Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Or why I still need two printers... > On Fri May 2, 2003 I wrote: > > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Subject: Re: [Leica] Re:Film vs Digital (Prints) > > The newest Epson 7-color printers (2200, 7600, 9600) can give you > outstanding black and white prints. The key is in the profiling. I've > recently bought a 2200, and ColorVision's "ProfilerPro Spectro" > package (cost somewhat more than the printer itself), and I can create > my own color profiles and control gray balance for any paper. No > clogs. No banding. No dots in the highlights (endemic to most quad > black systems except the original PeizographyBW and the successor > ImageExportBW. The canned profiles that Epson supplies work very well > with Epson papers; my custom-made profiles give me flexibility that > the quad black systems only approach by switching inksets > (warm-neutral, cool neutral etc.). I'm soon to sell my 1280 (next > Friday?) > > And on Sat May 17, 2003 I wrote: > > To: streetphoto@topica.com > Subject: OT: LCD monitor (was London 360s) and Printers > > BTW, I've also given up quad-black printing and now I'm doing both B&W > and color on the Epson 2200. With OptiCal and the Spyder I also bought > ColorVision's ProfilerPro Spectro. Profiling printer/ink/paper combos > is royally tedious work, but the results surpass anything I could get > with Piezography, the printer never bands or clogs, and I can have > warm-toned, cool-toned or dead neutral B&W prints on any paper all > from the same inkset, and I can soft-proof in Photoshop. I'm going back to the Epson 1280 and the Sundance Quad Black Inks (Warm Neutral) for my Black & White Printing. All of what I wrote above is still true, but in evaluating my recent prints from the 2200, I failed to notice or take into account one factor that never was a problem with Piezography or it's successor, Image Export BW <http://www.bwguys.com/software.aspx>, and that is METAMERISM. Don't get me wrong, I love the prints I've been able to make with my 2200 and custom profiles, but I just moved to a new place and I'm trying to decide what to hang where. Some of my prints showed a slight green color cast in window light. I went back and tweaked the profile in ColorVision (add a wee bit of magenta, no problem). Now the prints look great in the window light, but they look magenta (Doh!) under the incadescent in the hallway. Bummer =:O Maybe it's the paper. These prints were on Epson Enhanced Matte. The profile I made was better than the one included in the Epson driver. But the main reason for getting into profiling was to be able to use Hahnemule Photo Rag, my favorite paper for B&W inkjets. The Photo Rag shows less color shift in varying light, but now I do see slight color casts - some pictures look neutral in the window, some in the hall, but none look right in both places. I see that the Sundance/R9 folks are coming out with a "septone" ink system for the 2200 using the same archival inks for black and white - both warm and cool, mix them to taste; the software is a true RIP and also works in color (switch inks), which sounds like the ideal solution, BUT, it only works on Windoze machines and I'm committed to Mac hardware. It comes down to a real estate choice - either I use two printers and one computer or two computers and one printer. Since all the hardware is already paid for my choice is a no-brainer. Gilbert - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html