Digital BW, The Print

"mccarvill" <mccarvill@...> wrote:
>
> Just made the switch from UT14 to Eboni-6 on my 1400 ...
> My 1400 prints a perfect nozzle check, although the Y channel is very faint ...

> ... so faint when I do a nozzle check that I'm wondering if there's a clog in the cart. There are no gaps in the pattern when I examine it closely, but is it really so faint as to be barely visible?

That's it -- 2% Eboni MK, 98% clear.  It has enough to carry the image through about 25%.  That will be close to the warmest spot on the curve, and the 2% ink is the most neutral on most papers aside from the MK.  So, the lightness was not just for dotless highlights, it's also to hold the image tone to as close to neutral as is possible with dilute inks (meaning smoothness). 

 
> Photoshop questions

> - Should my images be in RGB or grayscale before applying the PS curve?

If you are using the *.acv curves in the PDF, use an Adobe RGB image for the test strip to make an ICC.  When the curves are embedded in the ICC, you'll use a grayscale file to print.

> I'm getting warm, muddy results in both.

Use the ICCs with Epson Hot Press Natural and White, and with Premier Art Smooth BW if you want relatively neutral images.  The PDF has tone graphs -- Lab A and (most important) Lab B -- for the papers.  Most papers print medium warm.  The papers mentioned above are the ones I use for closer to neutral.  Still there will be some rise in Lab B from the paper white.

Be sure to view the prints away from the cold monitor.  When they are matted with natural white mat boards, the images with the above papers will look quite neutral, as long as there is not some brightened, cold white paper or monitor near by.  For the coolest look, use the PA Smooth BW and overmat the image with a natural white board.  That way the coolest and apparently brightest spot will be in the image, not on the border. 

> - I've had excellent results with UT14 with simply applying Paul's neutral Photoshop curve, but do I need to make an ICC with a partitioning curve to get a decent test pattern with Eboni-6?


I like the ICC workflow, and that is most of what is in the Zip file.  I have Eboni-6 loaded in the 1400 now and will be updating some of the profiles, in part because the latest PS and other programs don't allow us to use ICCs with "color controls" set in the driver.

If you or anyone wants papers to be profiled, let me know.

 
> QTR questions
> - I copied Paul's QTR profiles to the `Quad1400-MIS' folder and was able to open and create curves for all profiles except `Eb6-PaSmBW-qtr2880-lin'. This last curve repeatedly gave me the error message `Invalid linearize curve – not constantly increasing. Curve creation failed.'


That profile has too little separation between the deep shadow values.  I'm not sure why it's in the Zip file.  I'm guessing I copied all Eb6 profiles into the file without testing them.  I pulled up the profile and don't like the way it is made.  I mostly made ICCs for this setup, so I'm not really sure where that came from.  I'll redo it and look at the others in the 1400-MIS folder also.


 
> - I printed a test pattern on Premier Matte using the Eb6-EpsHPn curve but it was muddy, mottled, and inaccurate (e.g. 60% was darker than 75%). 

Profiles in QTR are usually very paper specific.  

I'll date and put my name on any new profiles I make -- in the name or notes tab.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com