Epson Paper Settings - File Color Space

InkjetMall Customer Support General Discussion & Misc Support Questions
1

I am brand new to Piezography and getting through the learning curve. Some comments:

  • Epson 9890
  • Selenium Ink Set with Glossy and Matte Black
  • Using QTR

I have read the New Piezography Manual and have been able to effectively setup my printer and start printing. At this point I want to ensure I am maximizing performance.

Questions:

  • I understand how to setup the settings and curves in QTR and this seems straightforward to me.
    Q: On the Printer, what paper setting are you supposed to use? Lets assume Joe Cone Type 5 for this example.
    - I have been using Epson Premium Glossy paper setting
    - I know these settings impact the amount of ink that is laid down
    - On other system I would create a custom profile and then select that particular paper setting on the User Interface. Should I be doing this with Piezography as well?

  • Q: In addition to the simple example above, which curve and which paper type should I be using with the following papers:

    1. Ilford Gold Mono Silk
    2. Pictorico High Gloss White Film

  • I process all my files in 16bit ProfotoRGB color space and save as TIFF
    Q: Is this the best practice and file format for feeding into QTR?

Thanks for any feedback you might have. I think these are some trivial settings that I am just overlooking and I want to get the most from the setup. I usually make my own paper profiles using my i2 Pro but I realize Piezography is a bit different.

Mike

2

Hi Mike~

I assume you’re printing from a Mac, what OS are you using?

When printing thru QuadTone RIP, the Epson driver settings are not available to select, so if you are selecting a media type setting in the Epson driver, then I suspect you’re not choosing your K7 printer model or printing thru QTR correctly.
Please refer to the New Piezography Manual, starting on page 12, where it explains how to use the QTR Print Tool, to pages 13 + 14, where it shows how to go from Print Tool to QuadTone RIP to select the Piezography paper curve and resolution settings. To have the 9890-K7 printer and QuadTone RIP available to print thru, you must first install the 9890-K7 printer by following the Mac QTR installation instructions, starting on page 7 of the Piezography manual, and more information and curves specific to the 7890/9890-K7 setup can be found here: http://www.piezography.com/PiezoPress/technical-support/epson-7890-9890-installation/

To print Piezography inks on Pictorico film, you will want to use our Digital Negative ink shade placement (including shades 2.5 and 4.5). To print positives on film, use Methodology 1 ink shade placement and curve (follow the Meth 1 printing instructions on page 33, but don’t invert or flip the image as you would if printing a negative). To print negatives for developing in the darkroom, Methodology 3 is best, and we offer a few curves with different film bases. You can certainly try printing on film using the standard K7 ink shade placement, and a glossy-K7 curve, to see if you’re satisfied with the results, but we feel the Meth 1 ink shade placement and curve produce the smoothest/best results on Pictorico film.

When printing on any glossy, semi-gloss, pearl, satin or baryta paper surface, you will want to use the appropriate Piezography gloss curve specific to the printer model/family and paper you’re using. A second printing of Gloss Overprint must be applied after the ink has been printed and dried. Piezography gloss printing instructions start on page 19 of the New Piezography Manual.

QTR now supports both 8 and 16bit images, but for the bet results when printing with Piezography and QTR, you should print images with an embedded profile of either Adobe RGB (1998) or Gray Gamma 2.2 (this is explained on page 10 of the Piezography manual).

I hope this helps. Best regards and happy printing~ Dana :slight_smile:

3

Dana-

Thanks for the quick reply. I don’t think I articulated my problem correctly around Paper Settings. I will focus on that topic in this reply.

  • I am clear on QTR setup. This is more about the Epson side on the printer itself.
  • I am using Windows 7 x64
  • When loading paper into my 9890, the Printer User Interface asks me to select a paper type and setting
  • When I say Printer User Interface, I am talking about the readout on the printer itself which asks you to confirm the paper type when you load paper
  • For Glossy I have been using “Photo Paper”, “Epson Premium Glossy”

Q: Am I selecting the proper paper setting on my printer for glossy prints?
Q
Q: Do I need to select a Custom Paper Setting on my printer when it asks to confirm paper type?

I think this is simple but I want to get the most from the setup. Please advise and then we can discuss the other items you responded to.

Mike