Using gloss enhancer on z3100

[TJM]

I've always left the gloss enhancer in economode on my printer as my understanding was that it would only cover the photographs I print rather than the whole page.  I found though that the gloss enhancer was only laid on top of where ink was laid, so where the highlights were blown out (pure white - no ink) no gloss enhancer was laid and an inconsistent look on the photo (is this gloss differential?).  Is there a way to get the printer to lay GE on the whole picture but not the whole page - that is if i'm printing one 8x12 off of a 24" roll to not cover the whole 24" with GE but to cover the whole photo?

Thanks for your time,

TJ

[walter.sk]

I've always left the gloss enhancer in economode on my printer as my understanding was that it would only cover the photographs I print rather than the whole page.  I found though that the gloss enhancer was only laid on top of where ink was laid, so where the highlights were blown out (pure white - no ink) no gloss enhancer was laid and an inconsistent look on the photo (is this gloss differential?).  Is there a way to get the printer to lay GE on the whole picture but not the whole page - that is if i'm printing one 8x12 off of a 24" roll to not cover the whole 24" with GE but to cover the whole photo?

Thanks for your time,

TJ

What I do is, after the image is optimized and the softproof tweaked, I add another adjustment layer of Curves.  I pull the top right of the curve from 255 to 253 so that there are no unglossed spots on the  image itself.  I am left with white borders around the image with no gloss enhancer, and I don't notice a loss of 2 levels in the whites in the image.  I suppose a better way would be to pin the curve at several points so that the only part that gets changed are the very top levels, but I am satisfied with the results they way they are.

[Thomas Krüger]

Z3100 Smart Econo Mode action from Outbackprint to turn all pixels with values (255,255,255) into (254, 254, 254):
http://www.outbackprint.com/printinginsigh...y.html#20070413

[Ernst Dinkla]

What I do is, after the image is optimized and the softproof tweaked, I add another adjustment layer of Curves.  I pull the top right of the curve from 255 to 253 so that there are no unglossed spots on the  image itself.  I am left with white borders around the image with no gloss enhancer, and I don't notice a loss of 2 levels in the whites in the image.  I suppose a better way would be to pin the curve at several points so that the only part that gets changed are the very top levels, but I am satisfied with the results they way they are.

To get all image elements covered with gloss enhancer I edited a gloss APS ICC profile by a curve change in Photoshop RGB 255,255,255 to 254,254,255 (Kodak Custom Tools). That worked in Photoshop + driver and I didn't notice a shift to blue either.

As that method didn't work in Qimage's CM I made a print filter in Qimage that shifts the Red only from 255 to 254. Strange but that's enough to get gloss enhancer on all the image parts and no color shift to be seen. It doesn't affect the extra border white that one can add with Qimage. So gloss enhancer on the total image and no gloss enhancer on the white border. No need for special profiles either.


Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

[TJM]

Thanks for the great help guys,

TJ

[Colorwave]

Hmmm . . . all I do is use full page gloss enhancer, but set my page size to the size I want covered with GE.  If I print a horizontal 11" x 17" and want a 2" border, my page size is 13" x 19" and the GE covers just that size, not the full 24" wide roll (or heaven forbid, the 44" roll if that is what was loaded instead).  I personally like the same sheen to cover the full printed and unprinted area of the trimmed print.

[namartinnz]

Hmmm . . . all I do is use full page gloss enhancer, but set my page size to the size I want covered with GE.  If I print a horizontal 11" x 17" and want a 2" border, my page size is 13" x 19" and the GE covers just that size, not the full 24" wide roll (or heaven forbid, the 44" roll if that is what was loaded instead).  I personally like the same sheen to cover the full printed and unprinted area of the trimmed print.

I do this as well, setting the page size using Qimage. I had used an action to alter the curve adjustment but couldn't get a satisfactory print

[Ernst Dinkla]

I do this as well, setting the page size using Qimage. I had used an action to alter the curve adjustment but couldn't get a satisfactory print

Strange, it works alright with a print filter that does the job on the fly in Qimage in the process to printing. Nothing else than a small curve adjustment as written above.


Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

[namartinnz]

Strange, it works alright with a print filter that does the job on the fly in Qimage in the process to printing. Nothing else than a small curve adjustment as written above.

Ernst Dinkla

Yes, was strange that it didn't work. I didn't really try again - I've always been happen using full GE setting since and been very happy with the results

[Ernst Dinkla]

Yes, was strange that it didn't work. I didn't really try again - I've always been happen using full GE setting since and been very happy with the results

Well I like the subtle difference between the image gloss and lower gloss of the borders that's possible on some satin media with the economy mode. Qimage gives the flexibility on border sizes and adds the easy cut marks to keep them equal in size, the prints nicely nested on the available paper size.


Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/