HP Z3200 Gloss Enhancer

[MrIconoclast]

I am trying to decide how to use the Gloss Enhancer 'ink' that comes with the HP Z3200.   There is an economy setting that only applies the Gloss Enhancer to the areas of the print that need it the most.  The other setting applies it to the whole print.
What setting do you use and why?

[Ernst Dinkla]

I am trying to decide how to use the Gloss Enhancer 'ink' that comes with the HP Z3200.   There is an economy setting that only applies the Gloss Enhancer to the areas of the print that need it the most.  The other setting applies it to the whole print.
What setting do you use and why?

I never use Economy mode in its original quality. With wider borders I use Economy mode with a twist: a print filter in Qimage with a small correction on a curve that brings R-G-B 255-255-255 to 254-255-255. That way the whites in the image get GE too but not the border. I see no color shift. With other applications like Photoshop the GE-on profile can be edited but in that case both Red and Green have to be set on 254 to get GE on the image's whites. If there are no borders GE on the entire print page is the easiest choice.


Happy new year !


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

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

[David Saffir]

although you don't mention it, here's one way to save a bit of money using this printer: turn gloss enhancer off when making proof prints. GE has virtually no effect on color.

Next, try making a print from an image that has broad dynamic range. Make one print with GE in full page, one in econo mode, and make another without. Compare them side-by-side, including viewing straight on and from an angle.

You will probably find that the print made with "whole page" settings looks more like a continuous tone print than the others. I prefer whole page for this reason.

Also, if you or a customer plans to view the print with some uninked paper showing, go with whole page.

David Saffir
http://davidsaffir.wordpress.com

[jasdown]

I never use Economy mode in its original quality. With wider borders I use Economy mode with a twist: a print filter in Qimage with a small correction on a curve that brings R-G-B 255-255-255 to 254-255-255. That way the whites in the image get GE too but not the border.

Ernst, pardon my ignorance, but could you define the steps you take to make this curve setting (R-G-B 255-255-255 to 254-255-255) in Qimage? Sorry to be so dense! Thanks!

[neil snape]

I use ECO mode on many images as long as I know there are few areas of 255 or close.

I also print from Qimage. You need to save out a filter correction as Ernst said to have a preset tagged to the source images, if you want to drop the values so even the whites will "think" they need GE. You won't see the ink added  between 255 and 254 but the GE will be applied in the entire image area yet not the borders.

[Ernst Dinkla]

Ernst, pardon my ignorance, but could you define the steps you take to make this curve setting (R-G-B 255-255-255 to 254-255-255) in Qimage? Sorry to be so dense! Thanks!

I never wrote that the GUI is that easy so I had to check it again :-)  First set an image in the print queue, then go to actions>preview-queue actions>batch process>batch filter. Clear any settings there (bottom of menu), go to curves (top of menu), select Red and click at the top of the line, change numbers next to the graph: the input to 255 output to 254. Click OK on the preview window. Go to the top left of the total window and save the filter there as say: Gloss enhancer Economy mode cure. Extension is flt. Go back to the batch filter menu and click clear and after that cancel. Remove the image from the print queue.
Now click on the P filter choice at the bottom of Qimage's normal menu. The filter is now available and if selected it will only be used at print time as a last step in the print process on all images in the print queue. If you want to use it per image in the queue you have to right click on that image and use the predefined filter choice selection. The filter will appear there too.



met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

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

[ThePhotoDude]

I never wrote that the GUI is that easy so I had to check it again :-)  First set an image in the print queue, then go to actions>preview-queue actions>batch process>batch filter. Clear any settings there (bottom of menu), go to curves (top of menu), select Red and click at the top of the line, change numbers next to the graph: the input to 255 output to 254. Click OK on the preview window. Go to the top left of the total window and save the filter there as say: Gloss enhancer Economy mode cure. Extension is flt. Go back to the batch filter menu and click clear and after that cancel. Remove the image from the print queue.
Now click on the P filter choice at the bottom of Qimage's normal menu. The filter is now available and if selected it will only be used at print time as a last step in the print process on all images in the print queue. If you want to use it per image in the queue you have to right click on that image and use the predefined filter choice selection. The filter will appear there too.



met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

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

Ernst, how come you only apply that to the red channel, so 254-255-255 - I know we are talking minuscule here but wouldn't 254-254-254 be a better option?
Why didn't you apply this to the RBG channel or even the Red, Blue, Green channels separately?

[neil snape]

Ernst, how come you only apply that to the red channel, so 254-255-255 - I know we are talking minuscule here but wouldn't 254-254-254 be a better option?
Why didn't you apply this to the RBG channel or even the Red, Blue, Green channels separately?

If I can answer for Ernst:

You only want the minimum numerically to trick the printer into applying GE onto the whites. There is nothing saying just because you set the first value to 254 that the printer even prints a a tint or drop at 254, and yet in Qimage this is all that is needed to apply GE on white. You could set all to 254 but if it causes any dot where it is not needed then why do it?

[Ernst Dinkla]

Ernst, how come you only apply that to the red channel, so 254-255-255 - I know we are talking minuscule here but wouldn't 254-254-254 be a better option?
Why didn't you apply this to the RBG channel or even the Red, Blue, Green channels separately?

It doesn't need more than that in Qimage to get the GE applied on white and I see no color shift due to the Red curve chance. On some papers like Barytes I see a slight shift to warmer paper white where the GE is applied so my choice was to take out the warmer color = Red only.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

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

[jasdown]

I never wrote that the GUI is that easy so I had to check it again :-)  First set an image in the print queue, then go to actions>preview-queue actions>batch process>batch filter. Clear any settings there (bottom of menu), go to curves (top of menu), select Red and click at the top of the line, change numbers next to the graph: the input to 255 output to 254. Click OK on the preview window. Go to the top left of the total window and save the filter there as say: Gloss enhancer Economy mode cure. Extension is flt. Go back to the batch filter menu and click clear and after that cancel. Remove the image from the print queue.
Now click on the P filter choice at the bottom of Qimage's normal menu. The filter is now available and if selected it will only be used at print time as a last step in the print process on all images in the print queue. If you want to use it per image in the queue you have to right click on that image and use the predefined filter choice selection. The filter will appear there too.

Thanks for your help once again, Ernst! You are indeed a wealth of invaluable information to this forum! Thanks for sharing it so freely!