Digital BW, The Print

Michael,

Thank you for your reply to my post.
Your words are very reassuring to me - I was petrified I'd bought a 
dud.

I had absolutely no idea that the paper/ink/profile combination could 
result in the symptoms I described. 

If it is as you say, then I may as well sit back and wait for the ink 
to arrive and apply Paul's curves with his recommended Epson driver 
settings. No point in pulling my hair out:-)

I can understand the logic of color being out of whack if you use the 
wrong ink, paper and driver combination, but I must admit I cant see 
the relationship of a sharp tonal change to the ink, driver and paper 
combo ?

thanks,
Frank
> Frank,
> 
> If you are seeing a distinct jump in tone as you report than the 
profile that you are using is not optimized for the ink and/or paper 
combination. Gradations, depending on the printer dpi should be 
smooth and not "stepped". Since it appears that you are using the 
Epson driver and not a Piezo driver or a RIP, you might try different 
combinations of paper, dither, print speed, and rendering settings in 
the advanced section of the driver. 
> 
> You also say you are using a 3rd party dye substitute ink that has 
already been installed. Well that is a key to your problem. The Epson 
profiles are of course written for their 4 color dyes. You will have 
to profile your ink for all papers that you are using to get the 
correct output. It may not be worth the time or effort as your quads 
will be arriving soon.
> 
> I would make sure that the printer works fine, the nozzle checks 
are coming up with perfect patterns and the heads are aligned for the 
paper thickness. Then don't worry about posterization in the 
gradients. When you get your quads, you can fine tune your workflow. 
I assume you will be using Paul Roark's curves with the MIS VM inks. 
Paul developed these on the 1160 and should you still have a problem, 
Paul is very helpful and always around to offer advice.
> 
> Enjoy the world of cutting edge imaging.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Mike
> 
> Michael J. Kravit, AIA
> Architect/Photographer
> www.kravit.net/photography
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: frankg_photo 
>   To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y... 
>   Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2002 8:22 AM
>   Subject: [Digital BW] Is it "banding" or is it...?
> 
> 
>   Banding as illustrated in the 1160 's user manual has very 
distinct 
>   white lines - and if that's always the form it takes, then it's 
not 
>   what I have - what do I have ?
> 
>   I just took delivery of a used 1160 and am running some basic 
tests 
>   while I wait for my quad inks and cis to arrive. Using the 
already 
>   installed 3rd party dye substitutes for OEM ink, and some 8.5x11 
>   Epson Photo Paper (gloss). 
> 
>   I have run the Utility tab fixes for Nozzle Check & Clean, and 
the 
>   Head Allignment check/fix. Also the paper thickness lever is at 
0. 
> 
>   I first took a 21 step wedge (0 to 100%) with a narrow black to 
white 
>   gradient alongside it, and printed it on 6x4 inch Epson Photo 
Paper - 
>   all the steps printed clearly and the gradient looks smooth. So 
far 
>   so good.
> 
>   I then opened a new file at 8.5x11 (at 360 dpi), and created a 
simple 
>   black to white gradient, to simulate a clear featureless expanse 
like 
>   a cloudless sky, and printed it twice - once in RGB mode and the 
>   other time the mode was changed to Greyscale (2.2 gamma for 
Win98).I 
>   did these 2 prints on Epson Photo Paper at the 1440 setting 
(actually 
>   printed it several times to see if there would be any change).
> 
>   I observed slight "banding" or "whatever the problem may be 
called", 
>   in some areas and a little "horzontal texture":
>   On the RGB print -  
>   There is a distinct jump from white to tone somewhere between 0 
and 5 
>   % (holding the little stepwedge alongside it). And again around 
85 to 
>   90%.
>   The Greyscale print-
>   It generally looks a little better, but there is also a jump 
around 
>   5% and also around 95% and also at about 35 to 40%.
> 
>   This "jump" or "stuttering" or "slightly abrupt" tonal change 
(not 
>   sure how to verbally describe it, is fairly subtle and if I were 
to 
>   scan it and post a link, I'm not sure it would be easily 
perceived.
> 
>   Why would this be? And how should I interpret this result - is it 
>   cause for concern ? Is there a remedy I could try ? Obviously, 
few 
>   real world photos would contain such a featureless space as a 
black 
>   to white Photoshop gradient, but seems to make sense as a tonal 
>   transuition test.
> 
>   Can I expect a totally smoth & textureless range from 0 to 100% ? 
Is 
>   it a limit of a 4 col printer ? Your experience would be 
appreciated.
>   thank you
>   Frank
> 
> 
> 
> 
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