Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "firstlight2001" <TerryGls@...> wrote:
> 
> Are you saying after my first pass printing with PK ink to run the same paper thru the printer with a Gloss Only limit of 10 to 40%?
>
Not quite. Yes, run the same print through the printer again, but do not print the same file. Print a file filled with pure black (create one in photoshop). That way you get an even coat of GO over the whole image. The way you are doing it only gives GO in the dark and mid tones of your image. For the GO curve, just go into the QTR curve creation tool and make a curve with using only GL for the gray ink. Set the limit at 20. Name and save it with an appropriate name (GL20). Then make a couple more curves GL10 and GL40. Then try printing your black-filled file over the top of your already printed image using the GL20 curve. You can also try with the GL10 and GL40 curves to see if any of it deals with your bronzing problem. You can print over the top of your image 3 or 4 times to build up GL to see if helps. Try it, you may not like the effect and it may not get rid of bronzing.  

> I have printed the PK only ink with an initial 60% limit, then 50%...both too much ink coverage...but maybe I need a curve... then 40%...still no curve but the coverage looks pretty good...then I did a 35% PK and a Gloss of 40%...this should give the same results as your suggestion...in all cases the bronzing seems about the same...very "bronzed"...but the tone of the PK is very nice for what I like.
> 
Those sound like quite low ink limits. Have you read the QTR guide or help file to see how to set the ink limit? If not and if you do not have a spectro, just assume an appropriate ink limit of 75%. So to print your image just use the curve creation tool to make a curve using only the pk as the gray ink with a default limit of 75%. Print a radial gradient to see how linear the printer is (here are some suitable files http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/black_and_white_test.html) If there are noticeable steps in the gradient then your printer needs linearisation. You will need a spectro to linearise or Paul has a method on his website using a scanner.