Printing Monochrom Images

[fotografr]

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Until recently I had been using a Epson R1800 printer and was getting very unsatisfactory results from Monochrom files. They were never true b&w and generally looked like there was a magenta tint. I finally replaced it with the R3000 and the difference is dramatic. The first prints I made were better than anything I could ever have done in a darkroom.

 

I'm wondering now what printers are others using for Monochrom files and what the quality is like?

Edited April 16, 2013 by fotografr

[Photoskeptic]

Brent, I'm using Epson 3880 and Canon 6400. Both are excellent. I find that choice of paper matters more (actually MUCH more) when it comes to bw output.

I currently use Ilford Gold Fibre Silk, Harmon by Hahnemuhle Gloss Baryta and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta. These are all for gloss black ink. I know there are some matte papers which others swear by, but that was never the look I was after.

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[erudolph]

Epson 3880, Imageprint version 9.

 

Previously I was using a third party ink set by MIS and profiling each paper and setting. ImagePrint is easier.

[Printmaker]

Epson 3880, Imageprint version 9.

 

Previously I was using a third party ink set by MIS and profiling each paper and setting. ImagePrint is easier.

 

Was your MIS inkset a black ink set or a 8 color version of CMYK?

 

I ask this because I'm planning on converting one of my 9800s to run the Cone Carbon Black based 7 shade inkset and the other to running a Cone Neutral 7 Shade black ink set. This would give me the ability to offer my customers a platinum like print option and a air dried F surface silver print like option.

 

I've never been completely happy with Epson's 3 shades of black and have run Cone's Quadtone black inks in the past with good results. Highlights to quartertones and 3/4 tones to shadows have smoother transitions and richer details which gave a more darkroom print appearance. Now that we finally have some good papers available, I think it is time to revisit a completely black ink system. Sure, it is a whole lot more work using the RIP and profiling papers but this is what I do for a living and in my world there is nothing better than a perfect print.

[Jeff S]

I still use the M8.2, but prints are what count to me, and my results continually improve with changes in my workflow and technique, papers, inks, custom profiles, and even based on new LR iterations. Some changes are small tweaks; others are significant. The Monochrom is an excellent starting point, but the key to good prints will be to optimize the whole chain from capture to print.

 

I now run standard inks in my Epson 3800, but soon plan to convert it to Cone black inks designed for use on glossy papers using a gloss optimizer. A friend uses them with great success in his 4900. I plan to get a 4900 as a supplement to the 3800, and might consider using Cone color inks in it rather than the standard Epson set, for better cost and environmental benefits.

 

I was using Ilford Gold Fibre Silk (now Prestige), and various Hahnemuhle papers, including Photo Rag Baryta and Photo Rag Pearl, but I'm growing increasingly fond of two Canson papers: Infinity Baryta Photographique and Infinity Platine.

 

These are good times for digital printing.

 

Jeff

[fotografr]

Brent, I'm using Epson 3880 and Canon 6400. Both are excellent. I find that choice of paper matters more (actually MUCH more) when it comes to bw output.

I currently use Ilford Gold Fibre Silk, Harmon by Hahnemuhle Gloss Baryta and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta. These are all for gloss black ink. I know there are some matte papers which others swear by, but that was never the look I was after.

 

Right now I'm primarily using Epson Exhibition Fiber and like it a lot, but I've been reading some great reviews of Ilford papers.

 

Has anyone printed with the Ilford Galerie? I used to love that stuff in the darkroom.

[Photoskeptic]

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Brent, I've used Exhibition Fiber in the past but quit using it when the light fastness ratings came out. I think it has a fair amount of optical brighteners also. However, I still have friends who swear by the EF and continue to use it for print sales. It did make some awesome bw, especially when tinted.

[fotografr]

Brent, I've used Exhibition Fiber in the past but quit using it when the light fastness ratings came out. I think it has a fair amount of optical brighteners also. However, I still have friends who swear by the EF and continue to use it for print sales. It did make some awesome bw, especially when tinted.

 

Thanks. I haven't seen the ratings but will do an online search.

[thighslapper]

Epson 3880 and Gold Fibre Mono .... although Ilford now have now ceased (or never started) supplying it in A2 ...... and A3+ is 'limited edition' and looks like it's going the same way...... so I have bought a roll of 17" and cut it up .....

 

I haven't tried much else so I have little to compare it with ........looks very nice to me though .........

Edited April 16, 2013 by thighslapper

[Jager]

Another Epson 3880 here. Favorite papers are Canson Baryta Photographique, Ilford Gold Fiber Silk, and Epson Exhibition Fiber.

 

Lovely stuff. Works a treat with the MM.

[erudolph]

Was your MIS inkset a black ink set or a 8 color version of CMYK?

 

I ask this because I'm planning on converting one of my 9800s to run the Cone Carbon Black based 7 shade inkset and the other to running a Cone Neutral 7 Shade black ink set. This would give me the ability to offer my customers a platinum like print option and a air dried F surface silver print like option.

 

I've never been completely happy with Epson's 3 shades of black and have run Cone's Quadtone black inks in the past with good results. Highlights to quartertones and 3/4 tones to shadows have smoother transitions and richer details which gave a more darkroom print appearance. Now that we finally have some good papers available, I think it is time to revisit a completely black ink system. Sure, it is a whole lot more work using the RIP and profiling papers but this is what I do for a living and in my world there is nothing better than a perfect print.

 

I used several of the different ink sets designed by Paul Roark. Beautiful prints but matte black only, I printed on the matte paper Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. I never tried any of the Cone inks.

[macjonny1]

Have a 3880 as well. Just got some 22x17 exhibition fiber (Epson) and looks great. Will have fun trying different ones

[erudolph]

Brent, I've used Exhibition Fiber in the past but quit using it when the light fastness ratings came out. I think it has a fair amount of optical brighteners also. However, I still have friends who swear by the EF and continue to use it for print sales. It did make some awesome bw, especially when tinted.

 

Epson Hot Press Natural makes a nice looking print.

[wattsie]

Epson 3800 loaded with Piezography K7 Selenium inks printed on either Jon Cone Type 5, Canson Platine Fibre or Canson Baryta. Once you get the inks set up they are easy to maintain in the printer and print very well.

[xrogers]

Epson 3800 loaded with Piezography K7 Selenium inks printed on either Jon Cone Type 5, Canson Platine Fibre or Canson Baryta. Once you get the inks set up they are easy to maintain in the printer and print very well.

 

Wattsie, how does the real-world output from Piezography compare to the 3800 using Epson ABW (or, if you've used it, the standard inkset running under the Quadtone RIP)? Can you get a decent warmtone result from any papers with the selenium inks? Are you using the inkset with the glop? Oh, and (at the risk of too many questions...) is the selenium a smack-you-in-the-face purply-blue, or can you tone it down with paper choice? Some of the earlier Cone selenium inksets were too strong for my taste, I went with warm-neutral as an early days user.

 

I love Canson Platine Fibre inkjet paper. It the same paper base I usually use for platinum prints. How would you describe the print color with that paper?

 

Sorry about the question barrage, I got a little carried away. Making prints is much more interesting than arguing about M vs. MM, M9, M8.2, M3 (or even the M, being the M that someday replaces the M).

 

Later,

 

Clyde

[algrove]

Epson 3880- Print 13x19 and 17x22 for proof and home use so to speak and then go to the club for big stuff like 36x48.

 

I use Ilford Smooth Pearl & Gold Fibre, Canson Baryta P 310gm, Epson-- UPPPL, Cold Press Bright, Cold Press Natural, Hot Press Natural, EFP and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308.

[kirkwilliam3]

I am currently printing MM images on the Epson 7900 using the Epson Driver. I have been researching and testing papers for months. I have discontinued using Ex fiber, and will use only Canson Plantine Rag in the future..

 

The Epson driver, Epson Ultrachrome Inks, and Exhibition Fiber give the highest D-max of any paper according to Wilhelm tests and others, 2.65. I have been using Ex Fiber for the past month and it is very nice (at 24x30 )..2 problems with Ex fiber. It is fiber base, but you don't know what kind of fiber..it also contains OBA's...if you compare the base to Harmon by Hahnemuhle, which is very white, Ex Fiber it is even whiter due to the OBA's.!! This concerns me because of future yellowing, although Epson has reduced the use of yellow ink in their 7900 ABW mode driver, which reduces some of the potential for yellowing.

 

I would suggest all serious printers who print for longevity use only 100 % Cotton Rag papers. These papers obtain their brightness from the cotton fibers themselves. There are no OBA's needed. Alpha- cellulose papers, which most papers are listed as, can be a high percentage of wood fiber which has its own problems. Rag papers can be as little as 20% cotton fiber. Only 100% Cotton Rag papers meet museum standards ..I have found only 3 baryta surface papers that are 100% cotton. Canson Plantine ( brightness about 96 ), Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta ( brightness about 91), and Museo Baryta ( brightness about 92?)....please, anybody, if you know of more let me know.

 

Additionally these papers are 7.5 ph plus, and are calcium carbonate buffered and acid free.

 

No other papers I know of, ( excluding matt papers ) meet the above standards...

 

The epson driver uses a linear gray scale-it uses a different dithering pattern than if printing from photoshop on the epson 7900 (or 4900 )..it is very similar to a rip, and I think just as good as imageprint-I have compared both and can't tell the difference.

 

My research comes after 150 M9 and MM prints on Ex fiber at 18x27 image size. It is a beautiful paper but has the 2 drawbacks listed above. As a precaution, I will not use any paper in which the mfg will not state the rag content, the ph, whether OBA's are used, and whether it is acid free and is buffered. I do print for selling and it is a great selling point to use museum standards as a guideline for choosing a paper....

 

Sorry for the long winded reply, but it has been fun researching this aspect of printing.

 

 

 

mikephaling.com

[Jeff S]

..I have found only 3 baryta surface papers that are 100% cotton. Canson Plantine ( brightness about 96 ), Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta ( brightness about 91), and Museo Baryta ( brightness about 92?)....please, anybody, if you know of more let me know.

 

Canson Infinity Baryta Photographique is also 100% cotton and has no OBAs. Fantastic paper.

 

Jeff

[Ted Lemon]

Until recently I had been using a Epsom R1800 printer and was getting very unsatisfactory results from Monochrom files. They were never true b&w and generally looked like there was a magenta tint. I finally replaced it with the R3000 and the difference is dramatic. The first prints I made were better than anything I could ever have done in a darkroom.

 

I'm wondering now what printers are others using for Monochrom files and what the quality is like?

 

I also use a R3000 (great printer) and Da Vinci Archival White (for B&W generally) and Fibre Gloss Smooth (for colour) paper from Chau Digital http://www.chaudigital.com/[/url]) here in London.

 

They produce print drivers to your specific requirements and the results are great. Best thing is if clients want larger than A3+ I can get Chau Digital to produce them and I know they will look the same. I have just produced some A3 prints from MM files that look the closest I have seen to film images on paper.

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Hallo,

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[nicks500]

Canon Pixma Pro-1, very very pleased with the results out of the box using manufacturers generated profiles saving me the laborious process of doing it myself but I bet like photoskeptic mentioned better paper will give better results