Media Type Settings on 9900

[BradFunkhouser]

It's my understanding that with the Native Epson Driver on the 9900, I can use a Custom Paper configuration to control the settings for the physical characteristics of a media (thickness, platen gap, drying time, suction, etc.) separately from the inking characteristics (channel limits, total ink limit, linearization, etc.).  The inking characteristics get set by the "Media Type" choice.

Based on the list in the manual, there are 24 choices for Media Type.  Actually more than that, because in the driver, some are hard wired to either MK or PK, but others allow a choice (e.g. WaterColor Paper - Radiant White).

Do each of these Media Type choices, together with a black ink selection if allowed, actually put ink down in a different way, or are some mapped to exactly the same lookup table?

When building a custom profile for a 3rd party paper, how can I truly know which Media Type is the best starting point?

Literature seems to indicate I should use a "guess and check" method.  Wow, that's helpful.

A defined process for determining the best Media Type setting (and associated Color Density setting) is needed.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

- Brad

[deanwork]

Are you joking? Epson don't want you using no third party media. It could make the printer explode and void your warranty :- { .

[Sven W]

Are you joking? Epson don't want you using no third party media. It could make the printer explode and void your warranty :- { .

Exactly ! Now you're on your own......third party is guessing.

I use to look at the paper manufacturers recommended media settings for their custom profiles.
If they don't have any, the next step will be to try to figure out the most look-alike-Epson media.
The last, but very effective, is to print a 20 (or so) step color-wedge running from 255 to 0 in R, G, B and Black with different
settings. And then judge which one separates the steps best, without bleeding or over-inking.

/Sven

[BradFunkhouser]

Printing the step color-wedge as you suggest is probably the only way to be sure.  Do you think the 3rd party media guys go to that trouble when they're creating profiles?

Thanks.

- Brad

[Sven W]

They should. That's what you learn in The School of Color Management.
But also how much they co-operate with Epson.

A true color scientist/consultant may also measure density on such a color wedge with a spectro.

/Sven

[Farmer]

Are you joking? Epson don't want you using no third party media. It could make the printer explode and void your warranty :- { .

Or more correctly, how on earth could Epson (or Canon or HP) be expected to tell you the correct settings for things they don't manufacture and over which they have no control?

Either ask the manufacturer of the paper (most of them tell you which media preset to use - in the case of Epson media, use the appropriately named one and make a custom profile from there) or if you want complete control of your ink, get a RIP.

[deanwork]

The primary thing to know is, like he said, if it is over inking. If your darkest patch next to the max black  patch is reading darker than the last patch, OR if you see any beeding of the ink on paper, then you need to limit the ink in the driver or your rip. I think most of the printers make that easy these days.

The other thing about using third party media profiles is to find out if they were made with perceptual or relative rendering intent. It is always a good idea to print out a color chart of some kind using both and compare the black density, the grayscale ramp, and the gamut of the primaries, even if you don't make your own profiles, as a test.

[deanwork]

Not  Epson, but Canon and HP both have support for specific media, matte and gloss fiber, that they don't market themselves.

Hp in particular offers media presets that they've tested for some of the best non-HP marketed media. In terms of the Z even their own fine art media is Hahnemuhle.
And, since HP and Canon offer versions of Hahnmeuhle and Crane media themselves, those profiles and calibrations are very useful for similar papers as well.

[BradFunkhouser]

The primary thing to know is, like he said, if it is over inking. If your darkest patch next to the max black  patch is reading darker than the last patch, OR if you see any beeding of the ink on paper, then you need to limit the ink in the driver or your rip. I think most of the printers make that easy these days.

The other thing about using third party media profiles is to find out if they were made with perceptual or relative rendering intent. It is always a good idea to print out a color chart of some kind using both and compare the black density, the grayscale ramp, and the gamut of the primaries, even if you don't make your own profiles, as a test.

Excellent suggestion.

Thanks.

- Brad