Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark" 
<paul.roark@v...> wrote:
<snip>

> 
> The bad news may be increase sensitivity to damage that this big 
pile of
> pigment on the paper causes.  I think this puts the image at greater 
risk of
> physical abrasion, among other things.  (I may spray a light 
archival
> fixative on even my matte images to protect them.)
> 
> The vertical lines I've been seeing in my black skies may be 
mechanical
> marks put on a more-exposed pile of pigments on the surface of the 
paper.
> With the "High Speed" off these pigs, perhaps, have more time to dry 
and
> thus resist damage done by the 1160's rollers.
> 
> Paul

I've been running some experiments with my 2200/IP5 with Photorag 308 
and 188 at 1440 and 2880 (7 minutes vs 15 1/2 minutes for 8 x 10) and 
Eclipse Satine BW 190 gsm at 1440 and 2880 WITH 100% ink reduction, 
95% ink reduction, and 90% ink reduction.

Photoag 308 shows vertical lines above 80%k on your stepwedge, and on 
the visual stepwedge IP5 folks gave me. They correspond to the Pizza 
wheels, which are riding in a spring loaded piece of sheet metal on 
the 2200. I get faint output roller marks too, not as many and much 
harder to see...and no my rollers don't need cleaning yet, but even 
when I did clean anyway, the marks are there. I couldn't get it to 
appear on 188 gsm version, but I only tried one sheet.

Photorag 308 shows the marks whether at 1440 or 2880, whether paper 
thickness is set thin or thick. The marks are exactly able to be 
duplicated in same place on as many prints as I care to run. I did not 
do any ink reduction for this paper.

The marks appear on Eclipse, but are far less obvious. However they 
appear whether 2880 or 1440 is used, and whether 100%, 95%, or 90% ink 
reduction is used.

This would seem to indicate that slowing down printer to less than 
half speed to allow drying does not help (I used corrected 2880 curves 
from IP5 so I assume ink load was adjusted to acheive same density for 
the two dpi's). Also reducing the ink load down to 90% of what it was 
does not help, at least on Eclipse.

I must add that I am viewing these letter sized samples under an 18 
watt OTT-Lite from a 6 inch distance. I also must tip the paper at an 
angle to see the roller marks/ pizza scratch marks. As an untrained 
observer, my wife could not see the marks on any Eclipse paper, but 
picked up the pizza scratch marks but not roller marks on Photorag 
308.

My solution is to live with it for now. I tried running a rougher 
texture paper through (German Etching) and the 2200 got very upset- it 
apparently doesn't want to transport it (lit up after awhile with 
flashing lights). If I need a dark area printed I will probably use 
Eclipse paper. Or Photorag 188 might work. I am going to get a new 
2200 for an unrelated problem and this may solve this as well.

If not, there may be a way to partially counteract the 15 cent spring 
holding the output sheet metal down. Actually, with this design there 
is more options than with the 1280, probably the 1160-I forgot what 
pizza wheels look like on it. I can reach down into 2200 printer bed 
and lift all the rollers/pizza wheels completely up in air.
Jim H.

> http://www.PaulRoark.com