Digital BW, The Print

actually right now, with UT2 inks, I am getting real nice prints, if 
you ignore the bronzing. There is no bronzing on matte of course. I was 
able to get the out/transfer curve to work real good in photoshop. You 
can control the black independently, with the black curve. This way, I 
can use the sliders with gloss paper, and the deepest black is not 
powdery. I believe that paul roark accomplishes this with his curves. 
The 21 step strips are really good, and so are my prints. The bronzing 
is only in the lighter areas.  You can control the Other CMY curves 
there too, but it was getting complicated, so I am sticking to the 
sliders for now, and just using the adjustment to the Black transfer 
curve to print on pearl. With out using the ajdustment, the 21 step 
strip comes out all chalky on the dark end. Actually after dialing out 
the black at the very end, the black is blacker. Probably because it is 
mow glossy instead of dull.......I like the UT2 inks because of the 
tones. They are much better than lyson quadblacks which were a weird 
color to my eye. Have not really compared a print with Black-only yet. 
...thanks for all the help!... especially mr. Roark. Great website. We 
should take up a collection for you !....Doug M
On Aug 1, 2004, at 10:16 AM, Antonis wrote:

> Doug,
>
>
>  this may not be what you are interested in pursuing, but making your
>  own profiles can sometimes give you better control when you mix
>  and match inks and papers. Since you are on OS X, you should be
>  aware that there are 2 solutions that allow you to do that and they
>  are much cheaper than full-fledged RIP software.
>
>  If you have missed those discussions on the list, you can search for
>  either QTR (Quad Tone RIP) or IJC/OPM (InkjetControl/OpenPrintMaker).
>
>  Here are their respective sites:
>
> http://www.harrington.com/QuadToneRIP.html
>
> http://www.bowhaus.com/inkjetcontrol/
>
>
>  Either software will allow you to make your own profiles and so
>  control how much ink goes in what part of the grayscale. This
>  would help with overloading a glossy paper - a common problem.
>  It also lets you test different papers on the fly whether there are
>  (RGB workflow) curves for them or not. Software like that
>  doesn't care which inkset you are using or even in what
>  order your inks are loaded in the printer.
>  With grayscale profiles and these drivers you can accurately
>  and directly address each ink channel without going through the
>  Epson driver. One less variable to fight.
>
>  I have only used IJC/OPM and find that - once you get familiar with
>  its functions - making a basic profile for a new ink and paper is a 
> matter
>  of under a half hour and 2 or 3� sheets of paper. A new user will take
>  longer, of course, and you should be aware that there is a learning
>  curve. Also, a densitometer is needed for best control, but the
>  software lets you make quick profiles using a desktop scanner.
>  Frankly, I sometimes throw a decent profile together by eyeball
>  if I have an accurate print of a grayscale to compare to.
>
>
>  Of course, no software will make ink stick to paper when it doesn't
>  "want" to. Coating the print, especially on glossy media, is simply
>  part of the reality of inkjet printing right now.
>
>  As for glossy papers - I completely understand why you would
>  prefer the look. But I have gone back and forth, and, like Paul, have
>  taken the position that matte papers, even with a lower maximum
>  density (dMax), hold up to different display lighting better
>  because they avoid reflecting surrounding light surfaces.
>  Also, there are matte papers and matte papers....� everyone knows
>  Epson Enhanced Matte, but, if you haven't tried yet, give the
>  Hahnemuhle papers a shot (like Photo Rag). Very expensive, but
>  they deliver a deeper black and a richer surface.
>
>  Despite all that, I still appreciate a good glossy print for the
>  right image. I don't see matte as the one-that-fits-all.
>  The best I have seen so far in glossy papers is the Darkroom Range
>  Lyson Glossy. It only works with dye inks, however, and so is not
>  appropriate for your inkset right now.
>  Even then, prints made on that paper with Lyson dyes remain
>  water soluble after they dry and should really be coated to avoid
>  accidents in handling. Which goes to show you that, unfortunately,
>  there is still no perfect substitute for those glossy bw darkroom 
> prints
>  we all took for granted not so long ago!.....
>
>
>  Antonis
>
>
>
>  --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Douglas Meeuwsen
>  <lipshurt@m...> wrote:
>  > thanks again..... it seems like it would make more sense to use 
> curves
>  > from the output/transfer part of photoshop. Then there is a curve 
> for
>  > the black also. But really, I would rather just have something that
>  > just plain works. I am a musician, and most of my prints are from
>  > recording sessions, or concerts, of other musicians. Musicians are
>  > always happy to get some nice shots, and prints etc. They dont 
> really
>  > know anything about fine art papers, and are usually very 
> un-impressed
>  > by a matte print.� Quite frankly, to me it's just glorified xerox
>  > paper. I guess there is no real solution except printing with epson 
> ink
>  > on colorlife paper using black-only. I have some freinds that do BW
>  > chemical prints and they too dont think much of matte paper. I went 
> to
>  > the Del mar photography exhibit, and out of maybe 500 BW prints, I
>  > think there was one or two� prints that were on matte or fine art
>  > paper. All of them were semigloss. I'll see if I can get the UT2 to
>  > look as good as Black-only. It would be nice to get a warm tone
>  > sometimes.
>
>
>
>
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