Luminous Landscape Forum

Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: elliot_n on February 10, 2006, 01:44:42 pm

Title: best settings for printing profile charts on 2400
Post by: elliot_n on February 10, 2006, 01:44:42 pm
Hi

I use an Epson 2400 and I'm about to print out some targets (the standard Gretag 918 pair of charts) to send off to have some custom profiles made.

I will order custom profiles for 4 papers (Epson Premium Gloss, Semi Gloss, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Duo 316gsm, and Lumijet Natural Art Two sides 216gsm).

I last had custom profiles made a long time ago (Epson 890), and back then it was argued that rather than using 'No Color Adjustment' in the Epson driver, it was better to select 'Color Controls', as this would lay down less ink and subsequently produce a better gray scale (though possibly a reduced color gamut).

Is such an approach still relevant for the Epson 2400?

I've been printing the 'printer evaluation' image that is available on the Dry Creek website. This image comprises of a 15 step grayscale step wedge, a color gamut map, spot colors for R,G,B,C,M,Y, and some fine crosshairs. The idea is to print this image using different driver settings, and to examine it to find the best settings for printing the profile charts.

I've tried different settings for the Hahnemuhle Photo Rag, but I'm getting confused with all the possible variables (various matte paper choices using the rear feeder, different ink density settings, and then different gamma settings if you opt for 'color controls' rather than 'no color adjustment'.)

Using the Velvet Fine Art set and 'no color adjustment', the 3/4 shadow tones are dark and undistinguished (i.e. there's a jump from black 0,0,0 to dark grey 17,17,17 but then no difference at 34,34,34 and little difference at 51,51,51 and 68,68, 68.) Setting the ink density to -20 opens up these tones a bit, but not much.

Switching from 'no color adjustment' to 'color controls' makes a a big difference. The shadow tones open up and the grayscale looks evenly spaced. The black still looks black. But the spot colours look paler and less intense. (I've played with a few setting and Epson Vivid, Gamma 1.8 might be best.)

Am I wasting my time exploring these variables? Is it best just to print out the Gretag charts using 'velvet fine art' 'best photo' and 'no color adjustment', even if the patches in darkest column (column A, rows 1 to 17) are barely distinguishable?

Thanks for any tips

Elliot
Title: best settings for printing profile charts on 2400
Post by: jason_l on February 15, 2006, 11:50:24 am
I just got one of these R2400's myself and would be interested as well in seeing what the best settings would be as well.
Title: best settings for printing profile charts on 2400
Post by: elliot_n on February 15, 2006, 04:06:45 pm
I asked the above question on several forums, and the general opininon seems to be that using 'colour controls' is no longer appropriate as it was devised as a workaround for the older generation of Epson printers.

The general recommendation is to use 'no colour adjustment' in the Epson driver, and then use a target such as Dry Creek's printer evaluation target to establish which is the best paper setting to select. Having chosen a papers setting, you can then print out the target several more times with different ink density settings.

This is all rather tedious and time-consuming, but should ensure the best profile.

A couple of days ago I sent off 4 sets of patch charts for custom profiles. I simply used 'no color adjustment'.

The company making the profiles has contacted me to say that one set of charts is not ideal for profiling as it shows evidence of 'ink pooling' on certain patches (the patches look speckled, rather than uniform - I had mistakenly interpreted this as a dither pattern).

I've been advised to run some test at different ink densities.

I've done that and have decided that -20% ink density eradicates the pooling, whilst still maintaning a decent dmax in the blacks.

(FWIW, the paper is Lumijet Natural Art Two Sides, using the Epson Archival (Enhanced) Matte paper setting.)

Elliot