Digital BW, The Print

I'm finally getting good prints using UT-3D on an SP2200 with Musie Silver Rag and Paul 
Roark's profiles. And to the un-aided eye, the prints look very good. But upon examination 
with a lupe, I'm seeing micro-banding (mostly in the mid-tones). Once again, I can only 
detect this banding when examining the prints with a lupe.

Is this normal inkjet behavior, or is it possible to acheive zero banding, even when 
scrutinizing under a lupe?

Thanks.

-Guy

Assuming the nozzle check is perfect, alignment of the print head would be
the next thing to try.  Even after you've done all you can, however, a fair
percentage of printers still show some microbanding when a loupe is used to
examine the prints.  Most are not perfect.

 

Paul

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

 

 

  _____  

From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
guy_staley
Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 12:21 AM
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Digital BW] So how "micro" IS micro-banding?

 

I'm finally getting good prints using UT-3D on an SP2200 with Musie Silver
Rag and Paul 
Roark's profiles. And to the un-aided eye, the prints look very good. But
upon examination 
with a lupe, I'm seeing micro-banding (mostly in the mid-tones). Once again,
I can only 
detect this banding when examining the prints with a lupe.

Is this normal inkjet behavior, or is it possible to acheive zero banding,
even when 
scrutinizing under a lupe?

Thanks.

-Guy

 



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

I used to get microbanding to various degrees when I used 1440dpi resolution 
or below on various Epsons. It could be minimised, as you suggest, by head 
alignments (even though I wasn't using high-speed printing), but it usually 
disappeared entirely if I used 2440 dpi resolution or above. I think this is 
because at the highest resolutions, the printer overlaps the bands of ink 
much more - 'super microweave' or something similar - and this hides the 
micro-variation in paper and head movements. The downside is that printing 
is slower, but 'perfection doesn't come easily' as they say.

Bob Frost.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Roark" <paul.roark@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 4:39 PM
Subject: RE: [Digital BW] So how "micro" IS micro-banding?


Assuming the nozzle check is perfect, alignment of the print head would be
the next thing to try.  Even after you've done all you can, however, a fair
percentage of printers still show some microbanding when a loupe is used to
examine the prints.  Most are not perfect.

Actually, this micro banding is occuring in super photo 2880 print resolution mode, 
micro-weave on. Also, this micro banding wasn't apparent on matt papers, only since I've 
started using the Crane Silver Rag paper.

I guess I'll try aligning the heads; although I did this not too long ago.

-Guy

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Bob Frost" <bob@...> wrote:

>
> I used to get microbanding to various degrees when I used 1440dpi resolution 
> or below on various Epsons. It could be minimised, as you suggest, by head 
> alignments (even though I wasn't using high-speed printing), but it usually 
> disappeared entirely if I used 2440 dpi resolution or above. I think this is 
> because at the highest resolutions, the printer overlaps the bands of ink 
> much more - 'super microweave' or something similar - and this hides the 
> micro-variation in paper and head movements. The downside is that printing 
> is slower, but 'perfection doesn't come easily' as they say.
> 
> Bob Frost.
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Paul Roark" <paul.roark@...>
> To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 4:39 PM
> Subject: RE: [Digital BW] So how "micro" IS micro-banding?
> 
> 
> Assuming the nozzle check is perfect, alignment of the print head would be
> the next thing to try.  Even after you've done all you can, however, a fair
> percentage of printers still show some microbanding when a loupe is used to
> examine the prints.  Most are not perfect.
>

I've been finding the hard way that there are 'degrees' of 
perfection; simply having all the little lines present is not 
enough. The lines need to be clean & straight, with no 
little 'hooks', otherwise you may still get banding. In this case 
more agressive cleaning might help, such as wiping the head with 
windex impregnated cloth strips.

As you say, though, many printers don't get perfectly clean-though 
I'm happy to report my 3800 is prefect in that regard. Not a hint of 
microbanding! Finally!

Steve Karafyllakis

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark" 
<paul.roark@...> wrote:
>
> Assuming the nozzle check is perfect, alignment of the print head 
would be
> the next thing to try.  Even after you've done all you can, 
however, a fair
> percentage of printers still show some microbanding when a loupe 
is used to
> examine the prints.  Most are not perfect.
> 
>  
> 
> Paul
> 
> www.PaulRoark.com <http://www.paulroark.com/>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>   _____  
> 
> From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
> guy_staley
> Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 12:21 AM
> To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Digital BW] So how "micro" IS micro-banding?
> 
>  
> 
> I'm finally getting good prints using UT-3D on an SP2200 with 
Musie Silver
> Rag and Paul 
> Roark's profiles. And to the un-aided eye, the prints look very 
good. But
> upon examination 
> with a lupe, I'm seeing micro-banding (mostly in the mid-tones). 
Once again,
> I can only 
> detect this banding when examining the prints with a lupe.
> 
> Is this normal inkjet behavior, or is it possible to acheive zero 
banding,

> even when 
> scrutinizing under a lupe?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> -Guy
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>