Digital BW, The Print

Mitch,
     Thanks, very helpful.  No future need to cross-post -- I'll 
follow your progress on the Epson9000.  Good luck

Bill

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Mitch Alland 
<malland@x> wrote:
> Bill:
> 
> > Mitch, having seen some of your work (if I've got the name right -
-
> > when you parachuted into our briefly-lived D.C. Piezo group?), I'm
> > really most interested in how you find color and BW prints from 
your
> > 7600
> 
> Earlier this week, I posted my initial experience on the Epson9000 
list 
> as follows:
> 
> > Subject: Results from new 7600
> >
> > Having received my 7600 on Monday, I started with Photo Black and 
> > Epson Premium Semi-Matte paper hoping for "satisfying blacks." 
Also I 
> > purchased ImagePrint 5 and downloaded the Atkinson profiles. 
Here's my 
> > experience so far:
> >
> >
> > Color
> > -------
> > I prefer the results with the Atkinson profile to the ImagePrint, 
and 
> > so do other people who have seen the two sets of prints. The 
results 
> > form the Atkinson and ImagePrint profiles are very close, but the 
> > ImagePrint profiles produce more open shadows and the darker 
shadow 
> > areas of the Atkinson profile look better in the prints. I tried 
both 
> > the 1440 and 2880 Atkinson profiles and could not find any 
difference 
> > between the two, looking either with the naked eye or through a 
10x 
> > loupe, so my advice is to conserve ink and print at 1440.
> >
> > Color prints on the Semi-Matte paper look acceptable, although I 
still 
> > prefer the matte papers, EAM and Photo Rag, that I previously 
used on 
> > the 1290.
> >
> >
> > B&W
> > -------
> > I made B&W prints using only ImagePrint and compared them to 
prints 
> > made with Piezography using an 1160 on EAM and Photo Rag.
> >
> > The look of the prints on Semi-Matte are, to put it simply, 
yucky; and 
> > there is some bronzing depending on the angle at which the prints 
are 
> > being viewed.
> >
> > The Piezography prints look much better mainly because the of the 
> > matte papers which gives better contrast and more luminous look . 
> > Again, the ImagePrint prints show a little more shadow detail 
than the 
> > Piezography prints, but I don't know whether this is because of 
the 
> > difference in the matte versus glossy-type paper or because of 
the 
> > ImagePrint profile; perhaps it's a combination of the two. But 
the 
> > lesser shadow detail (darker shadows) looks better.
> >
> >
> > Conclusions
> > ----------------
> > Photo Black and the Semi-Matte paper with the Atkinson profile is 
a 
> > perfectly acceptable solution for color prints, and is indeed 
very 
> > close in visual quality and gamut to prints using 1290 (dye) inks 
on 
> > matte paper. I think the difference in the "semi-gloss" of the 
> > Semi-Matte paper and the matte papers would not show in prints 
framed 
> > under glass. If I were printing only color I would have no need 
for 
> > ImagePrint.
> >
> > For B&W prints the Semi-Matte paper is unacceptable.
> >
> > I think that after completing some twenty-five prints for an 
> > exhibition on the Semi-Matte paper (mainly at 16x24 and some at 
24x36 
> > inch size), I'll switch to a matte paper.
> >
> >
> > Questions:
> > --------------
> > 1. My matte paper experience is only with Photo Rag, which I like 
a 
> > lot, but an Epson paper is more easily available in Bangkok. I 
> > understand Epson Velvet Fine Art produces a good gamut. Any 
> > suggestions for matte paper to use?
> >
> > 2. I assume that I'll have to switch to Photo Black, or is there 
some 
> > Photo Black/matte paper combination that works well? [I wish 
Epson had 
> > included 8 ink cartridges which allow keeping Photo Black and 
Matte 
> > Black ink in the printer all the time...and a ninth cartridge for 
> > spraying a polyurethane coating :-) ]
> >
> > 3. I am still within my 30-day trial period for ImagePrint. I 
assume I 
> > will need it for B&W, or do you think I can get good B&W results 
with 
> > the Atkinson profiles? I gather this is what Mark Tucker is 
doing, 
> > with some tweaking of the profiles, but I don't have a "tweaker."
> >
> > --Mitch/Bangkok
> 
> Since then I just started using the Mac OSX version of ImagePrint, 
and 
> I will be posting some more conclusions on the Epson9000 list, 
which 
> are likely to be much more favorable to IP5. Would you like me to 
> cross-post here, or can you follow this on Epson9000?
> 
> --Mitch/Bangkok
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]