I1 spectro usability

[Mark_Stracke]

Walker,
I asked a question above the one you answered here. Could you have a look at it please?
TIA

[walkerblackwell]

@Mark_Stracke

Walker,
You mention in this thread about i1Pro spectros that service by xRite is required for PiezoDN negatives. I have an i1Pro2 which has never been serviced by xRite or Gretag (built in 2012.)
Do I need to send it to xRite for service in order to use it to calibrate DN negatives for Pt/Pd printing? I’m in the process of recalibrating for the verifiedUV version 2 LED strips which I have recently installed in my exposure unit. I have been getting some results that surprise me, not in a good way, and I’m now wondering if my spectro is the culprit.
TIA.
Mark

I don’t recall saying this (that these need to be serviced). They do not need to be serviced. Please describe the surprising results (photos and/or screenshots welcome)

regards
-Walker

[Mark_Stracke]

The surprising results have been slightly lower Dmax for my Pt/Pd prints. Where I was getting 1.4 or slightly above, it’s topping out at 3.8 or 3.9 when using with the new V2 strips in my exposure unit.
The discussion in this thread led me to think (erroneously) that maybe the i1 was the variable rather than the paper, coating, hydrating, exposing processes. I’ll circle around to the other variables again.
BTW Dmax is not the be all for me, as I said it was surprising to see the lower readings consistently.
Thanks!
Mark

[walkerblackwell]

what do you mean 3.8 or 3.9 . . .

[jkschreiber]

I think Mark means 1.38 or 1.39, and if that is so then I would say it’s probably insignificant since a difference of 0.01-0.02 is not visible by eye. At least that is my experience, and I have a tendency to be obsessive about these things as Mark knows.

By the way, Mark, is this standard Pt/Pd or Malde-Ware?

Keith

[Mark_Stracke]

Keith indeed untangled my silly omission.
It’s Malde/Ware.
I know it’s a small difference, but I had been seeing 1.38 and up to 1.4. Now I’m seeing 1.33 and up to 1.38. It seemed enough of a difference to look into.
Thanks!
Mark
ps I always think of you as extremely thorough, Keith!

[jkschreiber]

Thanks for the clarification Mark. The numbers you posted above were “3.8 or 3.9” which I interpreted as 1.38 or 1.39. A Dmax reading of 1.33 is kinda low for M-W, but this raises another question. Are you taking these readings from prints of targets or of pictorial images? It could make a difference.

Keith

[Mark_Stracke]

I’m making the readings from targets - PiezoDN in particular. Going a bit further, I’m using the beta driver with my 3880 and using the targets that came with the beta package.
I’ve found that the 3880 with the beta driver does not leave pizza wheel marks on the negatives, where it does with the QTR driver and the PiezoDN curves for the Pro inks. My guess is that the ink has time to dry before hitting the pizza wheels since the driver takes considerably longer to print out a negative.
I tried to work this out using your method of raising the wheels. With that I got a sort of smudge that often intruded on the image area. So I went back to the beta and life has been good ever since
I’ve also been making prints with the Stouffer Step Wedge and finding a similar ceiling on the readings.