Digital BW, The Print

I got home last night at 10:00pm and found a box with my PiezographyICC
software.

Since I have an 1160 and didn't need to do anything other than install a
couple of profiles I thought I would give it a try.

I must say that my first impressions are very positive.

First, the screen preview is, in fact, incredibly close to what I get
printed out.

Second, the very faint, but apparent microbanding I have always had is gone,
replaced by an all but invisible dither pattern only discernable in certain
tones and at high magnification. This is an incredible improvement.

Third, I had to make very minor changes to my images. In general my old
images are too light when printed without changes. Luckily, I work with
unflattened adjustment layers in my images. So I just open the adjustment
layer, make some minor tweaks and print.

Fourth, it is great to be able to work in Photoshop while my image is
printing. This will double my productivity.

Fifth, I don't have a densitometer, but the max density definitely seems
blacker.

Sixth, the initial setup is a little confusing. It took me a while to figure
out which profiles I needed. It seems like they could have come up with a
better method of communicating this. There is a lot of reading to be done in
the manual and a lot of settings to confirm and or change to get things
working correctly. However, once set up, it is all pretty seamless and the
new settings don't screw anything up too much.

Seventh, it seems, after reading the manual, like people who are not using
Photoshop are in for a bit more of a quest for the right settings than I
experienced. But a careful reading of the manual should lead them in the
right direction.


This is only after a cursory look at three prints made last night, I am sure
we will all be discovering the traits of the new system in the days to come.

PiezographyICC
Epson 1160
PT Selenium with Portfolio Black (carts)
Hanemeuhle PhotoRag

Mac OX 10.3
Photoshop 7

Previously using ImageExportBW (R9)

James Haney

James,

>... PiezographyICC software ... 1160 ....

>I must say that my first impressions are very positive.

Good, I'm glad to see the new approach works.  I congratulate Jon Cone and
his team.  

I suspect the UT-2 inks will also allow ICCs and some color profiling
software to control them.  I'm not inclined to undertake that task, but I
suspect those with the equipment & software could make an interesting
variable-tone system with the approach.

>... microbanding I have always had is gone,

This is one reason I quit Piezo.  I had less banding with the Epson driver.

>replaced by an all but invisible dither pattern ...

I still used a partitioning approach to the Piezo inks, but the 1160 is
really good enough that a straight driver print with "No Color Adjustment"
makes a very nice print.  As a compromise, I have what a call a "mild" curve
that puts more light ink in the highlights and holds back the black, but
it's not a radical partitioning -- which is the cause of lots of trouble
with the older B&W approaches.

I'll be curious how the old 3000 does with the ICC approach.  I can't
imagine people are going to be happy with the dots, but maybe I've
underestimated the extent of control Jon can get with ICCs.

>... my old images are too light ...

My 1160 prints the Piezo/FS inks with a 50% density of 0.61.  With just the
Epson driver set to "No Color Adjustment" the new UT-FSN (Piezo-compatible
neutral/"selenium" inkset) prints with a 50% density of 0.49 (and a very
good ramp). 

(I don't think MIS has put the UT-FSN inkset on its web page.)

> it is great to be able to work in Photoshop while my image is printing.

This was another reason I quit using my Piezo software.

>... the max density definitely seems blacker.

Yep, this is another reason I quit the software.  It "under-prints" the
black with some of the "color" (gray) inks.  In older systems this was felt
to give smoother transitions and blacks, but with modern Epson printers it
just lowers the dmax.

Now if the system just had RC paper compatibility (read UT-FSN) and tone
controls (read UT-2)... 

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com