Epson 1500w B&W profiling

[Smile]

@pharmacist

Yes you have a very good idea here, one of my clients is very happy with your formula, the others who need to print color too would rather make a good neutral profile and RGB print certification.

 

[GauffDeLieche]

I looked at the picture at the daylight and it is nice but still a bit greenish. But it is not that disturbing.

 

[GauffDeLieche]

You could use a 6 position B&W ink set to produce very neutral B&W prints without the slightest color cast. This way no profile is needed. I too have the Epson 1500W.

Hi pharmacist,
I already followed your advice concerning the Inktec Powerchrome K3 and I placed an order to Martin.

I've also seen your results in B&W and I like the idea of a having separated set of B&W cartridges but since the heads are not on the cartridge how do you clean when you pass from B&W to color?

 

[pharmacist]

Hi Gauff,

You don't have to do anything, except to install a waste ink tank, which is compulsory to redirect the massive amounts of ink during cleaning and cartridge exchange. When you exchange the cartridges, the print head will be purged (takes several minutes) and all previous ink in the print head will be flushed away...hopefully in your waste ink tank. Sometimes an extra cleaning is necessary, that's all.

Again: I suggest to order a waste ink tank at Octoinkjet.co.uk.

 

[costadinos]

I've had the same problem with the greenish cast on the B&W prints when profiling with the Spyder3Print device.
I'm afraid this is not a workflow problem but rather a device issue. The specific colorimeter is simply not accurate enough to create profiles that produce neutral B&W prints.
When trying to profile the same media with the Spyder and the i1Pro, even using targets with much smaller number of patches for the i1, the i1pro produces much better profiles in that respect.

The Spyder also consistently introduces a slight yellow cast in color prints as well. While you may not be able to tell from a print on its own, when compared to a print made with a proper profile, prints produced by the Spyder profiles are warmer.
I compared prints made with OEM media using the profiles that came from Epson, to prints made with Spyder profiles and prints made with i1pro profiles. The i1pro and OEM are indistinguishable, the Spyder is warmer.

There are a few options for adjusting the profiles in the advanced mode of the Spyder software, you could try some of these, but the adjustments are really too subtle for them to be of any usefulness.

The only way to get around this issue is to apply an adjustment on the image in Photoshop before sending to the printer. From what I recall from when using the Spyder, a +10, +7, +5 adjustment towards the magenta and something like +3 towards the cyan, on a color balance adjustment layer worked rather well on getting rid of most of the cast for B&W prints. This is obviously not a real solution, but it could get you going until you gain access to a more accurate profile.

 

[ruben_c]

I use a SpyderPrint myself and have no problems of having warm profiles.

Be sure you turn off the color management of your printer when printing out the measurement patches out of the SpyderPrint software. Furthermore, be sure to print correctly out of Photoshop (http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/printing-color-management-photoshop.html)

Also, be sure you clean the white tile of your SpyderPrint for it to be neutral. (Not with your clothes, they contain whiteners from the wash. Just take a kitchen roll.)

 

[costadinos]

I use a SpyderPrint myself and have no problems of having warm profiles.

Be sure you turn off the color management of your printer when printing out the measurement patches out of the SpyderPrint software. Furthermore, be sure to print correctly out of Photoshop (http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/printing-color-management-photoshop.html)

Also, be sure you clean the white tile of your SpyderPrint for it to be neutral. (Not with your clothes, they contain whiteners from the wash. Just take a kitchen roll.)

There's nothing wrong with my profile generating workflow. I've created literally hundreds of profiles with no issues, with a Spyder, ColorMunki and an i1Pro.
The profiles made by the Spyder are visually inferior to the other two.
You are probably not going to notice any problems with the Spyder by only looking at a print made with a Spyder profile. Try placing two prints side by side though, one from a Spyder and one from an i1Pro; the difference is like night and day...Especially regarding the B&W neutrality.

 

[pharmacist]

I can confirm Costadinos' findings, but compared to a Colormunki. The Spyder produces brownish B&W profiles, more like sepia.

 

[3dogs]

Very interesting thread..........
For starters do not create profiles under fluro light
Next, IMHO the screen is way too bright, and is not actually accurately calibrated, if your colour prints are good now, they will be stunning to you when you have sync.
When your screen is right for colour, b&w HAS TO PRODUCE A TRUE NEUTRAL GRAY because the whole photo shebang is about gray, not colour.

Fiddle with your profile 100cdm can be a tad high for good conversion, or so I have found....

Until I got my colour spot on conversions were very hit or miss

I use Lightroom, never photoshop anymore to print and have silver efex for comparison. Lightroom can make very nice b& w however, forget not that neutral gray is a reference point, not a solution, black is a pretty tricky colour.

Also remember that old b&w were chemical, now is ink, some can get close, but the gap is still a chasm IMHO.

Good luck with your endeavours, I look forward to seeing one you are very happy with.

Cheers,

Andrew

Added : spyder v munki is a bit like epson v canon IMHO, learn the quirks of what you have, that is assuming that the unit you are using was not second hand for reasons of performance failure before you got it?