Digital BW, The Print

In a message dated 1/30/05 2:13:24 PM, btvarner@... writes:


> Please keep in mid that I would really like the ability to product
> great prints on E surface looking papers in both b&w and color!
> 

Bruce-

The Epson 4000 is an excellent machine for producing both grayscale and color 
prints on E surface papers. You can accomplish this with either the UC inks 
or UT7. Given the inherent vagueness of "neutral", you can produce very good 
grayscale prints using the default profiles or printing curves in QTR, Bowhaus, 
ImagePrint, StudioPrint or ColorBurst. If you are inclined to get under the 
hood, and deal with the "nuts and bolt", all these RIP's allow customization. 
The methods vary, but each allows considerable control.

Generally speaking, accurate printing curves or profiles will make color 
shifts manageable and, better yet, minimize metamerism. You're going to get 
bronzing, though, using any pigment ink set on E surface papers.

I very much like being able to move from a grayscale to color print without 
changing printers or inks, and the 4000 is the machine for doing this. I would 
add, though, that at some point it becomes an aesthetic issue. Depending on 
the printing you want to do, and the look you want to accomplish, you may very 
well prefer the look of a quadtone ink set. The problem is that you'd have to 
make prints with all the various solutions, and printing paths, to really dig 
into this.



Bill Kennedy
Associate Professor of Photocommunications
St. Edward's University
512/448-8680


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