Digital BW, The Print

BTW the Epson driver still appears weak on matte paper.  Until QTR can drive
the 4800 I can't do specific tests but I found that dMax on Permajet Alpha
was weak at around L* 19.8.  Paul Roark can get much better results with IJC
(L* 15.9), more consistent with what I used to get with the 2100 and QTR.
HPR caps out at L* 17.8.  Epson still does not provide a mechanism for
increasing the ink limit.  This weak black ink load is such a disappointment
as one would expect it to be easily addresses.  Even their own Ultrasmooth
caps at L* 17.2.  A new driver was released Friday, together with new
firmware. But of course there are no release notes as to what has been
changed....


> From: Sam McCandless <samcc@...>
> Reply-To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 08:46:53 -0700
> To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: Re: [Digital BW] more 4800 first impressions
> 
> Here's a postscript to the review linked in the quote below (only the
> link in my previous post is live):
> 
>> When I first published my Epson 4800 review a couple of days ago I
>> criticized Epson for the continuing poor quality of their Mac
>> printer driver. It has subsequently been brought to my attention
>> that the fault for this lies more heavily with Apple than with
>> Epson, so I removed that section from the review as being
>> counterproductive.
>> 
>> I also have revisited the improvement in Dmax on Matte papers. My
>> initial comment was that it is not as noticeable as as with Glossy
>> papers, where the improvement is quite striking. On further
>> examination I must admit that I was too conservative in my initial
>> assessment. Blacks on matte paper are noticeably improved as well.
>> 
>> The bottom line is that with the new K3 Epson printers one gets more
>> saturated colours, better Dmax, reduced bronzing and reduced
>> metamerism. All of these are good things. But with the 4800 these
>> come with a price, the lack of ability to change between glossy and
>> matte papers without a serious hit in lost ink. What Epson giveth,
>> Epson taketh away. But it is the best photographic printer - ever. I
>> wanted perfection - damnit.
> 
> That's from Michael Reichmann, the proprietor of Luminous Landscape.
> 
> With any luck, I guess the next updates/upgrades of our favorite
> RIP's will provide us with both better drivers and the black-only
> (BO) mode some of us very much want as an option?
> 
> Is the feasibility of the black-only (BO) mode enough in doubt to
> justify postponing the purchase of a 2400? If I had a 2100/2200, or
> maybe even an 1800, I think I'd be content to wait and see. But I
> don't, and I'm itchy.
> --
> Sam