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The latest generation professional wide format printers do an excellent job producing B&W images. That's simply the state of the art. They are that good with both color and B&W. My Epson 9900 does a great job with color and B&W images.
But deep down inside, I wanted to know, if there is something better, without being too much of a pita to acquire, and without resorting to living in a cave of a darkroom. Enter B&W K7 Piezography by Jon Cone. In short, I've converted an old 9800 and am now using a 9890 K7 B&W piezography MPS printer alongside the 9900.
The 9900 produces great B&W images, but in every single instance, the piezography print is just better. It's not at the level of saying the 9900 image is horrible---simply not true. You wouldn't notice unless you start comparing and then you notice the differences. Knowledge can be a powerful thing (sometimes better not to know!)
You should be aware that converting a used Epson printer to piezography isn't always as easy as it seems or is told. Not all patients make it off the surgery table. Your printer should be in excellent shape---dampers, capping station, head, etc. There are little nuances to each printer model---they aren't the same! (That includes the venerable 38** series and 99** series). I converted a brand new 9890 to K7 B&W MPS piezography. That should tell you how much I like the B&W piezography alongside the 9900.
Be aware quality printing on an Epson is never a "push the button" proposition, at least not for those that really want to produce top quality images. K7 Piezography is no different, and it does require patience, reading, and a moderate understanding of your printer innards. The print workflow uses QTR and is quite different than printing color images, but not difficult to learn.
There are a few piezography resources on the web (Cone), but unfortunately sometimes it seems confusing and difficult to find at times, and requires you to piece the information together. It is worthwhile to print a few images using the various BW K6/K7 insets and on various substrates to see what flavor fits you best.
Ken
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