Posterization of digital negs

InkjetMall Customer Support Piezography Inks & Printing
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41

I’ve just downloaded QTR 2.7.5 from their website, second link from top in the downloads section. However, when I open QTR in my computer the startup screen still says it’s version 2.7.0. Do I need to shut down and re-start for the changes to occur? I uninstalled it completely off before I’m fairly sure.

This is what the about section says


42

This is what I’m seeing on start-up

43

Hi Jarvman~

Yes, you have the latest version 2.7.5 installed, though it says 2.7.0 on top of the QTRgui window.

~Dana

44

I think I have had that version all along then. Possibly no reason to re-install. What would you suggest i do from here?

45

I was supriized to see that the Piezo profiles were still on QTR after I had installed it again. I never has to re-install them, does that mean I didn’t uninstall everything properly?

46

I’m seeing this warning on Photoshop at the moment. I have re-installed version 6.61 of the Epson driver. When searching for a newer driver it says that I have the latest one. Do you know if I have the newer version? What could this warning be about? I printed a neg this evening and it’s still looking very weird.

47

QTR curves are stored in two places, so if they’re removed from one but not the other, they’ll still be listed when you delete + reinstall QTR. I don’t believe you need to delete all the curves in order to install a new version of QTR, so you should be fine.

I believe the error you got may be caused by settings saved for your printer with the previous driver version, so now that you have installed the new driver, you will have to remake your saved settings for that printer. (you can check “don’t show again”)

Since your output is the same after reinstalling QTR and the print driver, then I’m still leaning towards your inks being mis-filled or settled and not printing correct density. I think the next step would be to measure and evaluate your individual inks. You said you have a X-rite 36IT transmissive densitometer, but aren’t very familiar with how to use it… I can’t tell you how to use it, but if you were able to figure out the basics and measure the 60% patch of an Ink Separation image printed on on Pictorico film, I can compare to our measurements to tell if your inks are in line, or if a specific shade if off, and that’s causing your troubles.

Are you using Pictorico Premium or Ultra-Premium OHP Film?

I hope this helps.
Best~ Dana

48

I am using Agfa Copyjet as Pictorico is difficult to come by in the UK. Is that a problem for measuring densities?

49

Piezography Digital Negatives are designed for use with Pictorico Ultra-Premium OHP Film only, other films work differently.
Some customers are using other films successfully (after testing many different types), but we can not support use of other films, since they vary so much and the system was designed specifically for Pictorico.

Best regards~ Dana :slight_smile:

50

Ok, fair enough. I understand if you will not support a different photo media. I’ll have to buy some Pictorico. I have about £200 worth of Agfa material here though :expressionless:

It’s very strange because I was initially getting very good smooth results with this media. Something has gone awry somewhere. I was wondering if my color setting were wrong. Am I correct to think the files should be saved as 16-bit greyscale before printing?

Cheers

51

Change the Preserve Embedded to Convert and then click on all the Ask When Opening.

If anything you are opening is not in Adobe RGB 1998 or Gamma 2.2 - you will never know the way that you have it set up. And when you save them, they may be in the wrong space and that will totally disrupt your output.

When you print - the files have to be in Adobe RGB 1998 or Gamma 2.2.

52

Hi Jon, thanks for the quick reply. Is this now correct?..


53

Also, is this how my ‘Assign Profile’ window should look? Cheers!


54

Here is a magnification of the file I’m trying to print at 200% zoom in Photoshop. Should I expect to see some graininess in my neg?


55

Is that a scan of your negative or a scan of the image file?

Further, if you are opening images that are in a different working space than Adobe RGB 1998 - you should convert them rather than assign them to Adobe RGB 1998.

56

That is a close-up of an area of the image file. How do you go about converting the profile? Cheers

57

In that case should I select ‘don’t color manage this document’’? Thanks

58

I can see some graininess in the image file so you should expect to see some of that on the print. If you want more grain - try a very small amount of Gaussian Noise or one of the special effect filters that create fake film grain.

For setting up the color settings look at page #66 under the section: Now What do you do with the Calibration?

You are on Mac OSX - so pay attention also to the workflow on page #12 under the section: Using the Quad Tone RIP Print Tool

59

Will check the pages you suggested momentarily Jon. I’d like to see less grain in the neg/print. Ideally it’d look as smooth as possible. I think the calibration of my monitor is out of whack, will that be having a serious impact on my prints? I’ve received a file off somebody else in its finished state and just have to print it off as a negative. Cheers

60

If your monitor calibration is whack, your prints won’t match it - and worse, you will edit the images to look a certain way you think that they will come out - but won’t. It’s whack!

If you have grain in your image file - its going to get picked up in the print. If you do not want it - you need to eliminate it somehow in PS. I would go with the image grain.