Digital BW, The Print

Hi, 

I haven't received any responses yet fomr my earlier post about my inability to 

A)get good prints from QTR (I do have the latest version) and my 2200 (previously flawless in 
Panther, now totally craptacular...lots of banding), or

B) print BO with the Epson driver in this OS. In the drop-down menu my options are 
"grayscale"; "black and white" and a couple of color options. No "black only".

I am desperate, as this is how I print most of my work!

does anyone have experience with Leopard and BO? and QTR?

Thank you!
Sarah

I'm running off a set of prints for a sale this
weekend.  Naturally, this is the time my printer
decides to give me problems...or maybe I created them
myself?

I'm using the MIS 3MK inkset in an Epson R1800...just
finishing off my first set of cartridges.

Part way through printing out my photos and I started
to get some banding in dark areas of the photos.  I
knew I was almost out of ink, so before replacing the
cartridges I decided to drop my MIS cleaning carts in
and run some cleaner through.

I printed about 8 copies of a dark print, until the
page basically came out blank, then I dropped in the
new carts.  I ran several prints, but now the banding
is much worse and I get "overspray" in all the light
areas of the print, including off the sides of the
print, where this is no image.

I did a nozzle check test page and it showed that the
black nozzles were badly clogged.  They have never
failed a nozzle check before, although the Epson
colour inks do from time to time.

I went to do a nozzle cleaning cycle, but I ran out of
cyan ink so it wouldn't allow me to run the cleaning. 
I'm going to buy a cyan cart today and hope that a
cleaning cycle will fix everything.

Now I'm wondering if I did things correctly.  What's
the proper way to use the cleaning carts?  The way I
described above or only during a nozzle cleaning
cycle?

Thanks for any help!

Ken

just a shot in the dark here... when options previously available in
the driver go away after an OS update, I tend to think the Epson
driver needs to be updated or reinstalled. Pretty sure BO was avalable
there, not in Gutenstuff or QTR, could be wrong.
QTR may be another issue.
Is the QTR banding tonal or mechanical? 
Tyler 
http://www.custom-digital.com/


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Sarah Renkes"
<sagaface@...> wrote:
>
> Hi, 
> 
> I haven't received any responses yet fomr my earlier post about my
inability to 
> 
> A)get good prints from QTR (I do have the latest version) and my
2200 (previously flawless in 
> Panther, now totally craptacular...lots of banding), or
> 
> B) print BO with the Epson driver in this OS. In the drop-down menu
my options are 
> "grayscale"; "black and white" and a couple of color options. No
"black only".

> 
> I am desperate, as this is how I print most of my work!
> 
> does anyone have experience with Leopard and BO? and QTR?
> 
> Thank you!
> Sarah
>

Ken,

> I'm running off a set of prints for a sale this
> weekend.  Naturally, this is the time my printer
> decides to give me problems...

> using the MIS 3MK inkset in an Epson R1800...

>  started to get some banding in dark areas of the photos.
...
> I decided to drop my MIS cleaning carts in
> and run some cleaner through.
> 
> I printed about 8 copies of a dark print, until the
> page basically came out blank, then I dropped in the
> new carts.  I ran several prints, but now the banding
> is much worse and I get "overspray" in all the light
> areas of the print, including off the sides of the
> print, where this is no image.

This overspray is often caused by junk on the surface of the head.  
(In my house it's usually dog hair.)  I now use cloth "bias" tape 
soaked with Windex to pull back and forth under the head.  In the 
past I cut a strip of paper towel and folded it to make a 1/2", three 
ply strip that I'd use.  I've also just used strips of throw-away 
cloth for this purpose.  But whatever I use, I wet it with Windex 
(ammonia disolves the ink's non-water-soluble binder), lay it in the 
printer where the head goes over it, release the head (with the 
printer off -- or hit the ink load button and pull the plug), move 
the head over the strip of cloth, grab the ends of the cloth, and 
pull it back and forth such that it rubs the bottom of the head.  
After that a single cleaning cycle is usually needed and, with luck, 
the nozzle check will be fine.

 
> I did a nozzle check test page and it showed that the
> black nozzles were badly clogged.  They have never
> failed a nozzle check before, although the Epson
> colour inks do from time to time.

If the problem does not clear and you don't use color in the machine, 
the easy way is to simple switch the Eboni ink from the black to 
another spot.  Then leave cleaning fluid in the black spot for a 
while.  It'll probably eat its way through the clog after a while.  
Of course, if you use color also in the 1800 you don't have any extra 
spots for the Eboni.  Also, some proficiency with QTR may be needed 
to switch the curves from on spot to another in the QTR profiles.  I 
found that I didn't even have to re-linearize the profiles in my 
1800, but some users seem to need to re-linearize when they do this.

 
> ...  What's the proper way to use the cleaning carts? 

There is no "proper" way as far as I know.  I usually try to avoid 
too many cleaning cycles because of the ink waste and the fact that 
the service light will come on, shutting down your printer after too 
many.  So, putting a cleaning cart in just the troublesome position 
and printing that solid color through the driver or QTR makes sense 
to me.  That method, however, will not wipe junk like dog hair off 
the head.  Part of a cleaning cycle is the use of a wiper to clear 
the head.  This doesn't always work, however.  Thus my cloth strip 
under the head method.

Good luck with the clog.  I'm guessing it's junk under the head, 
because Eboni just does not clog very much.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

Tyler...I've re-set and reinstalled the driver a couple of times...Leopard gives you several 
driver options when you add the 2200: one is Gimp/CUPS based, another the Gutenstuff 
(haha) and there is also the option to re-install the old driver from Panther....which will not work if you do.

The Epson tech told me to go back to using Panther if I want those old options, i.e BO. 
Hey, thanks! Sooooo helpful!! Sheesh. 

Interestingly, I tried the "grayscale" option in the dropdown menu "printer features" 
(replaces the old Panther "print settings" menu), and chose the "two level ink" option under 
ink type. I got what looks to be a BO print, though obviously the printer must be using 
light black as well as the matte black ink (Eboni, in my case.)

It's all pretty confusing. And with QTR, the banding is hard for me to tell what the heck is 
going on. It never banded in Panther.

Sarah





--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Tyler Boley" <tyler@...> wrote:

>
> just a shot in the dark here... when options previously available in
> the driver go away after an OS update, I tend to think the Epson
> driver needs to be updated or reinstalled. Pretty sure BO was avalable
> there, not in Gutenstuff or QTR, could be wrong.
> QTR may be another issue.
> Is the QTR banding tonal or mechanical? 
> Tyler 
> http://www.custom-digital.com/
> 
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Sarah Renkes"
> <sagaface@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi, 
> > 
> > I haven't received any responses yet fomr my earlier post about my
> inability to 
> > 
> > A)get good prints from QTR (I do have the latest version) and my
> 2200 (previously flawless in 
> > Panther, now totally craptacular...lots of banding), or
> > 
> > B) print BO with the Epson driver in this OS. In the drop-down menu
> my options are 
> > "grayscale"; "black and white" and a couple of color options. No
> "black only".
> > 
> > I am desperate, as this is how I print most of my work!
> > 
> > does anyone have experience with Leopard and BO? and QTR?
> > 
> > Thank you!
> > Sarah
> >
>

Well, that's what I suspected.. neither of those are the actual Epson
driver, so settings will not show up as before.
If you download and install the latest from the Epson website,
assuming there is one for leopard, you may find it works. The Epson
tech may or may not know what he's talking about, experience varies,
and I may or may not know what I'm talking about. That varies too.
But, Gimp/CUPS and Gutencrap is stuff that just came with the OS,
pretty sure, and not from Epson. A friend went to Leopard and his 2200
is printing as before, but I'm sure he found a real Epson driver to
install separately, not just "add" in the printer utility.

Regarding QTR, are you sure you did the second install required? It
would be in Applications/QuadtoneRIP/Profiles/2100-2200-UC

Hope I'm not insulting you with common knowledge stuff, just making
sure. Lot's of Leopard nasty stories out there, I'm not touching it yet.
Tyler


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Sarah Renkes"
<sagaface@...> wrote:
>
> Tyler...I've re-set and reinstalled the driver a couple of
times...Leopard gives you several 
> driver options when you add the 2200: one is Gimp/CUPS based,
another the Gutenstuff 
> (haha) and there is also the option to re-install the old driver
from Panther....which will not work if you do.
> 
> The Epson tech told me to go back to using Panther if I want those
old options, i.e BO. 
> Hey, thanks! Sooooo helpful!! Sheesh. 
> 
> Interestingly, I tried the "grayscale" option in the dropdown menu
"printer features" 
> (replaces the old Panther "print settings" menu), and chose the "two
level ink" option under 
> ink type. I got what looks to be a BO print, though obviously the
printer must be using 
> light black as well as the matte black ink (Eboni, in my case.)
> 
> It's all pretty confusing. And with QTR, the banding is hard for me
to tell what the heck is 
> going on. It never banded in Panther.
> 
> Sarah
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Tyler Boley"
<tyler@> wrote:

> >
> > just a shot in the dark here... when options previously available in
> > the driver go away after an OS update, I tend to think the Epson
> > driver needs to be updated or reinstalled. Pretty sure BO was avalable
> > there, not in Gutenstuff or QTR, could be wrong.
> > QTR may be another issue.
> > Is the QTR banding tonal or mechanical? 
> > Tyler 
> > http://www.custom-digital.com/
> > 
> > 
> > --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Sarah Renkes"
> > <sagaface@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi, 
> > > 
> > > I haven't received any responses yet fomr my earlier post about my
> > inability to 
> > > 
> > > A)get good prints from QTR (I do have the latest version) and my
> > 2200 (previously flawless in 
> > > Panther, now totally craptacular...lots of banding), or
> > > 
> > > B) print BO with the Epson driver in this OS. In the drop-down menu
> > my options are 
> > > "grayscale"; "black and white" and a couple of color options. No
> > "black only".
> > > 
> > > I am desperate, as this is how I print most of my work!
> > > 
> > > does anyone have experience with Leopard and BO? and QTR?
> > > 
> > > Thank you!
> > > Sarah
> > >
> >
>

Tyler...not insulted in the least. I often find that I may think I have done everything 
required but actually have not, so it is good to get all suggestions. That said, there IS no 
new Leopard driver for the 2200 on their website, and the tech said they will not be 
releasing one. They have just released a bunch of beta drivers for the "pro" line of Epson 
printers, but this guy said the 2200 will not be supported because it is "too old". This is 
why he recommended I "just go back to Panther if you want the old options". It was all I 
could do to maintain politeness.

I completely uninstalled the old QTR using the uninstall thingy -  even though installing 
the new version is supposed to wipe out any old ones -  just to be sure, then did a whole 
new install of the current version. I may try this again. Don't know what else to do.

I'll probably keep fiddling with the damn thing until doomsday, or I win the lotto and can 
buy a new printer...whichever comes first.

thanks again...I appreciate the response.
Sarah



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Tyler Boley" <tyler@...> wrote:

>
> Well, that's what I suspected.. neither of those are the actual Epson
> driver, so settings will not show up as before.
> If you download and install the latest from the Epson website,
> assuming there is one for leopard, you may find it works. The Epson
> tech may or may not know what he's talking about, experience varies,
> and I may or may not know what I'm talking about. That varies too.
> But, Gimp/CUPS and Gutencrap is stuff that just came with the OS,
> pretty sure, and not from Epson. A friend went to Leopard and his 2200
> is printing as before, but I'm sure he found a real Epson driver to
> install separately, not just "add" in the printer utility.
> 
> Regarding QTR, are you sure you did the second install required? It
> would be in Applications/QuadtoneRIP/Profiles/2100-2200-UC
> 
> Hope I'm not insulting you with common knowledge stuff, just making
> sure. Lot's of Leopard nasty stories out there, I'm not touching it yet.
> Tyler
> 
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Sarah Renkes"
> <sagaface@> wrote:
> >
> > Tyler...I've re-set and reinstalled the driver a couple of
> times...Leopard gives you several 
> > driver options when you add the 2200: one is Gimp/CUPS based,
> another the Gutenstuff 
> > (haha) and there is also the option to re-install the old driver
> from Panther....which will not work if you do.
> > 
> > The Epson tech told me to go back to using Panther if I want those
> old options, i.e BO. 
> > Hey, thanks! Sooooo helpful!! Sheesh. 
> > 
> > Interestingly, I tried the "grayscale" option in the dropdown menu
> "printer features" 
> > (replaces the old Panther "print settings" menu), and chose the "two
> level ink" option under 
> > ink type. I got what looks to be a BO print, though obviously the
> printer must be using 
> > light black as well as the matte black ink (Eboni, in my case.)
> > 
> > It's all pretty confusing. And with QTR, the banding is hard for me
> to tell what the heck is 
> > going on. It never banded in Panther.
> > 
> > Sarah
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Tyler Boley"
> <tyler@> wrote:
> > >
> > > just a shot in the dark here... when options previously available in
> > > the driver go away after an OS update, I tend to think the Epson
> > > driver needs to be updated or reinstalled. Pretty sure BO was avalable
> > > there, not in Gutenstuff or QTR, could be wrong.
> > > QTR may be another issue.
> > > Is the QTR banding tonal or mechanical? 
> > > Tyler 
> > > http://www.custom-digital.com/
> > > 
> > > 
> > > --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Sarah Renkes"
> > > <sagaface@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hi, 
> > > > 
> > > > I haven't received any responses yet fomr my earlier post about my
> > > inability to 
> > > > 
> > > > A)get good prints from QTR (I do have the latest version) and my
> > > 2200 (previously flawless in 
> > > > Panther, now totally craptacular...lots of banding), or
> > > > 
> > > > B) print BO with the Epson driver in this OS. In the drop-down menu
> > > my options are 
> > > > "grayscale"; "black and white" and a couple of color options. No
> > > "black only".
> > > > 
> > > > I am desperate, as this is how I print most of my work!
> > > > 
> > > > does anyone have experience with Leopard and BO? and QTR?
> > > > 
> > > > Thank you!
> > > > Sarah
> > > >
> > >
> >
>