Current Inkjet Options for B/W

v3cron said:
I was debating that one and the Epson, and just ended up ordering the Epson since the Canon was out of stock at my usual place. There is probably not enough difference to really worry about, based on what I read.

What is everyone using for paper? I bought a pack of the Ilford Gold Fibre Pearl to start with, based on a sample book I saw. Any other recs, specifically for black and white?
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The Gold Fibre paper is excellent for B&W. If you go to Ilford's website, they have instructions for which paper setting to use for it. The Epson driver does not have settings for non-Epson papers, so Ilford's site tells you what Epson paper to choose in the printer driver when using their paper. On my Epson P800, the correct setting is "Epson Premium Glossy." On the Epson r2400 I used to have, the correct setting for the Ilford paper was "Epson Premium Semigloss."

I just looked up the Epson Expression Photo printers; they recommend using the Epson Premium Glossy paper setting for Gold Fibre Pearl on those printers.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
The Gold Fibre paper is excellent for B&W. If you go to Ilford's website, they have instructions for which paper setting to use for it. The Epson driver does not have settings for non-Epson papers, so Ilford's site tells you what Epson paper to choose in the printer driver when using their paper. On my Epson P800, the correct setting is "Epson Premium Glossy." On the Epson r2400 I used to have, the correct setting for the Ilford paper was "Epson Premium Semigloss."

I just looked up the Epson Expression Photo printers; they recommend using the Epson Premium Glossy paper setting for Gold Fibre Pearl on those printers.
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Thanks. I downloaded the ICC profiles earlier, but didn't see that part. I will play around with it when everything arrives tomorrow.
 
Freakscene said:
How often do you print?

What is your climate like?
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I print usually every week or two. It is not a particularly dry or hot environment. Northern England. I also have a Canon Pro 1000. That never clogs either and never requires a head clean, but it does these automatically every so often. The 3880 occasionally requires a nozzle check and head clean, but nothing serious.

I am also using the Piezography Pro line of inks. These may be less clog prone than Cone's earlier inksets I guess.
 
mrtoml said:
I print usually every week or two. It is not a particularly dry or hot environment. Northern England. I also have a Canon Pro 1000. That never clogs either and never requires a head clean, but it does these automatically every so often. The 3880 occasionally requires a nozzle check and head clean, but nothing serious.

I am also using the Piezography Pro line of inks. These may be less clog prone than Cone's earlier inksets I guess.
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Thank you. My climate is certainly different. I am sure that the new inks are different. I guess I should give them a go some time.
 
Freakscene said:
Thank you. My climate is certainly different. I am sure that the new inks are different. I guess I should give them a go some time.
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A cheap way into monochrome inksets would be to mix your own with one of Paul Roark's formulae and use Quadtone RIP. The Roark inkset I use (eboni-6) is only for matte papers, but he has onother which works with both matte and glossy. It's quite easy to mix if you can get the eboni ink.
 
what papers are you using?
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As I said above, Epson Velvet Fine Art, or some of the Hahnemühle and Somerset papers. I use Lightroom Classic to print my images. If the printer driver does not have a direct way to add a paper profile, you can use Lightroom Classic's mechanism to include any paper profile you want. I have paper profiles for about 10 or so different Somerset and Hahnemühle papers .. and they do make a difference.

G
 
So the printer just came and I set it up.

Big problem, though. No ABW mode. I ran a test print using PS color managment and the Ilford Gold Pearl profile, and it looks really good (def happy with this paper choice).

But the ABW mode is nowhere to be found. I rebooted, uninsatlled, re-installed. Nothing. i know here it is supposed to be, and there are no advanced controls there. Did they move somewhere, or do I have to enable some deep setting?

I'm running PS 2025 on a Mac M3pro running Sequoia.
 
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v3cron said:
So the printer just came and I set it up.

Big problem, though. No ABW mode. I ran a test print using PS color managment and the Ilford Gold Pearl profile, and it looks really good (def happy with this paper choice).

But the ABW mode is nowhere to be found. I rebooted, uninsatlled, re-installed. Nothing. i know here it is supposed to be, and there are no advanced controls there. Did they move somewhere, or do I have to enable some deep setting?

I'm running PS 2025 on a Mac M3pro running Sequoia.
Click to expand...


Is that printer model one that supports ABW? Not all Epsons do. If it does, here's a tutorial I made showing how to use it, how to set photoshop for it, and where to find it in the Epson driver:
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
Is that printer model one that supports ABW? Not all Epsons do. If it does, here's a tutorial I made showing how to use it, how to set photoshop for it, and where to find it in the Epson driver:
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Got it sorted (thanks, ChatGPT). The issue is that if you just run the Epson driver installer, it does not set the Epson driver as the default for the printer - it uses a generic Apple driver. You have to manually set up the printer from the Mac printer/scanner setting. Very lame. But working now.

And yes, this is the SC-P700 (actually the SC-Px1v, which the japanese name for it)
 
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I tried both Canon and Epson pigment printers and had much the same experience as you. I have since gone to an Epson XP15000 Dye based printer and been very happy since. One trick that seemed to make a difference is to use an ICC profile that matches your paper.
 
Anyone know if there is a way to use gloss smoothing while in ABW mode? I made an RGB b/w print using, and it made a subtle improvement in the gloss differential, but it is greyed out when I switch back to ABW.
 
I looked through some sample books at Yodobashi the other day and noticed that Ilford has a Gold Fiber Rag as well as the Pearl that I’ve been using so far. Anyone use both and can describe the difference, specifically with the P700? The surface in the sample prints looked very similar.
 
v3cron said:
I looked through some sample books at Yodobashi the other day and noticed that Ilford has a Gold Fiber Rag as well as the Pearl that I’ve been using so far. Anyone use both and can describe the difference, specifically with the P700? The surface in the sample prints looked very similar.
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I've used Gold Fibre Silk but haven't tried the Gold Fibre Rag. The Pearl is, I think supposed to be very similar to Fibre Silk and replaced it in the line. I'll buy some when I run out of Fibre Silk. The only difference I can see between Fibre Pearl and Fibre Rag is that the Rag has a 'bright white' surface and the Fibre Pearl and Fibre Silk are supposed to be made without optical brighteners. I'd stick with the non-brightened papers; the optical brighteners fade with time.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
I've used Gold Fibre Silk but haven't tried the Gold Fibre Rag. The Pearl is, I think supposed to be very similar to Fibre Silk and replaced it in the line. I'll buy some when I run out of Fibre Silk. The only difference I can see between Fibre Pearl and Fibre Rag is that the Rag has a 'bright white' surface and the Fibre Pearl and Fibre Silk are supposed to be made without optical brighteners. I'd stick with the non-brightened papers; the optical brighteners fade with time.
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That's interesting about the brighteners, as the Pearl is really bright white next to the (admittedly few) other papers I have on hand. Gives it quite a pop.
 
gavinlg said:
My experience working in labs/print shops has been that the modern canon printers are less fussy and a little easier to get things to look right. The newish canon 310 in particular has really good feedback amongst friends for its price.
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Agree. Canon printers are excellent. My experience is with Canon Pro 10 and now the Canon PRO Graf PRO-300. No issues with clogging or other issues. As a bonus, Canon Customer Service is exceptional in my opinion - no long wait times, patient, and knowledgeable.
 
v3cron said:
What is everyone using for paper? Any other recs, specifically for black and white?
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Specifically for B&W, I use Red River Big Bend Baryta 310.

Big Bend Baryta 310 Photo Paper | Red River Paper

Big Bend Baryta offers all of the rich tonality, depth, and feel of a traditional darkroom print. The paper has a elegantly smooth finish and subtle reflectivity. Big Bend has a pleasant neutral white tone imparted by a 100% barium sulphate (baryta) layer. Baryta is the
www.redrivercatalog.com www.redrivercatalog.com
 
Darthfeeble said:
I love the RR Big Bend, but it's a bit pricey for images that never make out of my house. I tried their Polar Matte and it was pretty good too. Doesn't have quite the depth as the Baryta so I'm working of settings.
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I only print B&W and use RR Big Bend Baryta exclusively at this point, in sizes from 8"x10" sheets all the way to a 44"x50 ft. roll. I downloaded the ICC profiles for the Epson P900 and P9000 that we have at my camera club. In my case, I print for exhibits, showcases, and competition so it's worth the cost. Only after events are done do I display the framed images in my house.
 
kxl said:
I only print B&W and use RR Big Bend Baryta exclusively at this point, in sizes from 8"x10" sheets all the way to a 44"x50 ft. roll. I downloaded the ICC profiles for the Epson P900 and P9000 that we have at my camera club. In my case, I print for exhibits, showcases, and competition so it's worth the cost. Only after events are done do I display the framed images in my house.
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I don't show my stuff, just love to have a print on the wall. I save the Baryta for the occasional really good shot.
 
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