Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/01/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Lea, Printing B&W on the Epson 2200 is a challenge with the Ultrachrome inks. The Matte Black ink with Matte papers does the better job, but you still have to deal with color shift under different lighting situations. Printing Black only is one way to get around it. Right now I'm printing at a 2.2 Gamma, +2 Brightness(LCD screen here), +1 contrast, -2 magenta(gets the magenta out), 1440dpi, high speed turned off. I've used this method for over a year and I get good results. Under tungsten lighting, there is hardly a color shift, in daylight the print looks slightly green, but who goes outside to look at all their prints? This year I'm going to get ImagePrint 5.5 to use as a RIP. I've heard nothing but good reviews with this software. MAC and PC users.Also, for the B&W printing, I'm going to get another Epson 2200 and install Septone Inks. I have samples of the Septone prints and they look 100% better than trying the Ultrachromes for B&W. The "flaking off" of Matte ink on matte papers may be due to the first few prints after changing from Photo Black to Matte Black. It will take a couple prints to work out the Photo Black. Same thing if you used Matte and then switched to Photo Black when printing on Pearl or Glossy paper. I agree, the Ilford Pearl is excellent. We cannot keep this paper in stock in New Orleans, sells out every week. Hope any of this helps, Chris New Orleans www.zoeicaimages.com - ----- Original Message ----- From: "lea" <lea@whinydogpress.com> Subject: [Leica] bw with Epson 2200...follow-up > To refresh: I was complaining about why the Epson 2200, touted as THE > PRINTER for black and white photographers, sucked at printing black and > white and why Epson didn't make ink that really printed black and > white...not green, not magenta, not sepia. Woe was me. > > After some serious reading, researching and printing, I'm coming to > terms with the fact that an Epson 2200 just doesn't do black and white > so well with the Epson inks...at least not right now. Maybe one day they > will make real black and gray inks but for now sepia seems to be the > best we're going to get if using Epson ink. > > I'm not convinced that moving to a new ink set wouldn't cure my problem > but there are so many inks out there with so many different people > saying so many different things that it sort of becomes a blur after a > bit. I'd love to get my hands on each ink set and have a go of trying it > all out myself but that's exceptionally expensive if not impossible > because then you find certain inks work best with certain papers, etc. > To buy all the paper and all the ink it would take to find the best > combination I'd be broke! > > I did do some tests with the matte black ink on Epson's matt black paper > printing at 2880dpi and that was pretty darn impressive. Up to running > that print I'd never printed on matte paper at all. It has a very lovely > look and feel to it and for some of my work I'll be doing that > combination for sure. There is a notable difference using 2880 dpi > vs.1440 on the matte paper but not so much on the Ilford Pearl paper. > > Ilford Pearl...that brings me to my next subject. This is my paper of > choice because it most mimicks what I use in the darkroom...the pearl rc > paper...in both texture and weight. Some of the papers being used for > digital printing are lovely to look at but they feel whimpy to the > touch. I like a somewhat stout paper and the Ilford line is the one I've > settled on both digitally and chemically. Maybe I'm being stubborn here > and others would be lovely...I've just not found them. > > I've also read and spoken to photographers who have horror stories to > share about the ink actually flaking off some of the matte papers if > they aren't immediately hermetically sealed under glass. I > over-exagerate but I think you get the idea...just because the ink goes > on the matte paper, it doesn't appear that it always STAYS on the matte > paper. There's a stress when you're printing a load of 8x10s or 11x14s > for a client. > Lea Murphy > Whiny Dog Press www.whinydogpress.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html