

 I can’t speak for the new inks but the older Cone Piezography inks will settle in the lines if they are not used regularly. This gives you incorrect results in prints. The solution is to print a lot or do initial fills before printing if it has been left. This adds significantly to your cost.

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Jasper

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Re: Printer Recommendation for Black and White
« Reply #3 on: February 18, 2018, 08:43:23 am »

Thanks Patrick, Jeff.

As this is my first forray into dedicated B&W printing, I've decied to start small, so given Epson appears to be the only viable option I'll go with either the P600 or P800.  At a later date, I'll move up to 24". 

I'm aware of the size difference between the P600 and P800, but am I right in assuming there will be no difference in print quality between these when dedicated for B&W? 

As for Ink, I don't know what the general consensus / options are for best inkset - is the Piezography2 set to best option and then it is just down to what tone I want?

Just looking for a pointer in the right direction and then I'll delve into the detail by reading further.

Thanks
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Jeff-Grant

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Re: Printer Recommendation for Black and White
« Reply #4 on: February 18, 2018, 03:39:37 pm »

I haven’t followed it but there was an issue with the P printers in the US which prevented use of refillable cartridges. You’ll need to sort that out first. Depending on your needs, you may also find that the standard K3 inkset is all that you need.

I have been looking at using K3 only as a way of getting good prints without the drama of refillable carts. If I were to start again, I would go for a K3 printer and learn the basics before I went near refillables, and I would invest in a spectro to build my own curves.
« Last Edit: February 18, 2018, 03:48:10 pm by Jeff-Grant »
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Paul Roark

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Re: Printer Recommendation for Black and White
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2018, 04:30:15 pm »

Investing in a spectro and learning to make you own curves (and ICCs) was a really important step in my learning the trade.

That said, with the Microsoft Surface Pro I'm now using, I can't figure out how to control the monitor with ICCs, and it lacks manual controls.  It's wonderfully bright monitor is great for most things, but not for accurately judging how a print is going to look in my target lighting.   So, I'm back to using a "viewing layer" that I made in Photoshop and put on the B&W files.  The brightest values are way down from what that monitor can produce.   As I move forward, I can tweak it as needed.  These types of approaches can evolve into quite accurate tools.  For better or worse, B&W is very sensitive to having that Lab L curve carefully controlled.

Paul
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patjoja

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Re: Printer Recommendation for Black and White
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2018, 11:15:20 am »

I haven’t followed it but there was an issue with the P printers in the US which prevented use of refillable cartridges. You’ll need to sort that out first. Depending on your needs, you may also find that the standard K3 inkset is all that you need.

I have been looking at using K3 only as a way of getting good prints without the drama of refillable carts. If I were to start again, I would go for a K3 printer and learn the basics before I went near refillables, and I would invest in a spectro to build my own curves.

In order to use Piezo inks with the P800, you have to install a Special Decoder Board (sold by Inkjetmall) to allow the use of refillable carts.  That adds about $400 into the cost of entry into the world of Piezography with the new Epson P800 printer.  I'm not sure that is an issue with their larger format printers, or the P600.  You may want to contact Inkjetmall to find out.

Patrick
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Jasper

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Re: Printer Recommendation for Black and White
« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2018, 05:05:36 pm »

You’ll need to sort that out first. Depending on your needs, you may also find that the standard K3 inkset is all that you need...  If I were to start again, I would go for a K3 printer
When you say K3 inkset, are you referring to the 9 standard OEM cartridges?  Wouldn't the Piezography produce better quality results, noting that I'm only interested in B&W on this printer?

In order to use Piezo inks with the P800, you have to install a Special Decoder Board (sold by Inkjetmall) to allow the use of refillable carts.  That adds about $400 into the cost of entry into the world of Piezography with the new Epson P800 printer.  I'm not sure that is an issue with their larger format printers, or the P600.  You may want to contact Inkjetmall to find out.

Thanks for that - I had assumed any Epson would take these inks.  Looks like I'll go for the P600 as this model is supported and pair it with the Selenium P2 inkset.  If anyone had this printer and converted, or even just used this inkset, I'd be interested in your findings.

Thanks
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Jeff-Grant

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Re: Printer Recommendation for Black and White
« Reply #8 on: February 19, 2018, 06:15:22 pm »

Sorry, K3 is the common terminology for Epson inks - K, LK and LLK and the others in the set. Whether Pizeography produces visibly better results is really dependent on the image and print size. I have not been able to see any difference between prints made with K3 or Piezography. There are so many variables that one can't state it as fact. It's fact for me, my processing, and images but may not be for you. Now that I know a little more, I would say that the actual print is an important factor in the workflow but image prep and having a good, linear QTR curve, and good softproofing is equally as important. Most images that you see online would make lousy prints. To me, a good print has subtlety but that is not a requirement in the world of shiny screens. Again, that's just my opinion. I made the mistake of going for what I thought was the best method from the outset without knowing what was involved. If I were to start over now, I would use QTR, buy a good spectro, use Richard Boutwell's curve software and look at Piezography if I found that I was disappointed with the results once I knew what I was up to.

As for inks, I have been using P2 selenium and really like it. It works better for me than the neutral set that I started with.
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Jasper

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Re: Printer Recommendation for Black and White
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2018, 10:07:27 am »

Sorry, K3 is the common terminology for Epson inks - K, LK and LLK and the others in the set. Whether Pizeography produces visibly better results is really dependent on the image and print size. I have not been able to see any difference between prints made with K3 or Piezography.

Thanks Jeff.  I have a P600 on the way and at the moment will probably go for the P2 Selenium set as even if there isn't any improvement over OEM K3, they should be more cost effective anyway.  I'll read around a bit more though as if your experience is common (difficult to see differences between OEM and Pizeography prints) I may opt to keep it OEM at least in the short term.
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Jeff-Grant

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Re: Printer Recommendation for Black and White
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2018, 03:06:17 pm »

Good luck.
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