Digital BW, The Print

Executive Summary : Wow !

I finally received this used Epson 3000
from a long truck journey from one end of the USA
to the other... Utah to Florida.

When I did a first nozzle check, all looked fine,
and the head alignment required no change.

Using the installed Cone Piezo inks and Driver,
the 8x10 prints on EAM, Epson Prem Luster, and
a few others looked quite similar to that obtained
with a Quad MIS set on my E2000P : very small banding,
but quite worthy of display. I was pleased at the
performance of an 'old technology' printer with 
fat 12 uL dots.

Last night, I moved the paper guide margins to the extreme,
loaded in a 17x22 sheet of Somerset Velvet, and started the 
process. One hour, 15 minutes a print was created -
but What a print: it is absolutely Flawless. Even when
using a loupe, there is no banding at all. And of course,
the Cone drivers do an outstanding job of making the dots
invisible also.

I am truly amazed. I don't know if this is just a lucky
print or what, but I can surely say that when an Epson 3000
works, it works very, very well. 

I will print as much as I can with what is remaining of these 
Cone Piezo inks to establish a basis of comparison for when 
I swap to the MIS/MS set.

Happy new wide format owner,
Alex
Orlando Florida

Alex, just curious, was the paper you used here the Somerset Velvet 
coated, or was it the uncoated? Best, Mark R.

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "B. Alex Pettit 
Jr." <a_pettit_jr@y...> wrote:

> Executive Summary : Wow !
> 
> I finally received this used Epson 3000
> from a long truck journey from one end of the USA
> to the other... Utah to Florida.
> 
> When I did a first nozzle check, all looked fine,
> and the head alignment required no change.
> 
> Using the installed Cone Piezo inks and Driver,
> the 8x10 prints on EAM, Epson Prem Luster, and
> a few others looked quite similar to that obtained
> with a Quad MIS set on my E2000P : very small banding,
> but quite worthy of display. I was pleased at the
> performance of an 'old technology' printer with 
> fat 12 uL dots.
> 
> Last night, I moved the paper guide margins to the extreme,
> loaded in a 17x22 sheet of Somerset Velvet, and started the 
> process. One hour, 15 minutes a print was created -
> but What a print: it is absolutely Flawless. Even when
> using a loupe, there is no banding at all. And of course,
> the Cone drivers do an outstanding job of making the dots
> invisible also.
> 
> I am truly amazed. I don't know if this is just a lucky
> print or what, but I can surely say that when an Epson 3000
> works, it works very, very well. 
> 
> I will print as much as I can with what is remaining of these 
> Cone Piezo inks to establish a basis of comparison for when 
> I swap to the MIS/MS set.
> 
> Happy new wide format owner,
> Alex
> Orlando Florida

That was the uncoated. 
Alex

" <mark80905@h...> wrote:

> Alex, just curious, was the paper you used here the Somerset Velvet 
> coated, or was it the uncoated? Best, Mark R.
>

FYI,

I installed the MIS FS/Gen4K inkset and 
found it works flawless.

During performing a few test prints, however,
I accidentally loaded two sheets of Archival Matte:
slight banding was visible. I loaded one sheet : 
Perfect.

Thus I must conclude that some of the unsatisfactory 
print banding I've noted is as much a result of a 
paper's thickness as it is of its surface.

Best,
Alex

Alex,

>...I accidentally loaded two sheets of Archival Matte:
>slight banding was visible. I loaded one sheet :
>Perfect.

>Thus I must conclude that some of the unsatisfactory
>print banding I've noted is as much a result of a
>paper's thickness as it is of its surface.

Before I bought a 7500, I used a 3000 to print 16x20" prints.  I'd slice off
17" of a 24" roll of EAM/EEM.  To get the paper to feed (especially with
it's curl) I'd put the paper between 2 dampened Kodak blotter papers
(sprayed with distilled water).  This softened the EAM and allowed very easy
front-tray feeding.  I think the softening of the EAM made it act more like
a very thin piece of paper and wrap around the roller without any problems.
At any rate, EAM & the 3000 was/is a very economical way to get some great
16 x 20 prints.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com