Epson V500 and Large Format Photo Stitching

Good Morning. I'm still half awake on my first coffee. I started shooting with a Graflex Speed Graphic yesterday and it's been alot of fun so far. Scan or Print. That is the question. It is fun for me to hand print, and it's also a necessity, because I have not invested in an Epson V700/800. But sometimes when I am not in the mood, it's also fun to just scan the negative and enjoy that simple process too. I just can't spend an extra $7-800 right now on a scanner of all things.. $700 freaking dollars...lol.
So I had shot a 4x5 yesterday of a flower and just scanned it on my Epson V500. It basically cropped the 4x5 to it's max allowable 6x9 size. I was thinking today that I would hand print it, but a guy on Flickr sent me a link in the comments section. I was aware of this for Photoshop and the V500 and others, but I'm not buying Photoshop because I use Lightroom as a photo compiler. Anyway, here is the link. It's made for Microsoft. I wish it worked on OSX, but if I can scan my 4x5's and stitch them then that's pretty cool.

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/ice/

Greg

Frankly, scanning negs and printing on B&W printer sucks compared to photochemical prints. The typical printer ink is wholly unsatisfactory from the standpoint of neutrality and in terms of pigment inks making an image 'on the surface' of paper (particularly large areas of black) vs. embedded with an emulsion. Something more to consider are the need for special papers and inks in an effort to make the B&W prints look less 'layered' on the surface. And I am not even the hard core 'only analog' photographer...I have 45 years in photo-chemical classic photography including formats from 16mm to 4x5, and B&W and color darkroom, yet embrace the benefits of the modern media too. But the scanning and printing a B&W neg has not been acceptable enough for me to spend the time in that hybrid pursuit.

that is a good point. I have never scanned to print. I only scan to post on Flickr as I am not a "Pro" working for a client(s). When I do print I do it the old fashioned way in the darkroom. There is something beautiful about classic printing. It feels so much better in my hand. I wish someday to make a giant ass print. Turn my Beseler 45M horizontal and do like a 5 foot print. Will have to build some giant trays....lol. Another project... lol

Hi, this thread is off topic for APUG. There is an active Hybrid group here, found in the groups section where this topic would be at home, or there is DPUG, APUG's sister site where digital topics are on topic. Mainstream APUG maintains a strict focus on analog photographic technique. Thanks.