Chroma Optimizer

[The Hat]

Any of the prints that I do for family and friends I always use Lidl’s Sihl A4 Photo Glossy paper and then coated with I.S. Optimizer code 828.

Now I’ve just had a chance to use the new Chroma Optimizer from Percisioncolor code PC72-C and just tried it out to day on some prints that I had left overnight to dry before Glop overprinting them.

The older Glop done a great job on the glossy photo paper and improved the glossiness, where as this new stuff tones down the glossiness and gives a nice smooth Satin finish to the paper surface.

Now for those of you who like using glossy paper with pigment inks then I would still recommend using the 828 Glop and for those that like the Satin look then the PC72-CO would be a better choice, it really doesn’t matter to me because both finishes looks suburb and improves the look of the prints.

I use the 9500 for all my photo prints and now use a second machine which I have dedicated for Glop over printing use only. (There’s posh)

There is another way to Glop your prints if you don’t have two machines, with just a quick change you can use a separate old print head and a set of Glop filled cartridges, or just fill your Matte Black cartridge with Glop and print with a Media setting of Matte and that will work too.(Greyscale)

I have even heard of using a CLI-8 printer filled with Glop, but I don’t know how that went because there was no feed back on the final output results, so use with caution !

If you’re worried about Bronzing or colour differential there is no need to stick with using Matte or Semi gloss photo finish, with this Glop you can improve the look of your prints to a near dye quality finish..

 

[The Hat]

I have just finished testing out whether the use of Gloss Optimiser on photo print makes any difference to their ability to survive longer in everyday light.

I printed 3 the same photos and next day coated one with Gloss Glop and another with Satin Glop and placed all 3 of them in full sun to get the quickest results. (Not ideal)

After 12 weeks I studied each of them and there were signs of some fading but the photo without any Glop was slightly better then the 2 which had been overprinted.

So what I’ve got from this test is that I will continue to overprint all my photos because the prints do look much better with the Glop coating then not applying any at all.

I still can’t decide which is better, the Satin or the Gloss look, but it’s good that I have these 2 options without the necessity of having two different types of photo papers.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I can confirm that effect, when I was doing various fade tests 6 - 8 months ago I used as well a GO for one test - with Epson compatible inks - some fast fade ink + overprint with a gloss optimizer, fading without the overprint became visible after just a few days - black first turning into dark brown, and with the overprint it took days longer until the fading became visible, the overprint did not made that ink Fujifilm DL like but extended the usable period of such printout somewhat. The GO did not have a visible impact onto the gloss of the printout on glossy paper. I used a separate cartridge at that time in a R265 and swapped it against the black cartridge, with driver settings 'normal paper' and grayscale printing, and printing a 'black' image with those settings. The option to get a Satin look is interesting.

 

[jtoolman]

Here is my video on how I tackle this problem with EPSON 1400 running on a CISS filled completely with OCP GLOP
How to eliminate Bronzing or Gloss differential in your prints
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iRUoUwwSlA

Joe

 

[mikling]

Hat, how are you applying overall GLOP? Are you overprinting with a Black image?

Here's something that you might want to try. Try overprinting with a lighter shade to control the amount of GLOP deposited and thus the surface finish.

It is possible that too much glop is being put down leading to puddling effects thus causing roughness due to the puddles. Like laying on too much spray paint or something called "orange peel" when spraying. The 828 and CO have similar base materials except one has more resin content. This leads me to suspect the amount deposited is causing the differences. The good news is that if you can control the deposition rate, you have an infinite amount of surface finishes with the press of a button.
Nice find if it works.

 

[jtoolman]

To Hat: How are you regulating from what "COLORS" the GLOP is being applied? If you use a black image it would use PK and some other colors just like with normal printing of a B&W image. So you would not be using ewual amounts of GLOP from all ten Carts right?
With an EPSON printer you can use Quad Tone Rip and with a custom curve ( Easy to create ) you can eaqually apply GLOP evenly from all the carts. You create different curves to regulate the amount or strength of the overall GLOP coat. I can apply just a tiny bit or literally make the print look wet!!! You have total control!

I tried the black image. Gray image. White image! Not gave the control I was looking for.
You should look for a cheap used 6 color epson printer and use it for this application. I use the 1400.

Joe

 

[The Hat]

When I over-print the two kinds of I.S GLOP that I have, I try and use as many of the cartridges as I can to control the level of output, this is the colour I settle on to achieve the maximum usage from all of the cartridges.


I started with a warm grey colour then a cool grey but after weighing all of the cartridges on a dozen or so test prints I could see I was using very few cartridge for that colour, that’s why I settled on the aubergine colour after further testing.

I can print on gloss paper to give a nice light coverage of GLOP with just 1 pass using standard print setting, if I give it 3 passes on the same print, I see the first signs of puddling which is to be expected, but it does not improve the overall look of the print with several coatings on the Sihl photo paper, one pass is more than sufficient.

I have a dedicated 9500 to print the GLOP and only need to switch the cartridges to change between the Satin and Gloss output, Hint, it’s easy to do the same using just one 9500 if you have an old damaged print head, you just swap the heads and cartridges and hey presto you have your very own GLOP printer.

Old clogged print heads are very handy for testing new inks, or special colours too, they are also handy for testing the B200 error on a working print head, never dump your old print head !

Edit: You can get even better results by using a tint of 30% / 40%.