[alt-photo] Re: Epson 3800 Ink Expiration Date and Epson Driver

[Jeremy Moore]

Is the banding parallel or perpendicular to the movement of the print head?

-Jeremy-

On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 5:08 PM, Jeremy Moore <jeremydmoore at gmail.com>wrote:

> Half the ink in my Epson 7800 is out of date by over a year and I've never
> had any issues either way with it. I find it's cheaper to buy "expired" inks
> on eBay than it is to pay retail for new when they work just fine for me.
>
> -Jeremy-
>
>
> On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 4:51 PM, Amy Holmes George <amyhgeorge at hotmail.com
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> Hello alt list,
>> I have two queries, and I would certainly appreciate any feedback anyone
>> can offer . . .
>> First of all, I am curious to know if anyone else is using the Epson 3800
>> (with the Epson driver) to produce digital negatives (using Epson color
>> inks) on Pictorico transparency film (particularly with pt/pd printing) and
>> rendering consistently good results AND no "venetian blinds" effect.
>> If so, this is my question: Are any or all of your Epson inks past their
>> "expiration" date?
>> Epson tells me that, like most things these days, their inks are stamped
>> with a "freshness" date as a recommendation to use it within two years of
>> its production. However, they (Epson) actually use expired inks all the time
>> with no ill effect. Currently, I am printing with several expired inks—some
>> of which expired last fall. So, now I'm wondering if there is any
>> correlation between ink freshness and venetian blinds or even UV
>> sensitivity. Epson could not address this issue, especially since I'm
>> printing on Pictorico and not an Epson media.
>> Second issue: I am still struggling with the occasional recurrence of
>> venetian blinds in large fields of flat, (typically) high print values. And,
>> when I tweak the settings under Advanced Media Controls in the Epson driver
>> (as originally recommended by Epson and several folks on this list), it
>> appeared to eliminate the venetian blinds, but then I experience other
>> issues like the shadows blocking up. Recently I decided to print 1 PDN Color
>> Density Range Palette with those same Advanced Media Control settings used
>> to combat venetian blinds and then printed 1 PDN Color Density Range Palette
>> withOUT the Advanced Media Control settings applied. Both were coated,
>> exposed and developed according to my standardized time for pt/pd BUT the
>> final print results are drastically different (BTW, each CDRP was printed
>> with a Stouffers 31 step-tablet which reproduced the same in each). The CDRP
>> printed with the Advanced Media Control settings reveals no paper white
>> (looks way over exposed) and there is micro-banding; these differences are
>> not detectable in the negatives themselves.
>> You can view the results here:
>> http://picasaweb.google.com/103360756612857524693/VerticalBandingInSky#5475693643166130162
>> Does anyone have an explanation for this?
>> Sorry for my lengthy message . . .
>> Many thanks,Amy Holmes George
>>
>> _________________________________________________________________
>> The New Busy is not the too busy. Combine all your e-mail accounts with
>> Hotmail.
>>
>> http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?tile=multiaccount&ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_4
>> _______________________________________________
>> Alt-photo-process-list | http://altphotolist.org/listinfo
>>
>
>