Hahnemuehle Photo Rag Baryta + Epson P9000 dithering artifacts

[larkis]

I have printed an image that I used to print on my Epson 4800 on the same paper (Hahnemuehle Photo Rag Baryta) using the P9000 and the latest manufacturer profiles for that paper only to get the alarming results pictured below. When looking at some areas of the print (mostly mid greyish tones) there is clearly a dot pattern in the image. This does not appear to be a resolution issue. I have printed the same image using the same profile on a different paper stock (the Ilford smooth perl) just to see if maybe the profile was producing this. I could not reproduce the same effect on the Ilford paper no matter what profile mismatch I used. Even printing with the Ilford profile on the Hahnemuehle stock produces this dot pattern.

Does anyone have any ideas what this could be ?

[unesco]

It looks like overinking. What media type have you used fro HM print?

[JRSmit]

I suggest you contact your dealer. Assuming you did not by any change dialed in a error in the printer setup. Then this is not normal. I print a lot on hahnemuhle.

[larkis]

I used the Premium Luster Photo Paper 260 setting and the premium semigloss 250 and both produced the same unusual result. On my old 4800 the same settings produced good results.

[unesco]

I used the Premium Luster Photo Paper 260 setting and the premium semigloss 250 and both produced the same unusual result. On my old 4800 the same settings produced good results.

I do not think it is a dithering problem - are you able to scan with high res, eg. 3200 dpi both samples?
It could be a printer failure, or bad fraction of paper (it happend to me once, not with HM, but another German company, that one pack had a paper behaving very different than usual - like overinking).
It could be also accidental increase of color increase tab in the driver... nothing more comes to my mind.

[Royce Howland]

It looks very much like drastic over-inking to me as well, not any kind of dithering artifact or anything that would be caused by ICC profiles. Is there any chance at all those blotched prints are from the back side of the paper?

[larkis]

I will scan both samples at high rez when I'm back at my place on Tuesday. It could be over inking, it only happens in a narrow range of tones.