Digital BW, The Print

This is one of those images where looking at a smooth grey ramp printed from
each profile (piezo or partitioned RGB workflow) will give you the key to
success.  If the ramp isn't completely smooth with no breaks in the area
that the gradient in your image is you are in trouble.  I like to look at
the ramp about about a 15 degree angle...you can really see if there are
bumps and whether signs of inks kicking in and out are there. My experience
with FS-N inks is that they were not well matched in density to the FS
inks...which were set up to use with the piezo driver.  I know that
Colorbyte was forced to generate completely different recipes and profiles
for imageprint for FS-N because they behaved so differently than FS. You
will see this to varying degrees depending on the profile that you use in
the piezo driver.  In some cases the profile for a particular paper is not
the best...you should experiment...but you can experiment with an
artifically generated file that is one inch wide and 10 inches long...that
you can print several times on a sheet.  Once you find the best profile for
your paper...you will almost certainly have success across images.  This is
not a piezo vs. RBG partitioned workflow issue...it is a quality off profile
issue.

I have no doubt that the profiles that I have for imageprint and the
piezotones could handle this image, they are completely smooth and show no
evidence of individual inks coming in and out.

Robert

PS  What paper and profile were you using in the piezo driver?

PPS  Really nice shot!


On 8/18/02 2:58 PM, "rich8155" <richard@...> wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
> I'm still a relative beginner at this but after 2 months I am
> getting some very satisfactory results.  Some background: I use an
> Epson 1160 with an MIS CFS loaded with MIS FS-N inks.  I have the
> Piezo driver and usually print with that as I have found in
> comparisons with the Epson driver (with Randall curve applied) the
> Piezo gives more dotless mid-tones and highlights.  Sometimes
> however some prints look better with the Randall curve (the Piezo
> tends to print darker).  So, with the less dots I have mostly used
> the Piezo driver and have been in awe of the smooth mid-tones in
> particular.  
> 
> But now I have printed an image that is showing me an amazing
> difference from the Piezo driver results to the Epson drive/randall
> curve results, and the Piezo is falling very flat in this instance.
> The image can be found here:
> 
> <http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=956273&size=lg>
> 
> as you can see we have some fairly fast and radical transition from
> severe highlights to almost pure black.  I printed the Piezo one
> first and as you can see there are obvious and very poor transition
> points to be seen around the highlights.  The result is awful and
> unacceptable output.  The Epson driver/Randall curve seems to have
> handled the transition in a much smoother and acceptable manner.
> 
> I have printed out two 21stepNew.jpg wedges using each driver since
> then and I cannot really see any fault with either of them (again
> though the Piezo prints darker shadows). They both look very good to
> my untrained and less-experienced eye.  So I am puzzled.
> 
> I am not showing this to try and put down the Piezo driver.  I am
> more asking if what I am finding here is typical or perhaps points
> to a problem with my method or process.  If I only printed with the
> Piezo I would think it has something to do with my printer, but from
> the Randall results we can see the printer has the ability to print
> just fine.  I have followed the set-up and workflow of both
> drivers/curves precisely.
> 
> Any suggestions on why I'm getting these results?
> 
> Thank you for any input and comment.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Richard
> 
> 
> 
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