Gloss differential reduced, black comments
Hold a 4800 and 2100 print side by side on the same material (Velvety atm, going out to buy a range of Epson stock shortly) it's easy to see that gloss differential has been reduced.
(I am not referring to bronzing, I describe my take on the difference between bronzing and gloss differential in the post 'Pictorico Velvety, Color and Bronzing' )
On the 2100 Photo-disc test print below this is especially evident varying degrees in the light areas around the heads (tinted pink). On the 2100 print they are distinct 'holes' with hard edges. In the same area of the print the 4800 exhibits minimal gloss differential. This is a significant improvement imo.
It suggests to me that provided there is enough information in your whites to lay down some ink, the 4800's K3 inks/software/hardware do a significantly better job of addressing gloss differential vs Ultrachrome.
But - where your hightlights are blown out and there is no data, no ink, you need to look elsewhere for a solution. What I'm interested to pin down exactly is how little information in the whites you can get away with for a given stock before this problem appears on 4800 prints.
Another thing I've noticed is that the darker tones on the 2100 print are very muddy in comparison to those on the 4800 - e.g. the area I've outlined in red. The 4800's a very clean, the 2100's are almost blotchy by comparison.
posted by Pete Walsh @ 1:30 PM 6 comments
At 2:35 PM, stephen best said...
Ah, you'll be wanting the soon-to-be-announced 4900 with ten cartridge slots, the additional ones supporting both PK and MK concurrently and a new varnish overcoat :-).
From what I've seen, the range of Epson papers available locally in 17" (432mm) widths is limited. I don't see the point of using A3+ (or even 406mm wide) on the 4800, which rules out papers like Velvet Fine Art. The 7800 is much better catered for here with respect to media. Luckily there's a few non-Epson options.
At 11:53 PM, Pete Walsh said...
Yes the 4900! I wonder how much better these printers are going to get, in ways that are easy to see.
One thing I continue to wonder about is that Epson makes all of these changes to their inks and printers in general, yet their paper range doesn't change much at all... for a long time now and the reps say there's anything much new in the pipeline.
I'm finding that too with 17" width papers. Funnily enough, not that many of the papers in the media guide that ship with the printer are available here. Not too much cut sheet A2 either.
I agree, not much point running A3+ on the 4800 - I bought it primarily for the bigger print capacity. One guy was saying the way to go is buy rolls for the 9800 and cut them.
I don't know what I'm going to do yet with papers - it reminds me of buying a car, fun looking around for a short while but the a PITA, you just want the thing bought and settled.
At 6:14 AM, stephen best said...
The more I look around, the more third-party papers I find. I'm getting some Enhanced Matte just to muck around with and have ordered a roll of Hahnemühle Photo Rag. There's also a brand new Hahnemühle Satin which sounds interesting. I'm on the wait list for UltraSmooth Fine Art. I just discovered this mob as well:
http://www.gicleemedia.com.au/
Here's a good rundown of the more common papers:
http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/printers/epson_media.htm
I went through this whole exercise many years ago with an Epson 3000 (loaded with Iris Equipoise inks) and gave up as I couldn't find any paper I liked that gave acceptable results. I'm keen to see where things are at now.
Keep up the good work, all this is invaluable.
At 1:19 PM, Pete Walsh said...
Thanks Stephen, will check out the links.
I ran Photo Rag in the 2100 for a while but ended up switching back to Epson's Matte, on price primarily.
I'm interested in having a second range of prints at a higher price point, so the hunt is on again. I'll probably revisit Photo Rag, but want to try a few new ones too, like Breathing Color.
At 12:31 AM, Nill Toulme said...
Pete, an excellent source of a wide variety of papers, as well as much Epson lore, is http://www.inkjetart.com/. I don't know if they will ship to Oz but it's worth a look. (My 4800 order is pending with them).
Best,
Nill
~~
www.toulme.net
At 12:34 AM, Pete Walsh said...
Thanks Nil, will check them out. All the best!
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