Digital BW, The Print

I've just purchased a R220 with the idea of ordering MISPRO inks and 
Ebony to do both color and B&W in the same printer with matte paper 
and using the BO mode for B&W.

Before changing from OEM to MIS inks, I'm testing BO printing first, 
and I'm really impressed with the look of BO in most of my prints.

However, I've found an anoying horizontal banding which is ONLY 
visible in homogeneous zones (e.g. skies) which are mid/dark, not in 
highlights or very dark zones.

I've observed the same problem in two R220s, with three different 
papers, and ONLY in BO mode. Color or grayscale (using all inks)
homogeneous zones show no banding at all.

I've tried different things to solve BO banding, but none of them 
gave a significant improvement:
0-Head cleaning and nozzle check (no problems observed in the latter)
1-Head alignment
2-Low alignment numbers (#2)
3-QTR with all the dither parameters
4-Even resolutions (e.g., 320 dpi)
5-Unidirectional and Bidirectional printing

The bands are not void gaps, just periodic lines less dark than the 
background, separated by about 3 mm.

This problem makes me to reconsider my initial idea of doing B&W and 
color in the same printer, and go for the UT-R2 solution in a 
dedicated B&W printer, and who knows for color...

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Fernando

I've found few printers that can consistently deliver a smooth BO print when
there is a plain sky or other smooth type subject matter.  It's not just the
dots, many if not most, particularly at that price point, band and cannot be
fixed.  Changing the carts in a small printer to go from B&W to color is not
that much of a problem.  I'd recommend trying the UT-R2 inkset for more
smoothness.

 

Paul

www.PaulRoark.com <http://www.paulroark.com/>  

 

 

  _____  

From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of foa208
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 9:11 AM
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Digital BW] Banding problem with BO printing in R220, help please!

 

I've just purchased a R220 with the idea of ordering MISPRO inks and 
Ebony to do both color and B&W in the same printer with matte paper 
and using the BO mode for B&W.

Before changing from OEM to MIS inks, I'm testing BO printing first, 
and I'm really impressed with the look of BO in most of my prints.

However, I've found an anoying horizontal banding which is ONLY 
visible in homogeneous zones (e.g. skies) which are mid/dark, not in 
highlights or very dark zones.

I've observed the same problem in two R220s, with three different 
papers, and ONLY in BO mode. Color or grayscale (using all inks)
homogeneous zones show no banding at all.

I've tried different things to solve BO banding, but none of them 
gave a significant improvement:
0-Head cleaning and nozzle check (no problems observed in the latter)
1-Head alignment
2-Low alignment numbers (#2)
3-QTR with all the dither parameters
4-Even resolutions (e.g., 320 dpi)
5-Unidirectional and Bidirectional printing

The bands are not void gaps, just periodic lines less dark than the 
background, separated by about 3 mm.

This problem makes me to reconsider my initial idea of doing B&W and 
color in the same printer, and go for the UT-R2 solution in a 
dedicated B&W printer, and who knows for color...

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Fernando

 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks a lot Paul for sharing your experience, I will probably 
follow your advice and go first for the UT-R2 inkset, since most of 
my pics are in B&W. BO would still be an alternative with UT-R2, and 
could work fine in many (non-smooth) pictures.

Regards,

Fernando


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark" 
<paul.roark@...> wrote:
>
> I've found few printers that can consistently deliver a smooth BO 
print when
> there is a plain sky or other smooth type subject matter.  It's 
not just the
> dots, many if not most, particularly at that price point, band and 
cannot be
> fixed.  Changing the carts in a small printer to go from B&W to 
color is not
> that much of a problem.  I'd recommend trying the UT-R2 inkset for 
more
> smoothness.
> 
>  
> 
> Paul
> 
> www.PaulRoark.com <http://www.paulroark.com/>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>   _____  
> 
> From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of 
foa208
> Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 9:11 AM
> To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Digital BW] Banding problem with BO printing in R220, 
help please!
> 
>  
> 
> I've just purchased a R220 with the idea of ordering MISPRO inks 
and 
> Ebony to do both color and B&W in the same printer with matte 
paper 
> and using the BO mode for B&W.
> 
> Before changing from OEM to MIS inks, I'm testing BO printing 
first, 
> and I'm really impressed with the look of BO in most of my prints.
> 
> However, I've found an anoying horizontal banding which is ONLY 
> visible in homogeneous zones (e.g. skies) which are mid/dark, not 
in 
> highlights or very dark zones.
> 
> I've observed the same problem in two R220s, with three different 
> papers, and ONLY in BO mode. Color or grayscale (using all inks)
> homogeneous zones show no banding at all.
> 
> I've tried different things to solve BO banding, but none of them 
> gave a significant improvement:
> 0-Head cleaning and nozzle check (no problems observed in the 
latter)
> 1-Head alignment
> 2-Low alignment numbers (#2)
> 3-QTR with all the dither parameters
> 4-Even resolutions (e.g., 320 dpi)
> 5-Unidirectional and Bidirectional printing
> 
> The bands are not void gaps, just periodic lines less dark than 
the 
> background, separated by about 3 mm.
> 
> This problem makes me to reconsider my initial idea of doing B&W 
and 

> color in the same printer, and go for the UT-R2 solution in a 
> dedicated B&W printer, and who knows for color...
> 
> Any help will be appreciated.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Fernando
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Hello Fernando,

>Thanks a lot Paul for sharing your experience, I will probably 
>follow your advice and go first for the UT-R2 inkset, since most of 
>my pics are in B&W. BO would still be an alternative with UT-R2, and 
>could work fine in many (non-smooth) pictures.

I agree with Paul.  At it's best, BO prints have at least a small
amount of this dither banding, and it varies among printers.  BO's
weakness has always been images with large smooth toned areas.  It can
look great on some images and poor on others.  

With the R2 inks the 220 does an excellent job, and as you point out,
 BO will still be an option.  They are so inexpensive a 2nd one can be
used for color.

Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm

Thanks a lot Clayton, in two weeks (after my vacations) I will order 
the MIS inks and surely I will share my initial experience in this 
forum.

Your and Paul's web sites have been a discovery for me, I'm starting 
to believe in digital B&W :)


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Clayton Jones" 
<cj@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Fernando,
> 
> >Thanks a lot Paul for sharing your experience, I will probably 
> >follow your advice and go first for the UT-R2 inkset, since most 
of 
> >my pics are in B&W. BO would still be an alternative with UT-R2, 
and 
> >could work fine in many (non-smooth) pictures.
> 
> I agree with Paul.  At it's best, BO prints have at least a small
> amount of this dither banding, and it varies among printers.  BO's
> weakness has always been images with large smooth toned areas.  It 
can
> look great on some images and poor on others.  
> 
> With the R2 inks the 220 does an excellent job, and as you point 
out,
>  BO will still be an option.  They are so inexpensive a 2nd one 
can be

> used for color.
> 
> Regards,
> Clayton
> 
> 
> Info on black and white digital printing at    
> http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm
>