Digital BW, The Print

Bruce,

I seem to be in the minority in knowing how the HIghGloss Ultrachromes with 
the Gloss Optimiser (GLOP) seem to work, but I do have an R800, and I do 
have a Picturemate (that uses the same inks but without the GLOP cartridge). 
And I have a 2100 with the old Ultrachrome inks for comparison. And I have 
read the Epson literature on the subject!!

So, I have printed several hundred 6x4's on the Picturemate and the only 
differential gloss that they suffer from is that the white areas are less 
glossy than the inked areas. Dark areas are fully glossy (on the Picturemate 
paper which is probably just a lighter version of Premium Glossy). And they 
are the same on Premium Glossy which is also recommended for the 
Picturemate.

As for the R800 on which I have printed fewer but bigger A4 prints, it does 
have the GLOP cartridge, but you can turn it off in the driver and then the 
prints look exactly the same as the Picturemate prints - the white areas 
have less gloss than the inked areas. With the GLOP on, all the print is 
uniformly glossy. This glossy effect of these HighGloss Ultrachrome inks may 
be peculiar to the Premium Glossy paper, as on Epson Photo paper the inks 
show the differential effect that the old Ultrachromes on the 2100 show. So 
my current theory is that Epson may just have made the particles of the 
HighGloss Ultrachromes bigger so that they don't differentially soak in to 
the Premium Glossy Paper, but sit on the surface. Where there is no ink on 
the surface the GLOP cart puts some 'resin without pigment inside' on. You 
can also select in the driver to have the GLOP put on the white areas 
outside the image area, as well as the white areas inside.

What evidence, apart from mine. is there for this? Well, if anyone bothered 
to read what Epson say about the HighGloss Ultrachrome inks, they would find 
that they say the same.

1    Here is the Epson technical brief on the HighGloss Ultrachrome inks -

http://www.knoware.epson.com/library/RefMat/inkjets/UltraHiGlossTech.pdf

If you look at the next to bottom para on the first page, you will see the 
following:-
"Oftentimes with pigment inks, areas with no ink or low ink saturation won't 
display a uniform gloss level. The Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss Inks include a 
gloss optimizer that "fills in" those areas to ensure a uniform gloss level 
on the print-just like a photo lab print."

2    If you also look at the Epson PMA announcement at:-

http://www.pma-show.com/epson/001_stylus_R1800_printer.html

Under the 3rd picture down, headed 'R1800 perfect sunsets', you will see 
that Epson say:-

"Epson Gloss Optimizer ensures the balanced, brilliant shine of the image 
surface, and the black inks Matte and Photo Black provide automatic optimal 
results on gloss and matt media. However, Gloss Optimizer is only applied 
selectively to ink-free sections of the paper."



So, not only have you my experience with the only two printers that use 
these inks, but you have it from the 'horses mouth' - from Epson themselves.

We still don't know what exactly Epson have done to make the new 
Ultrachromes HighGloss, but my theory is probably as good as any at the 
moment.

What more do people want?

Hope you don't mind but I'm posting this reply to several lists to try and 
make people read the facts.

Bob Frost.

----- Original Message ----- 

From: "brucenorikane" <bnorikane@...>
To: <bob@...>
Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2005 6:06 PM
Subject: GLOP on white only


>
> Hi Bob,
>
> The glop on white areas only, makes sense, and I know you have seen
> some evidence, but are you sure?
>
> I don't have an R800, but some people that I've related this to were
> doubtful.  Doesn't make them right, but they believe that dark areas
> without glop showed some bronzing.  You probably know a lot more about
> Epson printing than they do, so I certainly believe you, but they
> thought that I was crazy.