Digital BW, The Print

How is your step wedge printing out? Are there noticeable breaks?

Chris Hargens

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "jacques10040" 
<jacques10040@y...> wrote:
> I've installed MIS VM ink carts on a 1280 and tried the Roark 
> workflow current on the MIS site, but my prints are coming out 
> slightly posterized in the midtones and lacking black. I've had the 
> latter problem using the Brandin workflow on an 1160 with MIS 
> original quadtones as well. The problem is not in the file: I'm an 
> experienced scanner, and one of the images is a professional 
> RGB drumscan.
> 
> 1) lack of black:
> I clipped a bit into the black to try to force the printer to use 
more 
> black ink in the deepest shadows, but these areas remain 
> unconvincing, and dark areas just turn muddy. I am now 
> tweaking the black channel in the transfer function, and that is 
> looking promising, but it darkens the image overall. I guess I 
> need to reduce the amount of dark gray ink used (cyan position?) 
> to offset the increase in black. Am I on the right track here?
> 
> 2) midtone posterization:
> Transitions in the midtones are not smooth. This is particularly 
> evident in shadow areas under the chin on a softly lit portrait. 
> Transitions from light to dark gray are abrupt, and separation 
> within the dark areas is lacking. The lack of black (stubble on the 
> chin, for example) makes dark areas look mushy.
> 
> These problems crop up with both warm and cool curves, worse 
> with the warm, and are not apparent on a calibrated monitor or in 
> prints made with Epson color ink or black ink only. I don't 
> understand how the Roark and Brandin curves were created, so 
> I have no idea how to go about modifying them. So, I'm tweaking 
> the transfer function instead. I'm aiming for a look similar to 
what 
> you get with the Epson black ink only, with plenty of pop and a 
full 
> range, but without the dottiness.
> 
> Anyone have any suggestion about how to address these two 
> issues? Thanks in advance.
> 
> Jacques Cornell