Remapping a 9900 with 3 inks missing for P2

[rafaelrojas]

Hi there!

Is it possible to remap a 9900 with the Orange, Light Cyan and Light Magenta missing so that it prints with P2 system, including gloss and mate (gloss optimizer)?

If yes, how to remap so that the three missing channels can be left with piezo flush and use the others?

Cheers,

rafael

[walkerblackwell]

K6 Gloss/Matte requires 7 channels working (with your black switch channel) so yes.

You would take any of the K6 curves from the Curves-HD folder and remap Light Cyan to Green and Light Magenta to Yellow. Keep the K in the K channel.

best,
Walker

[rafaelrojas]

Hi Walker,

I am about to start using the 9900 again, loading it with piezo inks.

How to perform this remapping?

I am until now using Piezo DN. Does Piezo DN allow remapping of the curves?
Or should I use Piezography Professional Tool to do the remapping?
I suppose that in this case, I would just use PPT instead of PiezoDN, also for digital negatives. Is this correct?

I also understand from your answer that I could still use both PB and MK cart positions with different shades of piezo inks,…even if those inks are using the same ink tube on the machine? How is that possible or am I missing something? I thought those two channels were not usable at the same time, having to activate one of another on the printing head?

Thanks and regards,

Rafael

[jkschreiber]

Hi Rafa,

I’m trying to sketch this out, but it looks to me like it can’t be done with a P2 setup – you would need to put PK back in the PK slot so that Y can be used to replace one of the bad channels. GR can be used for the other.

Normally you would just move the LC/3 and LM/5 to OR and GR but you say OR is also bad. The only other option I see is to give up the LLK/GO channel for one of the channels that needs remapping. LLK/GO is not used in these PiezoDN curves, so unless you need GO for something else (glossy prints on paper) that might be an option. Is there a reason you are running P2? Bad K switch?

If I’m looking at this correctly, rather than using a P2 curve, you would have to go back to a regular setup from which you remap LC to Y (shade 3) and LM to GR (shade 5). Both MK and PK would be in the normal positions rather than PK being in Y. The remapping would look like this:

Keith

PS - You will need to use PPEv2 for remapping. Both tool versions can be used for PiezoDN, but v1 (Smoother, etc) is for PiezoDN only, while PPEv2 is for all Piezography printing including PiezoDN. At least that is my understanding.

PPS - As usual, I could be completely wrong about all of this.

[Brian_S]

@jkschreiber

I could be completely wrong about all of this.

Not that I can see. If you want to print on matte and gloss with P2 then you need eight working channels. In a ten ink printer with three dud (non-K) channels you’re going to have to use both black channels, which is not strictly P2. It’s K6 remapped. (I dunno nuttin’ about PiezoDN.) I think Keith is completely right.

[rafaelrojas]

Dear Keith and Brian,

Thanks for your quick answers, so thorough and as useful as always…
I see where my mistake was. I was intending to use MK or PB without having to switch blank ink… not possible I see.
My black switch is working, so yes, I see the solution is, like Walker mentioned, a remapped K6 set.
I would prefer to keep the option to print on paper (gloss and matt) while still printing digital negatives. So a K6 remapped option would be the solution.
I am going to try and see what happens with this printer, before throwing it out of the studio.
I will also purchase the PPEv2.
Thanks everyone
Rafael

[rafaelrojas]

Hi there.
I plan to load the inks tomorrow, and before doing that I have a couple of very especific questions.
Right now, all the carts installed on the 9900 have piezoflush. I intend to load the Selenium inks tomorrow and make an init fill.

1. I have Photo Black Neutral at 50% in the cart. Is this amount of ink enough to load the printer? I have more ink in a new bottle, but it is Photo Black HD. So I guess it is not a good idea to mix them from the beginning, right? I was thinking on just making the init fill and using the printer with conventional PBK and once it will get close to the end, refill it with Photo Black HD. Suggestions?

2. I have Matt Black Neutral at 75% in the cart. The new ink in the bottle to refill is however the Ultra HD version. Same question as above.

3. For the Yellow cart, I should empty the #7 that is inside, clean with distilled water, and then refill it with #3 ink. I am planning to reuse the #3 ink that I originally had in the LC cart, and then fill it up with new #3 ink from the bottle. Is this way of doing right?

As a secondary option, I suppose I could get the Yellow chip from another cart, and fix it on the LC cart. Doing this would allow me to just fill the LC (that had #3 ink) with more #3 ink, avoiding to have to clean carts, transfer inks, etc. I just do not know whether the process of changing chips can lead to problems.

Which one of these two options would you recommend?

4. For the Green cart, I also have the same two options as for the Yellow channel that needs remapping…

Thanks in advance for your help. As I plan to do all this tomorrow if possible, let me know which would be the recommended way to go.

Thanks and kind regards,

Rafael
2) I have Matt Black Neutral at

[walkerblackwell]

@rafaelrojas

make an init fill.

Hmm. Not good idea on this machine if it’s the same printer that has had all the issues. Print purge sheets to transition IMO.

How To Flush Individual Channel using QTR Calibration Mode

(These instructions are provided for changing out inks. Flushing is often used to change inks. This is not the recommended procedure for trying to unclog a printer. To unclog a printer - you need to run a procedure that provides suction rather than isolated printing of the channel. Please refer here for flushing a printer to unclog it.) To print from one specific ink channel (which is helpful when flushing just one line, without wasting ink in the other positions by doing power clean cycles), y…

This is cheaper all around and less hard on the head.

Also, just switch chips. Easier.

Put the new K in along with the #3 switch then purge those channels individually. 2x 90"x36" prints per channel will do a full purge. I use canon bond paper for this.

best,
Walker

[rafaelrojas]

Thanks Walker. Good suggestion! Yes, it is the same bloody machine!

Sorry but I did not understand what you mention for the K inks: Would you throw the old inks and put the new HD inks? Or mix them, adding the HD to the non HD inks? I guess that if I print purges, then I can have carts with 50% or 75% filled without any problem, right? Just asking because throwing away the old black inks might be a pity, since there is quite a bit in there…

Otherwise, when changing chips, I suppose that I need to use double sided tape to keep them in place, right?

Thanks for the answers before the weekend starts, so that I can put myself to the task tomorrow!

Regards,

Rafael

[rafaelrojas]

A clarification for my question about the Black Inks: I intend to print digital negatives mostly, and conventional prints on paper that do not have very strong blacks… mostly low in contrast and with most of the tones in the shadow to midtones area…

With this in mind, would it be a good idea to keep the Normal Black inks (right now at 50% and 75% in the old carts) until they get close to the end, and then refill them with HD inks? Or would you suggest I throw the Normal Blacks and refill it from scratch with HD black inks?

Thanks.

[walkerblackwell]

@rafaelrojas

mostly low in contrast and with most of the tones in the shadow to midtones area…

oh, than the older inks will be fine.

@rafaelrojas

Otherwise, when changing chips, I suppose that I need to use double sided tape to keep them in place, right?

yep

best,
Walker