QuadtoneRIP CTP process for KM73 on Epson 3800/4900/9900
2014-03-23 by Stig Stasig
Hi Alan (& others) got some questions from Alan regarding a manual for the process: No I never wrote a manual. I actually started developing my version of the CTP method on a 3800 - I left it printing only with 1 ink (Matte Black) - so I can't give you any specific tips on that one. I'm now using the 4900 & 9900 - printing with 8 inks. 1: Mount the plate on some stiff but thin cardboard with a little double scotch - remove the cover film. (Not necessary to mount on cardboard on 4900/9900) 2: Print through Quadtonerip with the following settings: Matte Black, 2880 dpi, uni-directional, ordered. 3: Expose as usual. 4: Shower of the ink with a soft shower head before moving the plate to the washout tray. 5: Wash out for usual time From here follow your normal procedure, drying and after exposure and so on. The trick is of course to custom build a perfect QTR curve: 1: Print and process the QTR calibration file on a A4 plate to check out the different inks UV blocking abilities. The problem with printing with only 1 ink in QTR is that it gives some banding and a somewhat rough texture. That's why I have build a QTR print curve using all 8 inks for my x900's. I use the inks that blocks the UV light the best : Matte Black, Cyan and Yellow in the dark end of the scale - the ones that block "some" in the mid tones and the weakest blockers in the highlights - I'm stair stepping the 3 curves. The philosophy is to use the Matte Black, Cyan and Yellow as "blockers" and the rest as "fillers/smoothers" to give a smooth result. Hope this will help you - sorry for my poor English. mvh Stig Stig Stasig Fotografi Oestre Lagunevej 14 DK-2680 Solroed Strand Cell: +45 40 11 54 12 <http://www.stasig.dk/> www.stasig.dk