I've pretty much given up on the Epson 2000P for black and white printing. The main reason is print speed: It is really slow. It's interesting to read back to earlier posts on the web for this printer. It was very expensive when it first came out. According to an article on Luminous Landscape, it retailed for $899. Ouch. I got it for a bargain at $30.
I plan to clean out the printer, clean out my refillable cartridges and put a nice add on Craigslist. It was a decent experiment and taught me a few things. I'll be happy to have more desk space.
I have had a running debate in my head whether or not to convert my Epson 4000 to a dedicated black and white printer. I've been fooling around with QuadTone RIP for about a week now. I have MISPRO inkset in the 4000 right now. I've been pretty happy with the inkset. Color images are a bit on the magenta side without a profile. Profiles made with Syderprint have straightened everything out. While there are work-arounds for not having a densitometer or spectrocolorimeter, the Syderprint has definitely made my life easier. It has been a great tool and I would buy it again and sooner had I known then what I know now.
Quad Tone Rip has allowed me to continue to use the full color inkset and print black and white images. The measurement tool of Spyderprint was very use in determining the ink limit of my printer and comparing between the matte black and light black inks. I remember getting frustrated fairly quickly the first time I tried QTR. I didn't have the tools to make the measurements needed to linearize the grayscale stepwedge . Syderprint solved my frustration.
The main thing I don't like about QTR is not being able to print directly from Photoshop. You have to save an image in TIFF format, close out of PS and open to print in QTR. I suppose no real biggie, but kind of cumbersome if you're trying to dial in your print. The second thing I don't really like about QTR is the lack of documentation. It comes with a user guide, but I was really dumb in the beginning and really didn't make much sense to me. It took a few readings, lots of fooling around with the interface and a healthy dose of patience.
If I do switch over the 4000 to a dedicated B&W printer, Syderprint and QTR will definitely be important tools to have.
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