In some ways printing in the darkroom was easier, even colour balancing a negative print is easier as you can clearly see the result of the selected filtration on the easel.
After a few years of mucking around with printers up until 2014 at which point: I gave up and I outsource my printing*, I think printing is very much at a technologically immature stage. There are too many different systems that interact in disparate ways and it is all to easy for the wrong check box to be filled for it to all go horribly wrong. There are a large number of photographers whom never stepped into a darkroom, notable examples being HCB, Sabastio Salgado, and Vivian Maier. Though it is hard to find people who *get* your work and understand what you want. I send colour profiles of my monitor to the guys that do my printing [though owning an industry standard** Eizo monitor makes this somewhat redundant ] So they can at least see what i'm seeing. I get my profiles from paper manufacturers and I only work with three different papers, all are fiber based : baryta flat matte, a Baryta Semi-matte and Baryta full gloss paper*** : that's it. When it comes to printing: I see the KISS principle as more of a hard rule. If it works for you:
Do it. Don't follow some convoluted logic that isn't your own because of some obtuse concept of how you
ought to be doing things - that is often a sure fire path to failure (and a lot of wasted money).
Though there are some specialized processes whereby I get my Monochrome photos printed, and that is through
piezography although current printers are very good at B&W, I find the depth and tones introduced by multiple layers of inks to be unmatched. And the practical upshot of the piezography process is that the longevity of the image is enhanced. IF I had to start printing my own works, I'd start with a Piezography CIS modified printer and save myself the annoyance of colour management altogether.
* After I send off the files to my clients, I leave the printing to them.
** Though just because these monitors are common doesn't mean they don't experience colour shifts over time.
*** you'll note I like Baryta based papers, there is a very good reason for this as baryta is a very consistent white. Some papers will shift one way or the other over time I find that baryta is inert enough that this is a non-issue.
Last edited by Digitalis; 05-26-2020 at 09:52 PM.