Current Inkjet Options for B/W

[Richard G]

My 3880 is in the kifchen at my office, air conditioned all year round. I’m sure my secretaries hate it taking up 80% of the bench space. It is always covered with the plastic sleeve it came in new in the box. I hadn’t printed anything since early 2023 for various reasons. With a group exhibition looming in November I was not looking forward to myriad printing problems with my one submission, and needing someone else to print it’d at the last minute. The Epson started up and immediately printed in ABW an A4 test print. I printed another image I wanted to print and half way through the beautiful blacks turned to blue. I ran one cleaning cycle, made two or three more test prints and then the exhibition print on Ilford Galerie Gold Monosilk using Epson Premium Lustre setting, A3+. I have the ICC profile for this paper which is all I use but it’s so long since I printed I couldn’t remember how to load the profile.

For such an infrequent printer I’ve had so few problems with this notorious machine. Maybe it’s the plastic sleeve microenvironment.

 

[Wenge]

To be honest it happened me too to print on the wrong side using matt paper! But I learned to check now!

My 3880 is in the kifchen at my office, air conditioned all year round. I’m sure my secretaries hate it taking up 80% of the bench space. It is always covered with the plastic sleeve it came in new in the box. I hadn’t printed anything since early 2023 for various reasons. With a group exhibition looming in November I was not looking forward to myriad printing problems with my one submission, and needing someone else to print it’d at the last minute. The Epson started up and immediately printed in ABW an A4 test print. I printed another image I wanted to print and half way through the beautiful blacks turned to blue. I ran one cleaning cycle, made two or three more test prints and then the exhibition print on Ilford Galerie Gold Monosilk using Epson Premium Lustre setting, A3+. I have the ICC profile for this paper which is all I use but it’s so long since I printed I couldn’t remember how to load the profile.

For such an infrequent printer I’ve had so few problems with this notorious machine. Maybe it’s the plastic sleeve microenvironment.

yes that is my similar experience too with my 3880 after resting it for many months. I use mine with Paul Roark's ultratone inkset recipe in 3rd party carts. It also doesn't clog if used once a month or so. I bought a backup a few years ago still in the box as a Epson refurb, it started up too on a recent power-up test. Have never tried OEM inks on it like the P800, so not familiar with any issues regarding ink. Will try that Ilford paper sounds like a winner.

 

[Michalm]

I really need help here . I have what looks to be Greyscale ( rather than RGB) paper ICC profiles from Farbenwerk and wasn't able to make them to work when trying to print from DXO Lab or lightroom or Affinity Photo. I have only recently come across something vaguely mentioned on the web that Greyscale ICC paper profile will not work in Lighroom as it it RGB based software ( by extension this should be the case with DXO Lab ) which explains perhaps why profile is being ignored by these apps and prints comes out dark with no color management at all.
I know Photoshop allows for printing with ICC print Greyscale profile but I'm not likely to pay for it only to print BW photos, not sure why Affinity doesnt work like PS in this respect as it is similar app.
Any idea what are my options ? I could not really find much on the web what to do. Is there anyway to convert / remap Greyscale print ICC to RGB profile? Or change settings in Affinity to allow for Greyscale profile to be accepted ? Or is there other apps that would work?

 

[mrtoml]

I really need help here . I have what looks to be Greyscale ( rather than RGB) paper ICC profiles from Farbenwerk and wasn't able to make them to work when trying to print from DXO Lab or lightroom or Affinity Photo. I have only recently come across something vaguely mentioned on the web that Greyscale ICC paper profile will not work in Lighroom as it it RGB based software ( by extension this should be the case with DXO Lab ) which explains perhaps why profile is being ignored by these apps and prints comes out dark with no color management at all.
I know Photoshop allows for printing with ICC print Greyscale profile but I'm not likely to pay for it only to print BW photos, not sure why Affinity doesnt work like PS in this respect as it is similar app.
Any idea what are my options ? I could not really find much on the web what to do. Is there anyway to convert / remap Greyscale print ICC to RGB profile? Or change settings in Affinity to allow for Greyscale profile to be accepted ? Or is there other apps that would work?

I think printtool will work.

Print-Tool Overview

www.quadtonerip.com

But I use it with quadtone rip so no experience of using grayscale profiles.

 

[Michalm]

I think printtool will work.

Print-Tool Overview

www.quadtonerip.com

But I use it with quadtone rip so no experience of using grayscale profiles.Tha

I think printtool will work.

Print-Tool Overview

www.quadtonerip.com

But I use it with quadtone rip so no experience of using grayscale profiles.

I was thinking about QTR Prtint tool but it is for Mac OS only