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Author Topic: Z3200 and toning. Cannot get rid of banding  (Read 3609 times)

abiggs

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Z3200 and toning. Cannot get rid of banding
« on: September 02, 2010, 09:33:20 am »

I have made many different profiles on my Z3200 for a given paper (Museo Silver Rag) with many different methods. I have used the built in solution, I have made profiles with a 1728 patch target outside of the printer, and I have even used Overdrive from Colorburst. My 'neutral' B&W prints look pretty good, but when I go to use the toning method in the printer driver, everything goes to whack. Smooth gradations go away and I have very noticable banding in my skies in the brighter, more subtle values. I am a very very picky person with my printing, and this is one that stumps me.

My preference is to print using their B&W printing mode, primarily because of the longevity of the prints. I also like the look that I have with the warm tone in the printer driver.

I am sending my B&W prints to the printer as RGB files, Adobe 1998 profile embedded.

Any thoughts on how I can get a linear response on this printer when using the driver's toning options?
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Andy Biggs
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Jim Cole

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Re: Z3200 and toning. Cannot get rid of banding
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2010, 12:06:47 pm »

Andy,

Do you have a bad color print head? I would run the test print and see if you have any issues there.
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Jim Cole
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abiggs

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Re: Z3200 and toning. Cannot get rid of banding
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2010, 02:14:33 pm »

I don't, but that is a good thought. All looks good with color prints. It is just my tonal transitions in the lighter values that isn't smooth enough for my types of images.

I have heard that I can use QTR to assist in the process, so I am going to investigate that kind of workflow.
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Andy Biggs
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Ernst Dinkla

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Re: Z3200 and toning. Cannot get rid of banding
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2010, 05:39:15 pm »


My preference is to print using their B&W printing mode, primarily because of the longevity of the prints. I also like the look that I have with the warm tone in the printer driver.

I am sending my B&W prints to the printer as RGB files, Adobe 1998 profile embedded.

Any thoughts on how I can get a linear response on this printer when using the driver's toning options?

Printing a neutral B&W print with HP's normal driver in color mode the black generation is delivering a 100% substitution of the composite greys with grey inks. The longevity will not be different to a neutral B&W print made with the driver's B&W mode and the HP driver's CM on. The last is the HP recommended setting for B&W mode so one should set the CM of the application to let driver control CM. The Z3200 B&W mode isn't linear in that case, whether freshly calibrated or not + with or without color toning. The Z3100 is linear on neutral B&W prints when calibrated. It will be less linear with color toning. In both cases, Z3100 and Z3200, one can use QTR profiling to get a perceptually correct tone range.

The banding may be a printhead issue. Try a head cleaning step first and if that doesn't work a head realignment. If that fails as well then a head exchange may be the best option. I usually print toned B&W through the color mode and do not see issues like that. The last banding issue was with color prints after the printer had been idle for some weeks. A head cleaning step solved it.

met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

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

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kers

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Re: Z3200 and toning. Cannot get rid of banding
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2010, 07:07:49 pm »

After using the z3100 now for three years I often end up with the official profiles of HP.
The APS is good for some purposes but gives more banding.

Banding is a difficult problem for these inktjets. Make a gradual pattern in Photoshop and try to print it without banding- hardly impossible..
I would suggest instead of using the 1728 patch target also to try the minimal 200 or so patch targets.
sometime they give less banding i noticed.

another thing you could try is use an official profile from HP. ( say satin pro) it does not match your paper but i think the colour will not be far off and probably you get less banding...

it is a bit trail and error..





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Pieter Kers
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namartinnz

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Re: Z3200 and toning. Cannot get rid of banding
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2010, 07:46:11 pm »

Have you checked you print quality settings? On standard I used to get banding. Putting it to high quality solved the problem. Issue may be as simple as that. Also this was on my Z3100, not a Z3200.



Neal
« Last Edit: September 02, 2010, 07:47:42 pm by namartinnz »
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abiggs

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Re: Z3200 and toning. Cannot get rid of banding
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2010, 09:58:17 am »

Thanks, guys. All of my printing is done in the highest quality mode with more passes. I am going to investigate Ernst's QTR approach. I haven't touched QTR since my Epson 4000 days, and I didn't know that QTR could be used in new ways. Very interesting. To be honest, I am thinking of just sending a toned B&W RGB file to the printer as a color document and being done with it. I will lose the longevity benefits, though, and that is what I don't like giving up.

I also have an Epson 9900 and a Canon iPF 8300, and I have been hoping that the Z3200 would be for B&W toned prints on fiber paper. The gloss enhancer is a very nice feature. And then my Epson is my canvas printer, and the 8300 pretty much everything else.
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Andy Biggs
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