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QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-06-28 by kiwikale

I just tried using both QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 for the first time with 
my Epson 2100 inkset. When I used Quadtone RIP my image came out 
extremely dark. So I then tested it with Gimp 4.2.5 (which I had to download to 
install QuadTone) and the image came out very very light in tone vs what I 
see in Photoshop. What am I doing wrong? 

My working space for the image in PS is Dot Gain 15. I am printing to 
Somerset Enhanced Velvet  paper. I am using the Epson matt black ink. My 
print space is set to SP 2100 Watercolor - RW_MK. In Gimp (and Quadtone) 
Printer Features the Basic Settings are set at Matt Paper (there is no 
watercolor in 4.2.5), 1440x1440 DPI Highest Quality, Photograph, Adaptive 
Hybrid, 7 Color Photo. The Quadtone Settings are 
Quadtone RIP and I am using a curve which is simply a duplicated and 
renamed (printer to correspond with the printer list, profile name to 2100-
neutral) example curve provided by Roy (2200-neutral).

Re: [Digital BW] QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-06-28 by Carl Schofield

I think the correct settings should be:  print space same as source,  
print resolution 1440x720 Highest quality (Don't use 1440x1440 - it  
floods too much ink on the paper).  The rest of your QTR settings look  
OK.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Saturday, June 28, 2003, at 04:12  AM, kiwikale wrote:

> I just tried using both QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 for the first  
> time with
> my Epson 2100 inkset. When I used Quadtone RIP my image came out
> extremely dark. So I then tested it with Gimp 4.2.5 (which I had to  
> download to
> install QuadTone) and the image came out very very light in tone vs  
> what I
> see in Photoshop. What am I doing wrong?
>
> My working space for the image in PS is Dot Gain 15. I am printing to
> Somerset Enhanced Velvet  paper. I am using the Epson matt black ink.  
> My
> print space is set to SP 2100 Watercolor - RW_MK. In Gimp (and  
> Quadtone)
> Printer Features the Basic Settings are set at Matt Paper (there is no
> watercolor in 4.2.5), 1440x1440 DPI Highest Quality, Photograph,  
> Adaptive
> Hybrid, 7 Color Photo. The Quadtone Settings are
> Quadtone RIP and I am using a curve which is simply a duplicated and
> renamed (printer to correspond with the printer list, profile name to  
> 2100-
> neutral) example curve provided by Roy (2200-neutral).
>
>
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Re: [Digital BW] QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-06-28 by kiwikale

Thanks for that.  Much better results with Quadtone RIP.  I guess I am now 
getting a bit confused and if anyone wants to give me a quick tutorial/
explanation I would appreciate it.  In the color world, I thought a standard 
workflow in PS was to work in a broad color gamut such as Adobe RGB 
(1998) and then define the print space to be the ICC profile for the paper/
printer combination used.  Then there is no postscript color management.  By 
using QTR or Gimp are we "color managing" in a postscript world?  (Forgive 
my ignorance if I am jumbling the wrong technical terms - I am very new to all 
this.)  If I print a colour doc with Gimp how do I tell it the color space of my 
output device?  Are these already loaded into Gimp and hence it is done 
when I select the output paper in the Gimp version applicable to my printer?  

Sorry for introducing colout to a B&W forum but I am really trying to 
understand this stuff.

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Carl Schofield <
scho@m...> wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> I think the correct settings should be:  print space same as source,  
> print resolution 1440x720 Highest quality (Don't use 1440x1440 - it  
> floods too much ink on the paper).  The rest of your QTR settings look  
> OK.
> 
> On Saturday, June 28, 2003, at 04:12  AM, kiwikale wrote:
> 
> > I just tried using both QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 for the first  
> > time with
> > my Epson 2100 inkset. When I used Quadtone RIP my image came out
> > extremely dark. So I then tested it with Gimp 4.2.5 (which I had to  
> > download to
> > install QuadTone) and the image came out very very light in tone vs  
> > what I
> > see in Photoshop. What am I doing wrong?
> >
> > My working space for the image in PS is Dot Gain 15. I am printing to
> > Somerset Enhanced Velvet  paper. I am using the Epson matt black ink.  
> > My
> > print space is set to SP 2100 Watercolor - RW_MK. In Gimp (and  
> > Quadtone)
> > Printer Features the Basic Settings are set at Matt Paper (there is no
> > watercolor in 4.2.5), 1440x1440 DPI Highest Quality, Photograph,  
> > Adaptive
> > Hybrid, 7 Color Photo. The Quadtone Settings are
> > Quadtone RIP and I am using a curve which is simply a duplicated and
> > renamed (printer to correspond with the printer list, profile name to  
> > 2100-
> > neutral) example curve provided by Roy (2200-neutral).
> >
> >
> > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor  
> > ---------------------~-->
> > Get A Free Psychic Reading! Your Online Answer To Life's Important  
> > Questions.
> > http://us.click.yahoo.com/Lj3uPC/Me7FAA/ySSFAA/ucIolB/TM
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> > ~->
> >
> > Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, Polls  
> > and other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:
> >
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint
> >
> > If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you wish  
> > to unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting  
> > this same page.
> >
> > Please follow these basic guidelines:
> > - Include your full name with your message.
> > - Include the address of your website, if you have one.
> > - As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to  
> > keep them short.
> > - As the topic of a thread changes remember to change the subject  
> > header.
> > - Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or flames
> > - Complete your Yahoo profile.
> > - Before posting a question, search the message archives and the  
> > various resources on the homepage.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to  
> > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> >
> >

Re: [Digital BW] QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-06-28 by Reinier van der Ryst

Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2003 10:12
Show quoted textHide quoted text
Subject: [Digital BW] QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100
inkset.


> I just tried using both QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 for the first time
with
> my Epson 2100 inkset.

QuadTone RIP 2 needs Gimp-Print 4.3.5 (or later?) to work correctly.
I asked the same question of Roy. QTR2 needs certain functions which is only
available in the Gimp-Print 4.3 unstable series.

Re: [Digital BW] QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-06-28 by Roy Harrington

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Reinier 
van der Ryst" <rvdryst@t...> wrote:
> Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2003 10:12
> Subject: [Digital BW] QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with 
Epson 2100
> inkset.
> 
> 
> > I just tried using both QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 for 
the first time
> with
> > my Epson 2100 inkset.
> 
> QuadTone RIP 2 needs Gimp-Print 4.3.5 (or later?) to work 
correctly.
> I asked the same question of Roy. QTR2 needs certain 
functions which is only
> available in the Gimp-Print 4.3 unstable series.

Maybe I should clarify the situtation.

On the Mac download, QuadToneRIP 2.0 contains all the
Gimp-Print 4.3.5 code that IT needs, so there's no need to
download a 4.3 version.

You can still download a Gimp-Print 4.2.5 for color work or
actually who should be able to use the QuadToneRIP
drivers for color as well -- just select Color in the print
dialog under QuadToneRIP Settings.

Roy

Re: [Digital BW] QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-06-29 by kiwikale

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Roy Harrington" <
roy@h...> wrote:
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Reinier 
> van der Ryst" <rvdryst@t...> wrote:
> > Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2003 10:12
> > Subject: [Digital BW] QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with 
> Epson 2100
> > inkset.
> > 
> > 
> > > I just tried using both QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 for 
> the first time
> > with
> > > my Epson 2100 inkset.
> > 
> > QuadTone RIP 2 needs Gimp-Print 4.3.5 (or later?) to work 
> correctly.
> > I asked the same question of Roy. QTR2 needs certain 
> functions which is only
> > available in the Gimp-Print 4.3 unstable series.
> 
> Maybe I should clarify the situtation.
> 
> On the Mac download, QuadToneRIP 2.0 contains all the
> Gimp-Print 4.3.5 code that IT needs, so there's no need to
> download a 4.3 version.
> 
> You can still download a Gimp-Print 4.2.5 for color work or
> actually who should be able to use the QuadToneRIP
> drivers for color as well -- just select Color in the print
> dialog under QuadToneRIP Settings.
> 
> Roy


Thanks Roy.  I  uninstalled the latest (4.3.17) version of Gimp because I could 
not get it to work with my 2100.  It would spool the job to the printer as though 
everything was fine (albeit very quickly) but then nothing would come out.  So 
at the moment I am only using 4.2.5.  I guess I could go to 4.2.6 pre1.  

So far I have just run 3 test prints using the settings suggested/corrected in 
earlier postings (now print space in PS "same as source", 1440x720 Highest 
Quality etc): Roy's QTR (2200) neutral and warm and then a straight Gimp 
4.2.5.  

In the 2 QTR prints I found I lost a lot of detail in the shadows vs using the 
Epson driver (defining the print space in PS as the ICC profile for watercolor 
paper with the matt black and no further "color" mgt).  The prints were as if 
there was a loss of about 1/2 - 3/4 stop exposure.  However, the Epson driver 
tends to be plagued by a degree of metamerism as we all know.  Tough trade 
off as in the test print I did the metamerism was not that bad and the loss of 
shadow detail in QTR was.  I guess this is because with QTR the use of color 
is restricted to govern metamerism and hence tonal range is reduced?

The Gimp print came out really badly.   It is as if the printer skipped a half 
millimetre every half millimetre creating an effect not dissimilar to that on 
some bank notes ie very fine horizontal lines where no ink was placed.  (I did 
this print twice because I thought I had made a mistake the first time).  I don't 
know what is up with this.....

Re: [Digital BW] QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-06-29 by Carl Schofield

On Sunday, June 29, 2003, at 06:36  AM, kiwikale wrote:
> So far I have just run 3 test prints using the settings 
> suggested/corrected in
> earlier postings (now print space in PS "same as source", 1440x720 
> Highest
> Quality etc): Roy's QTR (2200) neutral and warm and then a straight 
> Gimp
> 4.2.5.
>
> In the 2 QTR prints I found I lost a lot of detail in the shadows vs 
> using the
> Epson driver (defining the print space in PS as the ICC profile for 
> watercolor
> paper with the matt black and no further "color" mgt).  The prints 
> were as if
> there was a loss of about 1/2 - 3/4 stop exposure.  However, the Epson 
> driver
> tends to be plagued by a degree of metamerism as we all know.  Tough 
> trade
> off as in the test print I did the metamerism was not that bad and the 
> loss of
> shadow detail in QTR was.  I guess this is because with QTR the use of 
> color
> is restricted to govern metamerism and hence tonal range is reduced?

I was able to reproduce your problem with poor shadow detail and it 
appears to be due to the Dot Gain15 gray working space you were using 
in Photoshop.  I suggest that you use gray gamma 2.2 instead to 
eliminate this problem and if your file has the Dot Gain 15 profile 
imbedded make sure it is converted to gamma 2.2 in Photoshop before 
printing.  You should then be able to get good shadow detail with the 
2200 profiles.

Re: QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-06-29 by kiwikale

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Carl Schofield <
scho@m...> wrote:
> 
> On Sunday, June 29, 2003, at 06:36  AM, kiwikale wrote:
> > So far I have just run 3 test prints using the settings 
> > suggested/corrected in
> > earlier postings (now print space in PS "same as source", 1440x720 
> > Highest
> > Quality etc): Roy's QTR (2200) neutral and warm and then a straight 
> > Gimp
> > 4.2.5.
> >
> > In the 2 QTR prints I found I lost a lot of detail in the shadows vs 
> > using the
> > Epson driver (defining the print space in PS as the ICC profile for 
> > watercolor
> > paper with the matt black and no further "color" mgt).  The prints 
> > were as if
> > there was a loss of about 1/2 - 3/4 stop exposure.  However, the Epson 
> > driver
> > tends to be plagued by a degree of metamerism as we all know.  Tough 
> > trade
> > off as in the test print I did the metamerism was not that bad and the 
> > loss of
> > shadow detail in QTR was.  I guess this is because with QTR the use of 
> > color
> > is restricted to govern metamerism and hence tonal range is reduced?
> 
> I was able to reproduce your problem with poor shadow detail and it 
> appears to be due to the Dot Gain15 gray working space you were using 
> in Photoshop.  I suggest that you use gray gamma 2.2 instead to 
> eliminate this problem and if your file has the Dot Gain 15 profile 
> imbedded make sure it is converted to gamma 2.2 in Photoshop before 
> printing.  You should then be able to get good shadow detail with the 
> 2200 profiles.

Hmmm..... I tried this but to little avail.  I also tried Gray Gamma 1.8 which I 
note PS says is the default gamma for Mac OS computers like mine.  All three 
prints are, as best as I can tell, identical.  

I am wondering if the effect that I am witnessing is simply the Epson driver 
"pushing" the exposure a tad.

At any rate, I am getting even more puzzled by a "same as source" workflow.  I 
went through the videos on the piezography website today.  Their path of 
establishing an ICC profile for a particular ink, paper, printer combination 
makes intuitive sense to me.  You can proof setup and, theoretically at least, 
what you see is what you get.  That is, the mapping of colour or grayscale 
reproduction (as I understand it)  is done within PS at the proof or print with 
preview stage and not by the print driver.  In a same as source workflow any 
mapping is (as I understand it) done outside of PS and so changing the 
workspace in PS should not affect the output (assuming the print driver is 
equally adept at mapping all of the various PS workspaces).  Therefore I am 
somewhat comforted to find that it did not affect things today else my general 
understanding of all this stuff would have been really screwed up.

When Gimp or others say they have tuned matt black and watercolor paper for 
the Epson 2100/2200, are they in part saying that (a) the driver can recognise 
automatically whether matt is loaded and (b) therefore when you select 
watercolor paper it loads and uses a profile for that printer, matt ink, 
watercolor paper combo?

Confused....

Re: [Digital BW] Re: QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-06-29 by Carl Schofield

You should see a dramatic difference in the prints made with a gray 
working space of gamma 2.2 and Dot Gain 15, if the image file has been 
converted to those respective working spaces before printing.  Try the 
following to make sure your settings are correct and that you have an 
image file that is properly tagged:
1. Set your gray working space in Photoshop to Gamma 2.2.
2. Open the 21-step.psd file (from the QTR images folder) in Photoshop. 
  It should be already tagged as gray gamma 2.2, if not convert it.
3. Page setup - select your QTR 2200 printer from the list in "Format 
for:"
4. Print with preview - you should see Source space selected and  
Document: gray gamma 2.2 and Print space: Profile should be set for 
Same as Source.
5. Print: make sure again that your QTR 2200 printer is selected in the 
printer list
6. printer features, basic: matte paper, 1440x720 Highest quality, 
photograph, adaptive hybrid, and seven color.
7. printer features: QTR settings, output mode: quadtone rip, curve 1: 
2200-warm, curve 2: 2200-cool, blend: 50-50 (or just select one curve 
with blend at 100-0).
8. print

Here is a plot showing the density curves for the above mentioned file, 
printed as described above and printed again after conversion to a Dot 
Gain 15 working space:  http://homepage.mac.com/scho/comp.jpg
I think you can clearly see that the densities are higher for the Dot 
Gain 15 print and that this print is also flat in the shadow area.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Sunday, June 29, 2003, at 03:29  PM, kiwikale wrote:

> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Carl Schofield <
> scho@m...> wrote:
>>
>> On Sunday, June 29, 2003, at 06:36  AM, kiwikale wrote:
>>> So far I have just run 3 test prints using the settings
>>> suggested/corrected in
>>> earlier postings (now print space in PS "same as source", 1440x720
>>> Highest
>>> Quality etc): Roy's QTR (2200) neutral and warm and then a straight
>>> Gimp
>>> 4.2.5.
>>>
>>> In the 2 QTR prints I found I lost a lot of detail in the shadows vs
>>> using the
>>> Epson driver (defining the print space in PS as the ICC profile for
>>> watercolor
>>> paper with the matt black and no further "color" mgt).  The prints
>>> were as if
>>> there was a loss of about 1/2 - 3/4 stop exposure.  However, the 
>>> Epson
>>> driver
>>> tends to be plagued by a degree of metamerism as we all know.  Tough
>>> trade
>>> off as in the test print I did the metamerism was not that bad and 
>>> the
>>> loss of
>>> shadow detail in QTR was.  I guess this is because with QTR the use 
>>> of
>>> color
>>> is restricted to govern metamerism and hence tonal range is reduced?
>>
>> I was able to reproduce your problem with poor shadow detail and it
>> appears to be due to the Dot Gain15 gray working space you were using
>> in Photoshop.  I suggest that you use gray gamma 2.2 instead to
>> eliminate this problem and if your file has the Dot Gain 15 profile
>> imbedded make sure it is converted to gamma 2.2 in Photoshop before
>> printing.  You should then be able to get good shadow detail with the
>> 2200 profiles.
>
> Hmmm..... I tried this but to little avail.  I also tried Gray Gamma 
> 1.8 which I
> note PS says is the default gamma for Mac OS computers like mine.  All 
> three
> prints are, as best as I can tell, identical.
>
> I am wondering if the effect that I am witnessing is simply the Epson 
> driver
> "pushing" the exposure a tad.
>
> At any rate, I am getting even more puzzled by a "same as source" 
> workflow.  I
> went through the videos on the piezography website today.  Their path 
> of
> establishing an ICC profile for a particular ink, paper, printer 
> combination
> makes intuitive sense to me.  You can proof setup and, theoretically 
> at least,
> what you see is what you get.  That is, the mapping of colour or 
> grayscale
> reproduction (as I understand it)  is done within PS at the proof or 
> print with
> preview stage and not by the print driver.  In a same as source 
> workflow any
> mapping is (as I understand it) done outside of PS and so changing the
> workspace in PS should not affect the output (assuming the print 
> driver is
> equally adept at mapping all of the various PS workspaces).  Therefore 
> I am
> somewhat comforted to find that it did not affect things today else my 
> general
> understanding of all this stuff would have been really screwed up.
>
> When Gimp or others say they have tuned matt black and watercolor 
> paper for
> the Epson 2100/2200, are they in part saying that (a) the driver can 
> recognise
> automatically whether matt is loaded and (b) therefore when you select
> watercolor paper it loads and uses a profile for that printer, matt 
> ink,
> watercolor paper combo?
>
> Confused....

Re: QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-06-30 by kiwikale

Ok I can see the differences in the step file and I will take another look at/redo the 
test prints.  Can I ask why Gray Gamma 2.2 vs 1.8 (ie the default gamma for Macs)?  

Also there is an enormous amount I have to learn about curves etc.  Where is a good 
place to start?  I was reading some of the workflow material on the MIS website.  I 
guess I can simply "follow instructions" but that isn't really enough for me.  I would 
like to understand this stuff - at least partially.  For example, I was really puzzled as 
to why one would "Edit the image in grayscale mode, save it, and then convert the 
mode to RGB for printing."  The color world seems relatively straight forward with the 
use of ICC profiles while B&W seems to be all over the place.  Any pointers to 
tutorials/books etc would be greatly appreciated.  I need to start with the basics.

(Also if anyone knows any good courses in this stuff in the London area I would 
greatly appreciate it.)





--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Carl Schofield <scho@m...> 
wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> You should see a dramatic difference in the prints made with a gray 
> working space of gamma 2.2 and Dot Gain 15, if the image file has been 
> converted to those respective working spaces before printing.  Try the 
> following to make sure your settings are correct and that you have an 
> image file that is properly tagged:
> 1. Set your gray working space in Photoshop to Gamma 2.2.
> 2. Open the 21-step.psd file (from the QTR images folder) in Photoshop. 
>   It should be already tagged as gray gamma 2.2, if not convert it.
> 3. Page setup - select your QTR 2200 printer from the list in "Format 
> for:"
> 4. Print with preview - you should see Source space selected and  
> Document: gray gamma 2.2 and Print space: Profile should be set for 
> Same as Source.
> 5. Print: make sure again that your QTR 2200 printer is selected in the 
> printer list
> 6. printer features, basic: matte paper, 1440x720 Highest quality, 
> photograph, adaptive hybrid, and seven color.
> 7. printer features: QTR settings, output mode: quadtone rip, curve 1: 
> 2200-warm, curve 2: 2200-cool, blend: 50-50 (or just select one curve 
> with blend at 100-0).
> 8. print
> 
> Here is a plot showing the density curves for the above mentioned file, 
> printed as described above and printed again after conversion to a Dot 
> Gain 15 working space:  http://homepage.mac.com/scho/comp.jpg
> I think you can clearly see that the densities are higher for the Dot 
> Gain 15 print and that this print is also flat in the shadow area.
> 
> On Sunday, June 29, 2003, at 03:29  PM, kiwikale wrote:
> 
> > --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Carl Schofield <
> > scho@m...> wrote:
> >>
> >> On Sunday, June 29, 2003, at 06:36  AM, kiwikale wrote:
> >>> So far I have just run 3 test prints using the settings
> >>> suggested/corrected in
> >>> earlier postings (now print space in PS "same as source", 1440x720
> >>> Highest
> >>> Quality etc): Roy's QTR (2200) neutral and warm and then a straight
> >>> Gimp
> >>> 4.2.5.
> >>>
> >>> In the 2 QTR prints I found I lost a lot of detail in the shadows vs
> >>> using the
> >>> Epson driver (defining the print space in PS as the ICC profile for
> >>> watercolor
> >>> paper with the matt black and no further "color" mgt).  The prints
> >>> were as if
> >>> there was a loss of about 1/2 - 3/4 stop exposure.  However, the 
> >>> Epson
> >>> driver
> >>> tends to be plagued by a degree of metamerism as we all know.  Tough
> >>> trade
> >>> off as in the test print I did the metamerism was not that bad and 
> >>> the
> >>> loss of
> >>> shadow detail in QTR was.  I guess this is because with QTR the use 
> >>> of
> >>> color
> >>> is restricted to govern metamerism and hence tonal range is reduced?
> >>
> >> I was able to reproduce your problem with poor shadow detail and it
> >> appears to be due to the Dot Gain15 gray working space you were using
> >> in Photoshop.  I suggest that you use gray gamma 2.2 instead to
> >> eliminate this problem and if your file has the Dot Gain 15 profile
> >> imbedded make sure it is converted to gamma 2.2 in Photoshop before
> >> printing.  You should then be able to get good shadow detail with the
> >> 2200 profiles.
> >
> > Hmmm..... I tried this but to little avail.  I also tried Gray Gamma 
> > 1.8 which I
> > note PS says is the default gamma for Mac OS computers like mine.  All 
> > three
> > prints are, as best as I can tell, identical.
> >
> > I am wondering if the effect that I am witnessing is simply the Epson 
> > driver
> > "pushing" the exposure a tad.
> >
> > At any rate, I am getting even more puzzled by a "same as source" 
> > workflow.  I
> > went through the videos on the piezography website today.  Their path 
> > of
> > establishing an ICC profile for a particular ink, paper, printer 
> > combination
> > makes intuitive sense to me.  You can proof setup and, theoretically 
> > at least,
> > what you see is what you get.  That is, the mapping of colour or 
> > grayscale
> > reproduction (as I understand it)  is done within PS at the proof or 
> > print with
> > preview stage and not by the print driver.  In a same as source 
> > workflow any
> > mapping is (as I understand it) done outside of PS and so changing the
> > workspace in PS should not affect the output (assuming the print 
> > driver is
> > equally adept at mapping all of the various PS workspaces).  Therefore 
> > I am
> > somewhat comforted to find that it did not affect things today else my 
> > general
> > understanding of all this stuff would have been really screwed up.
> >
> > When Gimp or others say they have tuned matt black and watercolor 
> > paper for
> > the Epson 2100/2200, are they in part saying that (a) the driver can 
> > recognise
> > automatically whether matt is loaded and (b) therefore when you select
> > watercolor paper it loads and uses a profile for that printer, matt 
> > ink,
> > watercolor paper combo?
> >
> > Confused....

Re: [Digital BW] Re: QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-07-01 by Carl Schofield

There is an interesting thread in Roger Gailbraith's color management  
forum that addresses the question of gamma 1.8 vs 2.2 on the Mac.  See  
in particular Ian Lyon's comments at this point in the thread:
http://www.robgalbraith.com/ubbthreads/ 
showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB3&Number=146760&Forum=All_Forums&Words=gamma% 
201.8&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=1week&Main=140325& 
Search=true#Post146760
The url is long, so you may have to copy/paste to use it.

There are several workflows and RIPs available for printing B&W.  The  
QuadTone RIP and OPM/IJC use grayscale input, but the MIS VM/Ultratone  
workflow uses curves applied in RGB mode prior to printing.  I don't  
know of any specific books that describe/compare these workflows in  
detail, but perhaps other group members may be able to help you.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Monday, June 30, 2003, at 04:12  PM, kiwikale wrote:

> Ok I can see the differences in the step file and I will take another  
> look at/redo the
> test prints.  Can I ask why Gray Gamma 2.2 vs 1.8 (ie the default  
> gamma for Macs)?
>
> Also there is an enormous amount I have to learn about curves etc.   
> Where is a good
> place to start?  I was reading some of the workflow material on the  
> MIS website.  I
> guess I can simply "follow instructions" but that isn't really enough  
> for me.  I would
> like to understand this stuff - at least partially.  For example, I  
> was really puzzled as
> to why one would "Edit the image in grayscale mode, save it, and then  
> convert the
> mode to RGB for printing."  The color world seems relatively straight  
> forward with the
> use of ICC profiles while B&W seems to be all over the place.  Any  
> pointers to
> tutorials/books etc would be greatly appreciated.  I need to start  
> with the basics.
>
> (Also if anyone knows any good courses in this stuff in the London  
> area I would
> greatly appreciate it.)
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Carl Schofield  
> <scho@m...>
> wrote:
>> You should see a dramatic difference in the prints made with a gray
>> working space of gamma 2.2 and Dot Gain 15, if the image file has been
>> converted to those respective working spaces before printing.  Try the
>> following to make sure your settings are correct and that you have an
>> image file that is properly tagged:
>> 1. Set your gray working space in Photoshop to Gamma 2.2.
>> 2. Open the 21-step.psd file (from the QTR images folder) in  
>> Photoshop.
>>   It should be already tagged as gray gamma 2.2, if not convert it.
>> 3. Page setup - select your QTR 2200 printer from the list in "Format
>> for:"
>> 4. Print with preview - you should see Source space selected and
>> Document: gray gamma 2.2 and Print space: Profile should be set for
>> Same as Source.
>> 5. Print: make sure again that your QTR 2200 printer is selected in  
>> the
>> printer list
>> 6. printer features, basic: matte paper, 1440x720 Highest quality,
>> photograph, adaptive hybrid, and seven color.
>> 7. printer features: QTR settings, output mode: quadtone rip, curve 1:
>> 2200-warm, curve 2: 2200-cool, blend: 50-50 (or just select one curve
>> with blend at 100-0).
>> 8. print
>>
>> Here is a plot showing the density curves for the above mentioned  
>> file,
>> printed as described above and printed again after conversion to a Dot
>> Gain 15 working space:  http://homepage.mac.com/scho/comp.jpg
>> I think you can clearly see that the densities are higher for the Dot
>> Gain 15 print and that this print is also flat in the shadow area.
>>
>> On Sunday, June 29, 2003, at 03:29  PM, kiwikale wrote:
>>
>>> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Carl Schofield <
>>> scho@m...> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On Sunday, June 29, 2003, at 06:36  AM, kiwikale wrote:
>>>>> So far I have just run 3 test prints using the settings
>>>>> suggested/corrected in
>>>>> earlier postings (now print space in PS "same as source", 1440x720
>>>>> Highest
>>>>> Quality etc): Roy's QTR (2200) neutral and warm and then a straight
>>>>> Gimp
>>>>> 4.2.5.
>>>>>
>>>>> In the 2 QTR prints I found I lost a lot of detail in the shadows  
>>>>> vs
>>>>> using the
>>>>> Epson driver (defining the print space in PS as the ICC profile for
>>>>> watercolor
>>>>> paper with the matt black and no further "color" mgt).  The prints
>>>>> were as if
>>>>> there was a loss of about 1/2 - 3/4 stop exposure.  However, the
>>>>> Epson
>>>>> driver
>>>>> tends to be plagued by a degree of metamerism as we all know.   
>>>>> Tough
>>>>> trade
>>>>> off as in the test print I did the metamerism was not that bad and
>>>>> the
>>>>> loss of
>>>>> shadow detail in QTR was.  I guess this is because with QTR the use
>>>>> of
>>>>> color
>>>>> is restricted to govern metamerism and hence tonal range is  
>>>>> reduced?
>>>>
>>>> I was able to reproduce your problem with poor shadow detail and it
>>>> appears to be due to the Dot Gain15 gray working space you were  
>>>> using
>>>> in Photoshop.  I suggest that you use gray gamma 2.2 instead to
>>>> eliminate this problem and if your file has the Dot Gain 15 profile
>>>> imbedded make sure it is converted to gamma 2.2 in Photoshop before
>>>> printing.  You should then be able to get good shadow detail with  
>>>> the
>>>> 2200 profiles.
>>>
>>> Hmmm..... I tried this but to little avail.  I also tried Gray Gamma
>>> 1.8 which I
>>> note PS says is the default gamma for Mac OS computers like mine.   
>>> All
>>> three
>>> prints are, as best as I can tell, identical.
>>>
>>> I am wondering if the effect that I am witnessing is simply the Epson
>>> driver
>>> "pushing" the exposure a tad.
>>>
>>> At any rate, I am getting even more puzzled by a "same as source"
>>> workflow.  I
>>> went through the videos on the piezography website today.  Their path
>>> of
>>> establishing an ICC profile for a particular ink, paper, printer
>>> combination
>>> makes intuitive sense to me.  You can proof setup and, theoretically
>>> at least,
>>> what you see is what you get.  That is, the mapping of colour or
>>> grayscale
>>> reproduction (as I understand it)  is done within PS at the proof or
>>> print with
>>> preview stage and not by the print driver.  In a same as source
>>> workflow any
>>> mapping is (as I understand it) done outside of PS and so changing  
>>> the
>>> workspace in PS should not affect the output (assuming the print
>>> driver is
>>> equally adept at mapping all of the various PS workspaces).   
>>> Therefore
>>> I am
>>> somewhat comforted to find that it did not affect things today else  
>>> my
>>> general
>>> understanding of all this stuff would have been really screwed up.
>>>
>>> When Gimp or others say they have tuned matt black and watercolor
>>> paper for
>>> the Epson 2100/2200, are they in part saying that (a) the driver can
>>> recognise
>>> automatically whether matt is loaded and (b) therefore when you  
>>> select
>>> watercolor paper it loads and uses a profile for that printer, matt
>>> ink,
>>> watercolor paper combo?
>>>
>>> Confused....
>
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[Digital BW] Re: QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-07-01 by kiwikale

Carl

Thanks for the help on all this - I really appreciate it.  Seems from this thread the 
gamma debate is far from conclusive.  As I am new to this whole game I have not 
moved from the out-of-the-box display settings on my G4 Powerbook.  If you have 
any recommendations on this I would appreciate it.

Regards

Steve


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Carl Schofield <scho@m...> 
wrote:
> Sorry, error in url I posted above.  Try this one:
> http://www.robgalbraith.com/ubbthreads/ 
> 
showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=UBB3&Number=146760&page=0&view=collapsed&s
b= 
> 5&o=&vc=1

[Digital BW] Re: QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-07-02 by Carl Schofield

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "kiwikale" <stevekale@b...> 
wrote:
> Carl
> 
> Thanks for the help on all this - I really appreciate it.  Seems from this thread the 
> gamma debate is far from conclusive.  As I am new to this whole game I have not 
> moved from the out-of-the-box display settings on my G4 Powerbook.  If you have 
> any recommendations on this I would appreciate it.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Steve

Steve,

Ian's argument for gamma 2.2 seemed logical to me so I followed his advice and used 
the method described in the tutorial he prepared to calibrate my monitor (LCD):
http://www.computer-darkroom.com/colorsync-display/colorsync_2.htm
If you haven't visited his site before, he also has some excellent tutorials on color 
management for Mac users.

Regards,
Carl

[Digital BW] Re: QuadTone RIP 2.0 and Gimp 4.2.5 with Epson 2100 inkset.

2003-07-02 by kiwikale

Carl

Thanks again.  I had dabbled with this yesterday but it is a lot easier when there is an 
accompanying dialogue explaining the whys and wherefors.  I've got a lot of reading 
to do....hopefully I will get some time to take some photos as well!


Cheers

Steve

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Carl Schofield" 
<scho@m...> wrote:
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "kiwikale" 
<stevekale@b...> 
> wrote:
> > Carl
> > 
> > Thanks for the help on all this - I really appreciate it.  Seems from this thread the 
> > gamma debate is far from conclusive.  As I am new to this whole game I have not 
> > moved from the out-of-the-box display settings on my G4 Powerbook.  If you 
have 
> > any recommendations on this I would appreciate it.
> > 
> > Regards
> > 
> > Steve
> 
> Steve,
> 
> Ian's argument for gamma 2.2 seemed logical to me so I followed his advice and 
used 
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> the method described in the tutorial he prepared to calibrate my monitor (LCD):
> http://www.computer-darkroom.com/colorsync-display/colorsync_2.htm
> If you haven't visited his site before, he also has some excellent tutorials on color 
> management for Mac users.
> 
> Regards,
> Carl

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