I purchased this software for my Epson printer to provide the best quality prints with Epson inks or MIS or Cone inks, and got this software and I just moved and my printer was damaged and not worth $$ to repair.
Here is some info from BowHaus.com:
You have received a final print that is darker (or lighter) than what you think it should be based on a proof that you have in hand from the same image file. This proof was previously printed in-house by the same computer and monitor combination, yet it seems different than what was produced the second time around. How can you tell which print is the good print?
Well...There is actually no such thing as a good or bad print. Judging whether a print is good or bad is a subjective task, which means that a bad print for one person may seem perfect to someone else.
The term quality is often used to describe a subjective judgement such as a good or bad overall appearance. In the printing industry, quality refers to a tangible and measurable property. A good quality print is one that is identical to one produced when a printer was properly CALIBRATED.
So what is Quality Control, or QC? Very simply, it is the ability to produce consistent and repeatable results. This is the most critical step to ensure that we can produce a good, print after print, after print...
How do you ensure QC?
The truth is that we can't tell you if a print is good unless we check the CALIBRATION status of our devices.
Sure we may know if the second print was printed from the same computer and monitor combination as the first one. However, a good quality print is not one that looks most identical to the original digital file as viewed on the monitor of the computer it was printed from.
In fact, a file can appear different on the same monitor at different times during the day, depending on how long the monitor has been powered on. Therefore, it is pointless to check monitor calibration as a starting point for quality control. This situation calls for some tedious work in trying to measure the differences in the two prints to guess where the problem lies.
In order to avoid print mismatches from ever happening, one has to have a point of comparison. The solution is the a 26-Step Grayscale card which should be included with every print job so that there exists a measurable point of comparison. This eliminates the guesswork in trying to produce identical prints and it provides a standard that is independent of any monitor or printer.
What is a 26-Step Grayscale and how do you make one?
InkJet/OpenPrintMaker Control (ICJ/OPM) can output a 26-step Grayscale to establish the tonal scale of a paper and inkset combination. This method is loosely based on the 10-step grayscale used in the ZONE SYSTEM (developed by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer). The 13th step in IJC/OPM’s grayscale corresponds roughly to Zone V in the ZONE SYSTEM [see IMAGE 2].
With this method in mind, the average tonal range of a properly exposed scene should result in an gray that reflects 18% light (Zone V on IMAGE 2) when read on a densitometer [see IMAGE 1]. A properly exposed scene will reveal a greater range of detail in the highlights, midtones and shadows of a photograph.
Creating a 26-Step Grayscale card is a process necessary (a) for perfecting the printing of an image, (b) for reproduction of an image at different times with the same results and (c) to have as a reference point when there is a drift in quality.
If you were to print a gradient starting with white and ending with black, using only one black ink, you would most likely get an image that resembles IMAGE 3A. This image shows an uneven distribution of tonal range. Not only that, but if you were using only one ink, the dot distribution on the paper would be very visible.
Now, if you divide this test strip into 26 segments from light to dark, you would notice that only the first 10 steps show variation and the rest of the strip is one continuous patch of black. The INK LIMIT of this ink is equal to 10. Printing a photograph on this printer using this one ink "as is" will have very little detail in highlights, midtones and shadows. ICJ/OPM can help you print an evenly distributed 26-Step Grayscale using multiple inks to achieve detail with a MIDPOINT of approximately 18% gray .
Each combination of printer, inks and paper corresponds to a unique 26-Step Grayscale strip that can be saved as a custom profile in the software. The software helps convert an uneven gradient [IMAGE 3A] into an evenly distributed gradient of 26-steps [IMAGE 3B] by tweaking inks and performing a linearization. Although the software provides several profiles, you have to know how to create a new one in order to evaluate the quality of any test strip.
Paid $250.00 Sell for $199.00
Glad to provide what info I know about this greatest BW printing software.
Supports Epson 2200, 4000, 7600, 9600, 3800.
Christopher
