Dennis,
this seems like a color management issue: you can't get a print that matches
your screen (regardless of whether it is a monochrome or not).
You didn't fill in all the details, but here is a set of assumptions for the sake of
example:
- You work in RGB in Photoshop 6 or 7 and have a file whose color you like
under the Adobe98 working space.
-You optionally also look at that file through a preview setup that simulates
your print and it still looks OK without anything falling out of gamut.
- You have a custom profile specific to your ink and paper that normally
produces a good match to your screen when using the Epson driver under
specific settings (same as the ones used to make the profile).
- You use the colormanagement options in the Photoshop Print dialogue
wisely, setting the document color space to Adobe 98 and the print space to
your profile, choosing relative colorimetric as the intent etc.
- Your printer fires all nozzles with no banding or other head problems
If all the above were true, you should be getting good results. I suspect that
the weak link is the bit about the profile and having to run Gen 4 inks through
the Epson driver. The last-resort, by-the-seat-of-your-pants solution is to
compensate for the print by throwing a set of curves on the image so that it
won't look good to the monitor but will be fine when printed.
That, or, if this is something you do a lot of, look into better solutions such as
using ImagePrint or IJC/OPM (OS 9 mostly) or the QT RIP. I have been down
the path you describe with a 1270 and Gen 4. Not worth the trouble when I
can get spectacular sepia prints with the 2200 and IJC/OPM. More control,
less hassle, and no RGB files to mess with.
Antonis
--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Dennis Stein
<djstein@m...> wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> I am trying to print "sepia-toned" files with not much success. I have
> an Epson 1160 with Generations 4 inks, an iMac with OS 10.2.6, using
> Epson heavyweight matte and Brightcube Satine papers. I have tried
> Adobe RGB as the profile, have tried "duotones," have tried a number of
> profiles in the printer driver. Nothing seems to work. Monitor is
> calibrated. Image on-screen looks great, Prints have some color in
> parts of the image- mostly in shadows- and the mid-tones and highlights
> are green/blue. Looks more like split-tone than overall sepia tone.
> Any help would be appreciated. Let me know if you need more info.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dennis Stein
> Digital Imaging
> Fine Art Photography
> Web Design