Overcoat with Gloss Optimizer? GLOP

[Jeff Magidson]

Is anyone out there in LuLa land regularly putting their prints through a printer a 2nd time to add a layer of gloss optimizer AKA GLOP to the image area only? I’ve searched around on the archives and could only find old info using printers/GLOP/materials that are no longer available.

Ideally I would like to buy an off the shelf Epson printer that has a GLOP channel and the use it with software like QuadtoneRip to apply a layer of “GLOP only” over my 3880 prints, where I can control the amount that goes down. It’s a little over my head to figure this out on my own so I was wondering is anyone is currently doing this and has a system figured out?

My Goal: One of my favorite forms of printing are beautifully printed offset art/photography books. Often the best of these books are printed on low luster paper with a light spot varnish over the image. This creates a uniform gloss differential where the whole image stands off the page with a slight glossiness on a duller page. I want to achieve this same effect with inkjet printing. I don’t want to hand spray on coatings for many reasons.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

~ Jeff

[Paul2660]

HP, is the only printer I know of with the GLOP channel.  It would be nice to see Epson move in that direction also in the future.

For paper prints, there are a few solutions I have used, mainly an action that works to knock down the areas where gloss diff. will show up the worst, works amazing well.  Or you can cost or laminate after the fact. 

For a book, not sure what options are out there, but I know the look you are referring to and it's very pleasing on the eye.

Paul C

[mcbroomf]

The new Canon printers also have a channel for Chroma Optimizer (CO) which I assume is similar to the HP GLOP.  I no longer have the HP but so far as I recall you could not control the amount, only 2 setting (or OFF), all of the print or inked areas only.
https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=122557.0

[nirpat89]

HP, is the only printer I know of with the GLOP channel.  It would be nice to see Epson move in that direction also in the future.

For paper prints, there are a few solutions I have used, mainly an action that works to knock down the areas where gloss diff. will show up the worst, works amazing well.  Or you can cost or laminate after the fact. 

For a book, not sure what options are out there, but I know the look you are referring to and it's very pleasing on the eye.

Paul C

Epson P400 has one. 

[Ken Doo]

You won't find an off the shelf solution from Epson---but if you want to use an Epson to apply a gloss optimizer, I think your only solution is to convert a printer to Piezography.  The K7 piezography (use QTR) gloss printers applied the gloss overcoat as a "second printing."  (For what you are asking to do means having two printers).  I used to use my K7 9890 printer to apply GO on prints made with my 9900.  Works like a charm.  I no longer have the 9890 K7 printer, but may look into some of the new Piezography options in the future.

See, www.inkjetmall.com

Ken

[bwana]

i have sprayed prints with clear coat and it minimizes these effects. It also protects the print.

[snowrs]

The Epson R1900, R2000, etc. all have a GO channel, and Jose Rodriguez converted an Epson 1400 so that third party GO could be used in all the channels.  Go to his YouTube channel or go directly to the article at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCh-05nGKk4  for how he did it.

Yes, he uses QTR, and it is really not that hard to figure out how to do it.

If you don't want to go to that trouble, the R1900, R2000, and new 400 does it OK, and you don't need QTR, just make a blank new image in PS and set the GO to cover the whole sheet. 

bob snow

[Rob Reiter]

Canon Pro 4000 (and smaller printers in this line) have a Chroma Optimizer that does a very nice job on glossy surfaces such as Hahnemühle Photo Gloss Baryta or more textured glossy surfaces such as Museo Silver Rag.