R1900 B/W Print Setting Conundrum. Right or Wrong?

[DickKenny]

Having to print a couple of B&W prints recently has left me confused. I am using an Epson 1900 out of OS X 10.6.2, with CS4 (or Lightroom 2.6) managing the printing, via custom paper/printer profiles onto Moab Entrada Bright paper. This combination continues to work for me very satisfactorily for colour prints - an area in which I am relatively experienced and comfortable.
 
Faced with producing these two B&Ws off of the R1900 I turned to the instructions for both printer and CS4. And later, much later, other 'experts'. All seem to agree that the Color option in Print Settings/Color should be turned off in favour of that of Grayscale. The result, for me at least, was an expensive round of colour-casted prints. After a while, it became apparent (to even me) that the casts were consistent with the different content of the two images. So I reverted to the Color option, on the basis that the custom profile in use would then spring into action and correct the problem. It did to my satisfaction. My query is why did I get it right by doing something the wrong way - or even, did I end up doing it the wrong way. Anyone else's experiences with R1900; CS4: Lightroom 2.6: and B&W would be most welcome.

[Ernst Dinkla]

Having to print a couple of B&W prints recently has left me confused. I am using an Epson 1900 out of OS X 10.6.2, with CS4 (or Lightroom 2.6) managing the printing, via custom paper/printer profiles onto Moab Entrada Bright paper. This combination continues to work for me very satisfactorily for colour prints - an area in which I am relatively experienced and comfortable.
 
Faced with producing these two B&Ws off of the R1900 I turned to the instructions for both printer and CS4. And later, much later, other 'experts'. All seem to agree that the Color option in Print Settings/Color should be turned off in favour of that of Grayscale. The result, for me at least, was an expensive round of colour-casted prints. After a while, it became apparent (to even me) that the casts were consistent with the different content of the two images. So I reverted to the Color option, on the basis that the custom profile in use would then spring into action and correct the problem. It did to my satisfaction. My query is why did I get it right by doing something the wrong way - or even, did I end up doing it the wrong way. Anyone else's experiences with R1900; CS4: Lightroom 2.6: and B&W would be most welcome.

You did it the right way. The advice given would suit printers like the R2400, HP B9180, not the R1900. The Epson R1900 is not a B&W printer. It is a color printer with 5 hues and one black. If it could use just the black K channel then in that mode it should make a black only print that then very much depends on the small droplet sizes of the 1900 and the quality of one printhead to give a decent print. And still depend on the non-neutrality of the black ink. If that black only mode doesn't exist the B&W is printed with mixes of the CcMcY + K inks to get the grey tone range, possibly using the two extra hues too. Without proper color management and a custom profile it will be very hard to keep the greys neutral over the entire range. In color mode with good color management + a custom profile the chances are much better but the R1900 isn't designed as a B&W printer and will never be as consistent in B&W quality like an R2400, 3880 or customised quad printers. The different rates of color fading will also have an impact on your "color" B&W print later on, even if in your eyes the prints look good now.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

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

[DickKenny]

Thank you very much for interest and response. So, if I understand things correctly, choosing the Grayscale option triggers a combination of colours - but without reference to the profile nominated in the Application Manages Printing function; whereas choosing Color does? I do think that somewhat weird. Not that I am questioning what you kindly posted. Just weird that whoever writes all the 'How To' stuff does not deem it necessary to point this out. Again many thanks.

[Ernst Dinkla]

Thank you very much for interest and response. So, if I understand things correctly, choosing the Grayscale option triggers a combination of colours - but without reference to the profile nominated in the Application Manages Printing function; whereas choosing Color does? I do think that somewhat weird. Not that I am questioning what you kindly posted. Just weird that whoever writes all the 'How To' stuff does not deem it necessary to point this out. Again many thanks.

I mentioned good color management as a base. You are using a third party paper. The custom profile should have been created through the color mode setting sans color profile. The same route you take for printing with that new profile. That is what goes right for you with color and B&W now. I have no R1900 but I assume that the Greyscale mode of the driver relies on LUT's specified for a specific Epson paper and a sound color management on that mode isn't possible when printing to a third party paper. Could be wrong on that though but that is what I see in other printer models.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

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[NikoJorj]

So, if I understand things correctly, choosing the Grayscale option triggers a combination of colours - but without reference to the profile nominated in the Application Manages Printing function; whereas choosing Color does?

That's something I also heard about my R1800... I didn't verify it myself, I got very little experience in digital B&W printing and print 99.9% colour.

For the R1800, I've heard that a true "black only" mode was implemented in the japanese version of the driver (PX-5000, go figure why it doesn't act the same on other versions), but I don't know anything about such a possibility in a R1900/PX-G5300.

QuadToneRIP may otherwise be an option to put only black ink on the paper, but I don't know anything more.

[Ernst Dinkla]

QuadToneRIP may otherwise be an option to put only black ink on the paper, but I don't know anything more.

Get a R1400 then next to the R1900 and load it with any of the custom quad inksets that exist, even a 6x black only will be much better than 1x black only on the 1900, more nozzles and the throttled down heads will only spit 1.5 picoliter droplets. Something I theorised about several years ago and it has been put to practice since. Either running it with curves from the Epson driver or with QTR. Best of both worlds. You can even put a gloss enhancer in one channel. All that can be found in the Digital B&W list on yahoo.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

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