How Good Can a $1000 Digital Darkroom Be?
The answer depends on how big you want your prints to be. The printer in this darkroom is an Epson 1270, which has become the standard by which all photo printers are measured, and the first photo printer to offer prints that rival and in some ways surpass conventional color prints both visually and archivally. This printer opens the door to the digital darkroom. The 1270 will make up to 13×19″ prints. I don’t test the printer here, because, hey, you can’t see the results. But it has been tested in numerous places, and discussed endlessly on dozens of Internet forums and sites. Some praise it as the first great printer to allow artistic expression by photographers, and others point out problems they have with environmental attack on their prints. About the latter subject: Frame the prints behind glass or store them in an album, use the Epson Matte Heavyweight paper, and don’t worry about it. Even if you don’t take these preventive measures, you probably won’t have problems depending on
