Digital BW, The Print

A couple of people have told me they are interested in my experiments, 
so here goes: (remember that I know nothing, and simply do trial and 
error!)

Actually I think I have it dialed in, and it was pretty easy. I ended 
up printing maybe 25 test strips.

Early on I figured out that media = "glossy film" made a much smoother 
print than media = "photo paper" or any other setting in the 1280 
driver.
So that meant that I did not have to use 2880.

At first I was starting with the Curve (epson 4000?) from pauls website.

I gave up on that curve because of contrast, and shadow detail 
problems. Could not get a smooth 21 step strip.

Then I tried the ilford curve as a starting place. almost pretty good. 
Too cool, and too light in the shadows. Darkened the green curve a few 
tries, and boom. A test strip as nice as pauls curve on kirkland paper. 
(my basic benchmark)

I made a whole new glop curve that sends more glop down in the shadows, 
and not so much in the high mids, and more at the brightest highs.

I ended up with a print just as good as kirkland on semi-matte, with no 
bronzing. It is either more cool or more neutral. The kirkland print is 
a little warmer. I cant tell which is neutral. The semi-matte print is 
not as cool as the kirkland cool curve. The test print is a high 
contrast scene of a creek under a canopy of trees. Lots of shadows and 
highlights to deal with. It really has great blacks, just like 
kirkland. The smoothness is better than using 2880 with the photo paper 
setting.


Now I am going to try and make a carbon curve for the semi-matte.

If anybody want to try it, I can send you the curve.

Pretty nice way to spend a rainy day afternoon on my half-day off. Take 
care, Doug M