Digital BW, The Print

Can anyone recommend B&W quad set for Epson 7000 ?
MIS?  
The only OSX RIP for the 7000 seems to be Bowhaus - any experience setting this up?

I intend to output large positves on Pictorico OHP transparency material for darkroom 
contact process (polymer gravure).

Max Density range (transmission)  required is :  D 0.4 - D 1.7

(methods a la Dan Burkholder).

Any guidance on this appreciated.


Do not want to sell 7000 (prob not possible now)  and buy Epson 7800  /RIP / K3 etc..

> Can anyone recommend B&W quad set for Epson 7000 ?

Considering the size of the dots, I would lean towards a
set with many grays such as the K7 (adaptable to 6 positions).
Please note that this is not an inkset I've printed with - yet.

http://inkjetmall.com/store/piezok7/piezography-neutral-k7.html

 
> The only OSX RIP for the 7000 seems to be Bowhaus - any experience
setting this up?


It's not the only one but I've used it extensively and it works
well with the 7000. It's best to make your own profiles, especially
if you are doing dig. negs. You'll need a densitometer or an iOne from
Gretag).


Antonis

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "piezo7000uk"
<piezo7000uk@y...> wrote:
>
> Can anyone recommend B&W quad set for Epson 7000 ?
> MIS?  
> The only OSX RIP for the 7000 seems to be Bowhaus - any experience
setting this up?

I recommend QTR. You can set it up for the 7000.
 
> I intend to output large positves on Pictorico OHP transparency
material for darkroom 
> contact process (polymer gravure).

Please, "giclee" is bad enough. Let the term "polymer gravure" die. 
 
> Max Density range (transmission)  required is :  D 0.4 - D 1.7
> 
> (methods a la Dan Burkholder).
> 
> Any guidance on this appreciated.

If the 7000 is anything like the 2200 or the 4000 in this, I'd suggest
six inks. My setup for digital negatives is MIS PKN at 100%, 32%, 10%,
3.2% and 1% dilutions, and Eboni at full strength.

PKN bottoms out at a transmission density around 1.5 on Pictorico OHP,
Eboni can hit 2.0, btut I don't typically let it. Eboni is fragile,
and can smear on OHP, especially at high ink loads. A quick spray of
fixative makes it settle down. For the Epson 2200 at 2880 DPI, the ink
limits are 42% for all PKN channels, 30% for the Eboni. I'm planning
to try a mixture of 70% eboni, 30% glop, to see if it makes a nice
"negative black" that won't dust...

The ink limits, obviously, will be different for the 7000. You want to
lay down as much ink as you can, without losing detail. On digital
negatives, white spaces between dots are the enemy. Close them off by
usin gmore ink of the lower dilutions, get the ink limits as high as
you can. You'll use more ink this way, but compared to the cost of
coating a decent sized sheet of paper for even the cheaper alt
processes, you won't mind 20% higher ink consumption.

> Do not want to sell 7000 (prob not possible now)  and buy Epson 7800
 /RIP / K3 etc..

Actually, there is a market for 7000, they just don't sell for real
high prices. Make the buyer pay the shipping ;)

> > I intend to output large positves on Pictorico OHP transparency
> material for darkroom 
> > contact process (polymer gravure).
> 
> Please, "giclee" is bad enough. Let the term "polymer gravure" die.

what name do you prefer for the process? Solarplates? Photopolymers...?

tim a


BTW I'm getting far better results with PDN than the Burkholder process

From what I can remember from his book, Burkholder had some good
results with Piezzotone quad pigment inks on the OHP film in a similar
6 channel machine.

I also would think the new K7 Piezzo inkset using 6 dilutions could be
perfect for this with the smoothest midtone ramp around. It's
interesting because I want to do this exact same thing.

Are they making that OHP film in 24" rolls now, that is reliable? The
last time I spoke with Pictorico about a year and a half ago, they
told me the roll film was not recomeneded for high qualilty negs
because it was only coated on one side and produced unacceptable pin
holes. They recommended the largest sheet size, which was 13x19. Has
this changed? We should check into this. I would like to do some big
platinum prints from this film using this exact same printer that you
are talking about. I actually did some very nice negs on that film
with the 7000 and the Lyson Small Gamut hextone archival dye inkset.
That was two years ago. The resolution and tonality were very nice but
we never went beyond 13x19. 

John

And how much cash does this process require up front to do a test neg
with it?

john 

> 
> BTW I'm getting far better results with PDN than the Burkholder process
>

> And how much cash does this process require up front to do a test neg
> with it?

was $50.00 when I bought it I think

tim a

Where do I go to read about it? I am very curious.

and...do you know anything about the transparency film in sizes like
say, 20x24?

John


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Timothy
Atherton" <tim@K...> wrote:

>
> 
> > And how much cash does this process require up front to do a test neg
> > with it?
> 
> was $50.00 when I bought it I think
> 
> tim a
>

> Where do I go to read about it? I am very curious.
>
> and...do you know anything about the transparency film in sizes like
> say, 20x24?
>

John,

the Burkholder system is in many ways setting a number of "canned" profiles
for different printers/final media, with some limited possibilities for

The Precision Digital Negative system has a bit of a learning curve (not to
steep for anyone used to profiling inks, making ICC curves, QTR curves etc
though) and basically allows you to profile your printer, transparency film
and end product media (Pd/Pt, Van Dyke, Azo, other silver or whatever) all
to each other and create custom curves.

Depending on how you are setting it up, you also tend to use the colour inks
rather than black for most digital neg making

I think the PDN system might have gone up in price a bit for v2  (I think I
got a free upgrade as an early purchaser)

Details here

http://www.precisiondigitalnegatives.com

Some discussion here,
http://www.apug.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=128

And there is a Yahoo group you can sign up to once you have "bought in"....

As for big sheets - I seem to recall someone trying some kind of 20x24, but
I can't remember what exactly they were doing it with

> the Burkholder system is in many ways setting a number of 
> "canned" profiles
> for different printers/final media, with some limited possibilities for

that should have been "with some limited possibilities for adjustment"

I see. It is about $75.00 to get started. It does make sense to be
able to profile your machine for more precision. I see they are using
a Stouffer scale like we used to use for making halftones and lith
negs. He wrote me an email about this book when it was first released.
Sounds like a very good system. Thanks for all the info.

John

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Timothy
Atherton" <tim@K...> wrote:
>
> 
> > Where do I go to read about it? I am very curious.
> >
> > and...do you know anything about the transparency film in sizes like
> > say, 20x24?
> >
> 
> John,
> 
> the Burkholder system is in many ways setting a number of "canned"
profiles
> for different printers/final media, with some limited possibilities for
> 
> The Precision Digital Negative system has a bit of a learning curve
(not to
> steep for anyone used to profiling inks, making ICC curves, QTR
curves etc
> though) and basically allows you to profile your printer,
transparency film
> and end product media (Pd/Pt, Van Dyke, Azo, other silver or
whatever) all
> to each other and create custom curves.
> 
> Depending on how you are setting it up, you also tend to use the
colour inks
> rather than black for most digital neg making
> 
> I think the PDN system might have gone up in price a bit for v2  (I
think I
> got a free upgrade as an early purchaser)
> 
> Details here
> 
> http://www.precisiondigitalnegatives.com
> 
> Some discussion here,
> http://www.apug.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=128
> 
> And there is a Yahoo group you can sign up to once you have "bought
in"....
> 
> As for big sheets - I seem to recall someone trying some kind of
20x24, but
> I can't remember what exactly they were doing it with
>

"john dean" <deanwork2003@y...> wrote:
> I see. It is about $75.00 to get started. It does make sense to be
> able to profile your machine for more precision. I see they are using
> a Stouffer scale like we used to use for making halftones and lith
> negs. He wrote me an email about this book when it was first released.
> Sounds like a very good system. Thanks for all the info.

Doesn't the PDN system use the UV blocking properties of each individual color ink to make a 
neg/print? While Burkeholder's method is mostly based on density?