Late Nite Window Shopping

I've grown accustomed to carrying a tripod around everywhere. It is a burden sometimes. A burden in my thinking about making images. "I can't possibly make a good image without a tripod." So I walked a bit the other night and made myself shoot freehand. Don't think just shoot.

Mastering Digital Black and White: A Photographer's Guide to High Quality Black-and-White Imaging and Printing

By Amadou Diallo

Chapters:
Chapter 1 Image gallery
Chapter 2 Building the digital darkroom
Chapter 3 Color management for the Black-and-white photographer
Chapter 4 Digital capture
Chapter 5 Photoshop in black and white
Chapter 6 Black-and-white inkjet printing
Chapter 7 The imaging workflow
Chapter 8 The limited edition
Chapter 9 The portfolio

The book provides a decent overview of the differnet methods available today for printing black and white inkjet prints. Methods covered are using a standard color inkset as well as using non-OEM black and white inksets such as Jon Cone's Piezography and MIS Ultratone inksets. Major players Epson, Canon and HP are covered.


There is a very useful section on layer blend modes. I thought this was the best section of the book as I have never seen a Photoshop book clearly explain how the blend modes work. Diallo does a good job of explaining the blend modes with visual references. This section alone may be worth the price of the book.

The color management section goes over the tools for profiling monitor and printer, but that's about it. It doesn't really show you specifically how to do the steps as they apply to using a black and white inkset (neither does any of the hardware/software I use for that matter.) The reader is left to figure it out on their own. It's pretty much the same with the printing section. It goes over the print drivers that Canon, Epson and HP include with their printers. Nothing a user couldn't figure out from the OEM manual or online forum help. This book really isn't an instruction manual. At the end of it all, it's still trial and error for me. Nothing in this book helped me move away from that.

Unfortunately for the book, technology changes very quickly in the digital imaging world. This book is written specifically to certain manufacturers and product lines that will continue to change and as a result, many sections of this book will be out of date in a couple of years. (Somehow, I find this ironic. There are many "old" books written on film-based black and white photography that are still relevant and applicable...) I was expecting a book with more nuts and bolts on the aspect of black and white inkjet printing (as one might think from the title of the book.) I think a good book or two on Photoshop (or whatever your image editing software choice is) and a book or two on color management would be a better choice. Overall, I feel like the book tries to be too much. Instead of concentrating on the printing aspect, it covers many other topics as indicated by the index.

For the enthusiast who likes to read everything on the subject of their passion, I can suggest "High Quality Black-and-White Imaging and Printing" by Amadou Diallo.

Epson Stylus Photo 2000P

Epson 2000P with roll paper attachment

I recycled my Epson 1280 in a fit of frustration a couple weeks ago. I wasted quite a bit of ink trying to clear a head clog and I was fed up. (In hindsight, I wish I would have kept the printer. I would have taken it apart and tried to fix it. I'm sure I would have learned a lot and who knows, I might have even fixed it.) As the 2000P is a similar form factor as the 1280 but uses pigment based ink, I decided I would try and hunt one down and experiment with a new inkset.



The Search

I searched the immediate San Francisco Bay Area listings on Craigslist for a 2000P. No luck. I placed an “items wanted” ad with one response directing me to Ebay. I didn't want to pay for shipping considering who knows what I would have gotten in the mail. I checked Craigslist again and worked my way out and found one in Turlock. Three hours of driving, one Sonic Toaster Combo, $50 and I had my 2000P. I even got the roll paper adapter, the original manual and the CD!

The Printer

The Epson Stylus Photo 2000P was introduced in 2000. That makes the print technology ancient. I couldn't really find any info regarding dot size. The printer has a 13” carriage. The printer has parallel port and USB connectivity. With the Epson driver prints up to 13” by 44” can be made. There is a roll paper adapter if you're luck enough to find one. There is no built in automatic cutter. There were many reports of problems with metamerism when the printer first came out. I'm installing a B&W inkset so I'm not really worried about this.

The Clean Up

Disclaimer: I'm sure I'm voiding some kind of warranty. If you choose to do this, it's at your own risk.

Purge print before cleaning

I printed a test print and the page was covered with random black marks. What did I expect anyway? I mean, after all the printer is 8 years old. There was plenty of gooey ink left on the rubber head wiper and supporting plastic mechanism. Armed with a dozen or so Q-Tips, paper towels and a bottle of Windex, I set to work cleaning up the insides. To get better access to the printer, I removed the cover which is held in place by 4 screws. Two are inside the cover in front and two in back outside the cover. Remove the paper feed support and lift off the cover. There is a small white lever below the print head carriage. Flick that down with a pencil or something else small and pointy.

Parking pad prior to cleaning

Move the print head carriage to the left out of the way. I sprayed liberal amounts of Windex on the rubber wiper and parking pad. I removed all of the ink goo from the wiper and supporting plastic structure. I then alternated between dabbing the parking pad with a paper towel and spraying with Windex until the parking pad was not black. At this point, I pulled out the Epson cartridges and put in my own with the carbon-6 inkset. It took a few test prints and a few head cleanings, but I got a good test print.

Printer in action. Don't let the blur fool you. This printer is slow.

Profiling, Printing and General Operation

Refillable, spongeless cartridges

The inkset I chose to work with is the carbon-6 inkset that Paul Roark developed and has been experimenting with. Essentially, the inkset is serial dilution of Eboni ink from MIS.

Black cartridge is filled with undiluted Eboni.

Cyan position is 50:50 Eboni:ink base

Light cyan position is 50:50 cyan position ink: ink base

Magenta position is 50:50 light cyan ink position: ink base

Light Magenta position is 50:50 magenta position ink: ink base

Yellow position is 50:50 light magenta position ink: ink base

I made my ink base by volume.

62% distilled water

28% glycerol

9.7% Kodak Photoflo

I got the glycerol from my local pharmacy and the Photoflo from a local camera shop (yes, they still sell darkroom supplies...) Yes, I know the percentages don't add up to 100% but I'm just working with what Paul has written up so far.

I have a 51-step wedge that I print and read to make up a printing profile. After printing the step wedge and allowing it to dry, I use a Datacolor Printfix pro to read the patches and create a .txt file. I use the RGB create ICC application from QTR to drop the .txt file on to to create a profile. This profile is then placed in the windows>system 32>spool>drivers>color folder. You can select the profile in Photoshop if the profile is placed in this location.

If you open the printer cover, the 2000P has a lever on the right side that adjusts the platen gap. This is useful for feeding in thicker media. Platen adjust gap lever

One thing I found out, is that it affects the sharpness of the print. My first prints were not coming out the way I thought they would – a little fuzzy here and there and banding every so often. I checked the lever and it was set to the maximum distance. I set the lever back down to the minimum setting and ran the head alignment utility. The prints have looked much better since then. It is better to run the head alignment utility with inkjet paper and not plain paper. There is less ink bleed with inkjet paper and it will allow you to see the printed lines more clearly.

There are 6 media setting to choose from: archival matte paper, premium semigloss photo paper, glossy paper – photo weight, plain paper, water color paper – radiant white and premium luster photo paper. Super microweave is only selectable on premium photo paper, glossy paper – photo weight and premium luster photo paper settings. High speed is available on all media settings. If speed is a concern, the 2000P is slooooow. I printed a 6”x9” print on letter size paper with high speed off and it took 11 minutes 33 seconds to print. I have been printing on with the high speed checked. Most of the time, I can't tell a difference in the print quality. So far, I've been happy with the 2000P. There have been way less head clogs than the 1280.

Subjective print quality

I've also been experimenting with the Epson R220 and the carbon-6 inkset. The 2000P cannot print nearly as smooth as the R220. For larger prints, I would say that the larger dot size probably doesn't make too much of a difference as you're viewing from further away, but on a letter sized print that you're holding up under your nose, the R220 is better. (Also, the R220 is way faster.) I have notice a little bit of banding in the midtone areas of the prints some times. I'm wondering if I incorporate the partitioning curves that Paul Roark has been working on, if it will help.

For images with lots of texture and granularity, the 2000P works fine. Any micro-banding is hidden in the texture of the image. For images with fine detail, I have not been able to get the 2000P to perform in a way that I couldn't see, with my unaided eye, that it was an inkjet print.

The carbon-6 inkset is pretty warm in general. I didn't think I would like it but I like the aggressive split on the staples matte. You can see in the following image the warmth of the inkset. The second image is black-only which is much colder.

Above full ink set print - warm tones

Above, black-only, much colder with too much grain

Lab chart showing warmth of print. Huge split on Staples matte

Papers

I tried a couple different papers with the 2000P & carbon-6 set up.

Inkpress rag warm tone Can you say uber warm? I was disappointed with this paper/ink/printer combination as this was my paper favorite with the 1280/UT-FSN combination. Perhaps if you were looking for a dedicated printer for sepia prints, this combo might work for you. Density was kind of weak at 1.5. I like the surface of this paper - just a slight texture. Double-sided paper is economical for working out process or proofing. (While I was really rooting for the inkpress papers, they just don't seem to work with my process at the moment.)

Inkpress rag cool tone The density I got with this paper/ink/printer combination was 1.5. Kind of dismal. I really liked the surface texture of this paper. Double-sided.

Staples photo supreme double-sided matte The LAB b goes from paper white LAB b of -3 to mid tone LAB b of about 4. This paper has a huge split. Density was 1.7. The surface of this paper is very smooth. The paper is fairly cheap and for me, makes a good proofing paper. Double-sided. I have to admit, that I'm liking this paper more and more, even with the large split tone. After a few calls to Staples support, I was told that the paper is lignin and acid free and is a pulp based paper.

Lexjet sunset fiber matte The split is not as dramatic as the Staples paper, but there is a change of about 5 LAB b units. Density was 1.7. The paper color is a bit warmer than the Staples. This has more surface texture than the Staples but less than the Inkpress. Single-sided. I like this paper as well.

http://www.premierart.info/pm_smoothbwfineart.php">Premier Art Smooth bright white No split. The color is very neutral. I thought I would like a neutral print, but I have to say, it is not my favorite at this point. Density was 1.7. Surface texture is very smooth. Single-sided.

As of this writing, the only two papers I am using are the Staples matte and the Lexjet Fiber matte. I've really come to like the warm split these papers produce.

Addendum

I've been printing with the 2000P with the carbon-6 inkset for a couple month now. In general, there have been MANY less head clogs than with the Epson 1280. I've had one bit of frustration over the last 2 weeks though. The yellow channel dropped out. I ran more than a few nozzle checks and head cleanings with no success. What happened was the vent on top of the cartridge got some ink in it and was preventing ink from being able to be drawn down into the head. (I just emptied the cartridge and put some water down the vent with a blunt syringe to clean out.) Looking back, the easier solution would have been to make sure I had a couple cartridges loaded with the inkset prior and just swapped out the troublesome cartridge. Also, I'll be pulling some ink from the bottom poppet valves to prime the cartridges from now on, something I haven't been doing.

I've run a few head alignments since I first started with this printer. I get some banding occasionally, and I haven't figured out if it's due to the setting or if it's due to the ink / paper combinations. I think it requires further exploration of an image with super fine detail to see if the printer will hold up.

Resources

www.inkpresspaper.com

www.lexjet.com

www.staples.com

www.paulroark.com

www.inksupply.com

www.craigslist.org

Epson Stylus Photo 1280

The Epson Stylus Photo 1280 is a discontinued model. The printer utilizes 2 inkjet cartridges, the T007 and T009 which can still be purchased at any office supply store and online from Epson. The inkset is dye-based. The printer has a 13" carriage, meaning that is can print paper 13" and up to 44" long with the Epson driver. If you can find one with all the original parts, the printer comes with a roll paper adapter (no cutter.) Generally, my favorite paper sizes are 8.5"X11" and 11"x14" so the 13" carriage is ideal. I can print a larger 13"x19" if I have an image that really calls for a larger print.

I found my 1280 on Craigslist a couple years ago for $30. Quite a bargain considering the original price was around $500. (Not to blow smoke, but Craigslist is an excellent place to find a used printer. Sometimes people get printers as part of a computer package for "free" and they sell the printer cheaply. This is a great place to get a printer for not a lot of dough to experiment with.) I purchased a few spongeless refillable cartridges, a chip resetter and the MISPRO inkset from MIS. (Due to an Epson lawsuit, MIS, and other US companies, no longer sell spongeless refillable cartridges. I have been able to buy these kinds of cartridges off of Ebay.) I eventually dedicated the 1280 to black & white printing and switched to the ultra tone (UT-FSN) black & white inkset.

One thing that needs to be noted is that Epson strongly discourages the use of non-Epson inks in their printers. I have not read the fine print but I would wager that by using 3rd party inks, I am voiding some kind of warranty. This should be taken into consideration if you plan on purchasing a new printer that has a warranty or an expensive printer where the cost due to possible damage may outweight the cost savings of using 3rd party inks.

One of the first things I noticed were the head clogs. It generally took me a couple head cleanings every printing session to get a good nozzle check print. Printing sessions were infrequent which didn't help. Also, my computer is upstairs in the house and during the summer months it can get pretty hot during the day. While I haven't done any experiments, I have a feeling that the high temperatures can dry out the print head and lead to clogs. Another theory is that the Epson inks are dye based with smaller particles and the pigments based ink particles are larger and can clog the head. Based on the information on the MIS website, the size of the pigment particles is not an issue with the 1280.

The UT-FSN inkset is a carbon based pigment set that has four shades of black to it. The "color" of inks are black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M) and yellow (Y). The black can either be the "photo black" which can be used on glossy papers or the "eboni" which is recommended for matte papers. I chose to use the eboni and print on matte paper. It took me a few tries to find a matte paper that I liked. One lesson learned is to buy sample packs of paper if they are available. This helps reduce costs if you end up not liking the paper for some reason (I have given away lots of paper and trashed others that I would consider fire starter.)

The refillable cartridges have small plugs that are removed to fill the chambers. This is best done with a syringe and blunt needle. I arranged the inkset in the recommended order per the MIS website. The order of the inks is CMCMY. Looking at the image to the left, you can see the chips on each cartridge. On these particular cartridges, the whole yellow piece slides off making it easier to replace the chips if you need to. Cartridge design from other suppliers may vary.

The chip resetter is used to reset these chips each time you fill up the cartridges so the print driver will indicate the approximate ink levels in the cartridges. The print driver may tell you that you have a "foreign" cartridge and "Do you wish to continue?" each time you reset and install the cartridges. As you can see from the picture of the cartridges and the chip resetter, the contacts and pins on the resetter are in the same pattern. When the resetter is properly held against the chip contacts, it blinks red a couple times and then green to indicate the resetting operation was successful. If you don't ever get the green, it means something is wrong with your chip and more than likely needs to be replaced. Auto reset chips are available that will automatically reset at some ink level by turning off the printer or removing power to the printer. This way, you can just pull out the plugs and refill the cartridges without removing the cartridge from the printer. I haven't used them so I don't know exactly how they work.


Looking left to right on the T009 cartridge, the color order is cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta and yellow. The cartridge is filled with the "cyan" ink in the cyan and magenta positions of the cartridge. The light cyan and light magenta positions are filled with the "magenta" ink and the yellow position is filled with the "yellow" ink. (Again, CMCMY positions.) I filled the T007 cartridge (smaller cart) with eboni. This gives the four shades of black to work with.

I made a 51-step wedge to linearize my prints. (More on how to create your own step wedge in another post.) I use a Datacolor Printfix Pro to read the patches and QTR to create an ICC profile. My favorite paper with this combination was Inkpress Rag Warm Tone 300. This is a cotton rag paper, no brighteners, 300 gsm, 15 mil paper. It is a very heavy paper. There isn't much flaking but I have had a few prints with white spots. I use a drafters brush to wipe away any flakes before loading the printer. In letter size, it needs a little "help" to get it to feed into the printer. (The 1280 has a lever to adjust platen for thicker papers.) The combination of the neutral ink and the warm paper gave a slightly warm print that was lovely.

The reason I chose a matte paper was due to part of the ejection system of the 1280. There are small gear-like wheels that grab the paper and push the print out when printing is done. If you look closely at the surface of the print, you'll see marks on the surface of the print - especially glossy prints. There are methods (here and here) for removing the pizza wheels, but I never tried them. Honestly, I found that the matte paper looks very nice behind glass when framed. You don't have to deal with the reflection off of the print and the glass which can be annoying if you're lighting on the frame is not right. As well, a couple years ago, the dmax of matte papers was much darker than that of the glossy papers. There were no fancy fiber-based glossy papers available, only resin-based glossy.

At times, the 1280 truly frustrated me with head clogging and banding in the prints. At other times, the 1280 with the UT-FSN inkset made awesome prints. I have only had one 1280. I've read accounts of people having no clog problems and other's having worse experiences than myself. I'm currently experimenting with an Epson R220 and an ancient Epson Sylus Photo 2000P. With my preliminary results so far, I'm wishing for another 1280 and UT-FSN inkset.

Last weekend, I took my 1280 to the electronics recycler. I'm regretting that decision. I wish I would have kept the printer and tried to fix it myself. I had nothing to lose as the printer is now in some junk heap. It could have been no worse off after my attempts to repair and could have ended up functioning well again. Who knows?

I don't have any affiliation with any of the above manufacturers and/or products. This really is a "journey" and as there are no 1st party manufacturers of a dedicated black & white inkjet printer, those of us who want one have to turn to 3rd party solutions.

Online resources listed in this post:
www.craigslist.org - online classified ads.
www.inksupply.com - suppliers of bulk ink and other inkjet supplies.
www.inkpresspaper.com - Inkjet paper manufacturer of fairly inexpensive papers.
www.datacolor.com - Manufacturer of color management equipment.
www.epson.com - Manufacturer of inkjet printers.
www.ebay.com - online auction - source of refillable inkjet cartridges.

The Journey Begins

I recycled my printer last weekend. I'm realizing that that was a mistake. In one moment of head-clog frustration, I tossed my printer. So, I am beginning the journey to find a new B&W inkjet-based workflow. I'll do my best to document materials and equipment as I try and sort out a new inkjet-based method of printing B&W photos.

Coming from a short darkroom background, my first attempts at black and white inkjet printing were very disappointing. I can remember the first experiences of pressing "control+p" and having the printer spit out a lime green "black and white" photo. I went back into the darkroom...

Inkjet technology and inksets have gotten much better in the last few years. There are very good "out of the box" solutions right now for printers who want to do both black and white as well as color. Printers are much faster and are capable of high quality prints that, in my opinion, look better than any chemical print I ever got from a photo lab. Print drivers are offering more flexibility in print options. Better and more interesting papers are available. Technology wise, It's a good time in the photo world.

While there are many expensive good out of the box solutions, the effort here will be looking at older printers and 3rd party inks to find a somewhat inexpensive solution.