Faint and unwanted checkerboard pattern showing up.

[dumainew]

Attempting to print on a new Epson R2880. It's a black and white image. The print is coming out with a faint checkerboard pattern. I checked color settings , soft proofed with a custom icc profile, and made sure PS managed color.
Running PS CC on Mac Mavericks with all current updates and calibrated monitor.
What do I need to do ?
Thank you for looking.
Richard

[Jim Kasson]

Attempting to print on a new Epson R2880. It's a black and white image. The print is coming out with a faint checkerboard pattern.

Does the nozzle check look good? It would be helpful if you would scan a section of the print and post the scan.

Jim

[dumainew]

Jim, Thanks for checking on this. I do think the nozzles are OK. Some other prints show no checkerboard. Before I send a scan I'm wondering about the soft proof process and if I inadvertently have 2 icc profiles running. The image with the defect was initially soft proofed and printed on a different printer. I went back and took the original PSD file and soft proofed it with a new and different icc profile for another printer. And now the defect is apparent. Also, when I go to printer setup in the print module it shows the first icc rather then the second. It almost looks like the Psd file is stuck back in the first profile. Could this be ?
Richard

[Wayne Fox]

A profile shouldn’t cause an issue like this, unless there is an underlying issue with the data of the file itself ... i.e. the checkerboard is actually in the file as a result of processing but just isn’t visible until certain color transforms (such as a printer profile) is applied.  But I see this as extremely unlikely.

I’ve not used an r2880, but things like head alignments or other mechanical problems seem a more logical cause.

[Jim Kasson]

A profile shouldn’t cause an issue like this, unless there is an underlying issue with the data of the file itself ... i.e. the checkerboard is actually in the file as a result of processing but just isn’t visible until certain color transforms (such as a printer profile) is applied.  But I see this as extremely unlikely.

I’ve not used an r2880, but things like head alignments or other mechanical problems seem a more logical cause.

I agree with Wayne, modulo the fact that bad profiles can sometimes hugely amplify small variations in an image. But you didn't make the profile yourself, right? . Can you use the Advanced B&W (ABW) settings to take the ICC profile out of the picture? I'm not sure why you're printing a B&W image with a color profile in the first place. The R2880 driver supports ABW mode, doesn't it?

Jim

[dumainew]

Hi All,
I may have found the cause of the faint checkerboard pattern. (The proverbial thorn in the haystack.) When I finish soft proofing I use Pixel Genius 2 for output sharpening. On a tinted b&w image for Epson Luster on an Epson 2880 I apply 'inkjet printer glossy' for the output command. And that's when the pesky pattern appears- not only on the preview, but also on the actual print. What mistake am I making ? What output setting is the right one ?
Mr. Schewe, if you read this please chime in !
Thanks everyone for checking this out.
Richard