Sometimes I surprise myself.
I had indicated that I was going to tweak the potential of the Epson printers that use CLARIA ink to use pigment ink with good success. To date I had done this but custom profile had to be used HOWEVER with the question that Pharmacist posed and Grandad's comments. I moved many more steps further.
The internal RIP on these CLARIA printers are optimized for dye ink whose response characteristics are different from that of pigment ink. Using off the shelf colors already slated for Epson printers, color casts are generated as opposed to the standard ink. When I was able to mix up an inkset ( after many many hours of work) that responded essentially like dye ink on similar papers. I knew I was onto something. The initial results are beyond encouraging.
When this inkset is used with the standard drivers, there is no color cast. Greys are essentially fairly neutral but will vary by paper. Printed with standard drivers with NO PROFILES the output is very close to dye ink. With those results, I made up a high quality profile with Spyder3SR 4.11 and the output is excellent. Grandad's comments that if an inkset that closely matches the internal RIP is used that closely follows the OEM colors made me take that extra step ( many extra steps really) and now the lowly Epson CLARIA photoprinters is producing excellent output with pigment ink.
What is mind boggling is that last week the computer store around the corner was selling brand new Epson Artisan 50s for less than $40. My R260 (same color engine) is producing output that I really cannot criticize. The most amazing thing is that now even if a user who is not familiar with color management, can now acquire these low cost printers and aftermarket pigment ink and have archival pictures. Yes, the profile is better but judging by what I see an adjustment of brightness or maybe gamma on the color controls might bring everything together. Knock Knock photobooth applications?
I will now make a more detailed and careful profile to further improve the output.
Oh yes, I did use some vivid magenta but that was a small portion, the inkset spans three generations of printers and multiple dilutions and tints. It was not easy. My wife kept askling me why I was staring at the colors all the time. Well it's not easy when you use your eye as a spectro and then calculate dilutions and tints in your head. SWAG really.
P.S. At the prices the current starter Epson photoprinters are, even Canon owners who worry about fading should consider them if they want archival photos. These printers are extremely versatile in that they can print dye, pigment and wonderful B&W images in both matte and semi luster ( with B&W inksets) . Even the Epson SP1400 use the same color engine.
Clogging? I had this particluar R260 in storage since September 2009. Listen up, 5 months later and one (1) head clean and I was ready to go again. The older Epsons like the R200 could never accomplish this I really think the Epson clog story is now behind us with the newer models since the R260.
I had indicated that I was going to tweak the potential of the Epson printers that use CLARIA ink to use pigment ink with good success. To date I had done this but custom profile had to be used HOWEVER with the question that Pharmacist posed and Grandad's comments. I moved many more steps further.
The internal RIP on these CLARIA printers are optimized for dye ink whose response characteristics are different from that of pigment ink. Using off the shelf colors already slated for Epson printers, color casts are generated as opposed to the standard ink. When I was able to mix up an inkset ( after many many hours of work) that responded essentially like dye ink on similar papers. I knew I was onto something. The initial results are beyond encouraging.
When this inkset is used with the standard drivers, there is no color cast. Greys are essentially fairly neutral but will vary by paper. Printed with standard drivers with NO PROFILES the output is very close to dye ink. With those results, I made up a high quality profile with Spyder3SR 4.11 and the output is excellent. Grandad's comments that if an inkset that closely matches the internal RIP is used that closely follows the OEM colors made me take that extra step ( many extra steps really) and now the lowly Epson CLARIA photoprinters is producing excellent output with pigment ink.
What is mind boggling is that last week the computer store around the corner was selling brand new Epson Artisan 50s for less than $40. My R260 (same color engine) is producing output that I really cannot criticize. The most amazing thing is that now even if a user who is not familiar with color management, can now acquire these low cost printers and aftermarket pigment ink and have archival pictures. Yes, the profile is better but judging by what I see an adjustment of brightness or maybe gamma on the color controls might bring everything together. Knock Knock photobooth applications?
I will now make a more detailed and careful profile to further improve the output.
Oh yes, I did use some vivid magenta but that was a small portion, the inkset spans three generations of printers and multiple dilutions and tints. It was not easy. My wife kept askling me why I was staring at the colors all the time. Well it's not easy when you use your eye as a spectro and then calculate dilutions and tints in your head. SWAG really.
P.S. At the prices the current starter Epson photoprinters are, even Canon owners who worry about fading should consider them if they want archival photos. These printers are extremely versatile in that they can print dye, pigment and wonderful B&W images in both matte and semi luster ( with B&W inksets) . Even the Epson SP1400 use the same color engine.
Clogging? I had this particluar R260 in storage since September 2009. Listen up, 5 months later and one (1) head clean and I was ready to go again. The older Epsons like the R200 could never accomplish this I really think the Epson clog story is now behind us with the newer models since the R260.
