Digital BW, The Print

I posted this question on the QTR forum, but have not yet had any replies - perhaps I will get some advice here.

I am about to start using a choice of paper curves not included in QTR for the Epson 1290.

I can follow Tom Moore's workflow when he shows an example using an Epson 2200 with the Epson supplied Ultratone inks, as that printer only uses black and light black for monochrome prints.

My setup uses an Epson 1290 with UT2 inks.

In Tom Moore's User Guide he says:-

"For Quadtone inks, this process is repeated for each lighter ink, comparing it to the next darker ink......."

The problem with the UT2 inks, is which are the lighter and darker inks, as they are not all descending tones of grey - the Magenta and Light Magenta positions are a Sepia colour, Cyan and Light Cyan are a greyish blue and the Yellow position is a light brown ?

Is the dark to light as they are printed out on the Calibration Ink Pattern, i.e. Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, Light Magenta.

As I have not yet obtained a densitometer do I need a colour one or can I take density measurements of these different "colours" with a black & white densitometer.

To quote Tom further:-

"Hardware Ink Limit

.....This can be done visually by just seeing the test print and deciding where the inks seem to max out -- i.e. fill the patch"

I realise this is where there are no white specks in the patch, so is this where you can't see a difference beween patches ?

I think I need an example of the method of obtaining curves for the 1290 with UT2 inks. Perhaps someone out there has done it.

Mel

On 7/01/2011 11:54 AM, Mel wrote:
> I posted this question on the QTR forum, but have not yet had any replies - perhaps I will get some advice here.
>
> I am about to start using a choice of paper curves not included in QTR for the Epson 1290.
Have you try loading some of the existing 1290 UT2 curves into the curve 
creator to see how the inks are used? That should answer your questions 
about how the inks are used in a curve.

Another possibility might be to use an existing curve for a similar 
paper and re-linearizing.

You shouldn't need a colour densitometer. QTR is only interested in 
density (or L*) in order to relinearize.

-- 
Tom

Tom Moore
Help make a difference; check out:

    www.little-angels.ca - Helping patients in need
    www.kiva.org - Loans that change lives



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thank you Tom - I've been using your Prem. Lustre curve "as is" for the Epson Semi Gloss, printed as a neutral print and seems to work quite well, with no metamerism in spite of only M, C, LM, and LC being used and no black (Eboni Black in the black position), using 2880 and uni directional

I've also been using the Epson Enhanced Matte curve for Epson Archival Matte (probably the same paper) - this curve obviously does use the Eboni Black.  I use 1440 super and uni directional.

Both of the above are used with only the one curve and 100% for all three tones.

The source of the matte prints I've done are from a Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 100 and enlarged in PhotoZoom to A3 and are pin sharp and I'm amazed at the quality.

The Semi Gloss prints are from 120 FP4+ negatives, taken with a Bronica ETRSi with MC lens and scanned on a Sprintscan 120 and enlarged to 144 mm. x 189 mm. (the same size to match the old silver prints, using an Ilford Pearl paper). After a lot of tweaking in PS and PWP I managed to equal, if not better the old silver print. 


Also thanks for the densitometer advice.

Mel  

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Tom Moore <rtmlists8888@...> wrote:

>
> On 7/01/2011 11:54 AM, Mel wrote:
> > I posted this question on the QTR forum, but have not yet had any replies - perhaps I will get some advice here.
> >
> > I am about to start using a choice of paper curves not included in QTR for the Epson 1290.
> Have you try loading some of the existing 1290 UT2 curves into the curve 
> creator to see how the inks are used? That should answer your questions 
> about how the inks are used in a curve.
> 
> Another possibility might be to use an existing curve for a similar 
> paper and re-linearizing.
> 
> You shouldn't need a colour densitometer. QTR is only interested in 
> density (or L*) in order to relinearize.
> 
> -- 
> Tom
> 
> Tom Moore
> Help make a difference; check out:
> 
>     www.little-angels.ca - Helping patients in need
>     www.kiva.org - Loans that change lives
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>