PDN - Printer Evaluation Palette

[donbga]

The following is an e-mail that I sent to Mark Nelson earlier today. I thought I would post it here to see what other PDN users have to say.

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I've printed three copies of the PEP on Pictorico OHP using different media settings with my 2200. Semi-Gloss, Luster, and Premium Glossy at 2880 DPI.

Comparing each transparency with a loupe doesn't seem to reveal significant differences to me. How should I decide which media setting to use to print the Color Density Range Palette? I want to move forward and begin the calibration process for kallitypes this weekend.

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Thanks,

Don

[davidharris]

Don

I found on my 2100 that semi-glossy and premium glossy settings both looked of equal quality, but that the premium glossy laid down slightly more ink. I therefore went for the latter, some processes need all the colour density they can get.

Dave

[sanking]

Don

I found on my 2100 that semi-glossy and premium glossy settings both looked of equal quality, but that the premium glossy laid down slightly more ink. I therefore went for the latter, some processes need all the colour density they can get.

Dave

Dave is right. Use the glossy settings if you need maximum contrast from the printer, as you would for printing palladium or kallitype with a DR of about 1.85.

BTW, a DR of about 1.85 is about the maximum that can be reached using the color control calibration procedures of th PDN system. That means the procedure might not be useful for processes such as VDB, salted paper or albumin that need a DR of 2.2 or higher. However, the printer itself will give you more than enough contrast if you print with a setting tht lays down mostly black ink (=print in color but with the file desaturated). For those processes you can still use the procedures for devleping the curve but you will have to skip over the color control calibration.

Sandy

[donbga]

Dave is right. Use the glossy settings if you need maximum contrast from the printer, as you would for printing palladium or kallitype with a DR of about 1.85.

BTW, a DR of about 1.85 is about the maximum that can be reached using the color control calibration procedrues of th PDN system. That means the procedure might not be useful for processes such as VDB, salted paper or albumin that need a DR of 2.2 or higher. However, the printer itself will give you that much contrast if you print with a setting tht lays down mostly black or neutral color ink. For those processes you can still use the procedures for devleping the curve but you will have to skip over the color control calibration.

Sandy

Thank you Dave and Sandy, I'll file your replies away in my notes.

Now here is another related question. Mark writes that dye based inks have an even higher UV opacity than pigmented inks, I wondering if negatives made on an Epson 1280 could be used to achieve DRs for VDB, salted prints, or albumin. I don't have a UV densitometer to measure the differences so I guess making test prints to evaluate this premiss might be the best way to go since I also have a 1280.

Thanks,

Don

[davidharris]

I have reached that DR limit with my first tests using POP, which needs a neg with a range of around 2.1. I have been experimenting with using the colour density method, but blending in a little black ink at the dense end. So far it seems to work and I suspect it gives better results than just using black inks and a curve as the black inks give far too great a UV density.

I tried negatives using dye ink (Epson 1290) and pigment ink (Epson 2100) and found their maximum density to be about the same - quite different from Mark's results.

[sanking]

I have reached that DR limit with my first tests using POP, which needs a neg with a range of around 2.1. I have been experimenting with using the colour density method, but blending in a little black ink at the dense end. So far it seems to work and I suspect it gives better results than just using black inks and a curve as the black inks give far too great a UV density.

I tried negatives using dye ink (Epson 1290) and pigment ink (Epson 2100) and found their maximum density to be about the same - quite different from Mark's results.

David,

How did you determine that the maximum density of the two machines was about the same, by taking a UV reading or empirically with tests strips?

I talked with Mark a couple of weeks ago regarding the contrast limit of the Epson 2200 with the color calibration system and asked if he could create a new color palette with some black thrown in to up the contrast. Apparently doing so would cause some complications to the system but as is there is something of a gap between the maximum contrast possible with the PDN color calibration system (which is about DR 2.0) and the maximum potential contrast of the 2200 inks, which is about DR 3.7 or so in UV density.

Sandy

[Jeremy]

David, I'm printing palladiums and I right at the edge of the printer pallete and would like a little more density. How are you mixing in a little more black? If you don't mind sharing.

[JeffD]

Anyone have a media reccomendation for me? I am going to be printing on AZO, grade 3...

[sanking]

Anyone have a media reccomendation for me? I am going to be printing on AZO, grade 3...

Jeff,

For AZO #3 You will get than enough contrast with Glossy, Semi-Gloss/Luster, Enhanced Matte or Radiante Matte. Just pick one to calibrate with and always select it in the future to print your negatives.

For AZO #2 use Glossy since you willl need all of the contrast possible with the PDN color calibration system.

Sandy

[davidharris]

Sandy

I am basing the maximum colour density of dye and pigment inks on the printed alt process (POP) using the colour density range palette. At the maximum UV density point (upper LHS, R0, G255, B0) the two prints were near identical, and both showed too much tone for my taste. The shape of the colour curves was very different though, the dye inks retained density over a greater range of colours, whereas the pigment inks fell away more steeply.

Dave