Luis,
Your comments on the new Epson sounds very promising. Instead of a paper
negative, how about a new negative made as a contact print onto a
panchromatic sheet film (to make sure that all six colors of dots make it
through the process) from a paper positive made on the Epson? This would get
around the problem with the lack of permanence of the Epson inks. Even if
negatives made directly onto acetate with this printer turn out to be good
enough for carbon/pt/pd etc, the panchromatic film neg might be a better
approach because of the lability of inks.
Please keep the list posted about your experience with this new Epson. If it
is as good as it sounds, this printer might eliminate our dependence on
service bureaus and imagesetters and make digital negatives much easier and
cheaper than they have been in the past. Using the methods that I described
in my postings about digital methods a couple of months ago, it shouldn't be
too much trouble to adapt the output of the Epson to most B&W alt-processes.
Charlie Palmer
Albuquerque, NM USA