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Digital BW, The Print

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Message

Re: Profiles: Are they valuable? Does Piezo have an Advantage? was FS

2001-12-02 by Martin Wesley

Steadman,

Actually I don't believe you can order a grayscale printer profile 
from a color management company. (If I am wrong, someone please let 
me know where.) As always B&W is more difficult. If is not just a 
profile you need but the separation curves are necessary to get the 
right inks into the right tonal ranges.

It is my understanding that none of the current profiling software 
packages will create a usable printer profile for a grayscale ink 
set. Profiler Pro will create a monitor profile of a grayscale ink 
set but not a useable profile.

Another point. You can buy just the Piezo software. Just order a 
Piezo kit for an 1160, toss the cartridges, if you are not interested 
in the Piezo ink, and use the printer and inks of your choice. It is 
still one of the best bargains around and well worth the price. A 
good monitor calibration package will cost you $200 to $400. I don't 
see a big deal in paying $335 to get into Piezo.

I am very happy that there are now alternative inks to go with this 
driver. That just broadens the choices for the end users which is 
best for all concerned.

Martin

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Steadman Uhlich" 
<steadmanuhlich@k...> wrote:
> Michael...
> 
> You mention below that  "you can have almost any profiling 
> service profile your inks and papers as printed on YOUR 
printer ..." 
> 
> Yep you could. But at what expense?  
> 
> Consider that Piezo software comes with professionally made 
profiles for about 30 papers or so.  
> 
> How much would that cost if done separately or through a profiling 
service?  
> 
> Venture to guess? 
> 
> And are they Grayscale profiles for quadtones or profiles for color 
inks? 
> 
> And what about the hassles of printing the targets and sending them 
to the profiling service and the time and expense of actually 
shipping them and the time wasted waiting for them to return...etc...
> 
> And what about low cost future additions to the profile list?  How 
much would that cost from the hypothetical profiling service?  
> 
> I think the profiles included with the Piezo system are the best 
bargain on the market for accurate and working and effective 
printing...assuming you want professional results.  
> 
> Of course someone may want to do their own profiles and buy their 
own software and other hardware tools needed to do so.  I sure 
don't.  I don't have the time. 
> 
> I like the fact that the profiles for Piezo are so....easy...and 
relatively cheap.   Yup...easy, inexpensive, effective,  and 
they "came in the box."  
> 
> Steadman
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Michael J. Kravit 
>   To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y... 
>   Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2001 1:50 PM
>   Subject: Re: [Digital BW] FS
> 
> 
>   "Julian Thomas" <julianthomas@t...> wrote:
>   ...BTW FS really is pretty close to ppiezo inks, slightly cooler, 
and 
>   you need to do a slight curve action to reduce contrast on files 
done 
>   for piezo inks, but once you have the monitor working space set 
up it 
>   is plug n play."
> 
>   Actually from testing done by a number of well placed experts 
(sound 
>   like a political spin) the MIS FS inks print with a 1 stop 
density 
>   loss using the Piezo Driver and a 1-1/2 stop loss in contrast.
> 
>   This should be easily fixable either in the ink formulation or as 
you 
>   suggest in using an adjustment curve.
> 
>   When working on new files I find this to not be an issue. But 
when 
>   printing old files that were created for Piezo, the density loss 
>   becomes evident so I have to create a second file to print with 
the 
>   MIS FS inks.
> 
>   A commercial RIP that has ICC/ICM profiles for papers and inks 
should 
>   take away this problem. That is the biggest difference between a 
>   professional RIP and the Piezo system. With the Piezography 
system 
>   you are dependent on IJM to profile your papers and provide you 
with 
>   the profiles. On an open RIP, you can have almost any profiling 
>   service profile your inks and papers as printed on YOUR printer 
and 
>   get accurate profiles.
> 
>   The plug and play aspect of the Piezo system is really very 
>   convenient and a big plus. Right now the Pro version of the Piezo 
RIP 
>   had new profiles for almost everyone of the newest papers on the 
>   market. I suspect that Cone will make them available for the Pulg-
In 
>   versions of the software very shortly.
> 
>   Mike
> 
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