[alt-photo] Re: 3800 VERTICAL BANDING DIGI NEGS FOR ALT

Christina Anderson zphoto at montana.net
Sat Sep 10 15:20:18 GMT 2011


Bob,
Amy Holmes George and Mark Nelson can answer this better than I, but question first: is it really minute lines about 1/8 inch apart, hard to see with the eye unless the negative is on a light box? I have had that, and have had to clean print heads multiple multiple times to finally get rid of it and then be sure to print 2880 dpi.

 Or is it the dreaded Venetian Blind effect, below, in which case here is a cut and paste of info I have saved that may help. I can't take credit for the info...you'll see authors, below.

Please forgive no time to edit notes, in throes of writing :)
Chris






Here's a follow-up on my recent encounter with the "Venetian Blind Effect" while making pt/pd prints from digital negatives on an Epson 3800. If you happen to experience this strange vertical banding of dark/light/dark/light—especially in high value areas of your prints—here's a few things to consider:
1. Set the Paper Thickness to 6 (Pictorico Ultra Premium OHP Transparency Film is 5.7 mil, but the default for Premium Photo Paper Glossy is 3 mil)
2. Set the Platen Gap to Standard (instead of Auto)
3. Change the Paper Feed Adjustment by increments of -5 until the vertical banding disappears (for me, the magic number was -30)
 
Just found this this morning on the Epson4000 group
[Epson4000 at yahoogroups.com] posted by Jarvis Rant
http://www.redrivercatalog.com/infocenter/tips/inkjet-printer-paper-thicknes
s-platen-gap-adjustment.html
 

I literally just got off the phone with Epson now. Based on your previous diagnosis of "venetian blinds", I called them to inquire further. Epson confirmed that this effect is nearly always due to the way the substrate (typically a secondary non-Epson paper) "feeds" through the printer. I was told to change the Paper Feed Adjustment by increments of -5. Sounds like that is also what you were thinking. Additionally, it was suggested that I adjust the Platen Gap according to the actual thickness of my Pictorico film (which is not "3"—the standard default for Epson Premium Photo Paper Glossy—but thicker).
I will be sure to share my results when I apply these changes, and maybe this information will also prove helpful to someone else someday. Amy
 
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:39:21 -0600
From: ender100 at aol.com
To: alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org
Subject: [alt-photo] Re: Sky banding - 3800 Printer
No, it isn't the exposure unit or the settings you use in the driver, or the Pictorico, or whether you use colorized negatives of one ink, black ink, all inks, etc etc.  The cursed "Venetian Blind Effect", is a banding in the direction of the printhead movement with a frequency about the width of the print head.  It can be measured with a UV densitometer as a slight fluctuation in ink density.  It can occur on any printer model.  Some models are far less prone to it thought than others and some individual printers of given models are more prone to it—some don't do it at all.  I had it with the Epson 1280, 2200, 10000, and to a lesser extent the 2400.  I finally resolved the problem by printing problematic negatives on an R1800.  When the 3800 came out, it was a Godsend because I have rarely seen it happen with that printer and I have prints that would definitely show it if there were any hint of it and they don't.  There are a couple possible causes—either paper feed being inconsistent or ink delivery system being inconsistent.  I am not aware that anyone has truly diagnosed the problem.  It tends to show up in images with smooth tonal transitions in the upper midtones and highlights.  I first saw it in a portfolio of Pt/Pd prints that Dick Arentz printed with negatives from an Epson 4000.  If anyone has experienced it and has a suggested cause rather than speculation, I would love to hear it.Mark Nelson

If your print driver has this option, select unidirectional instead of bidirectional printing. Printing will take longer but the banding may go away. Francis sch.



Christina Z. Anderson
christinaZanderson.com

On Sep 10, 2011, at 8:58 AM, Paul Viapiano wrote:

> Yes, I'd try an alignment before looking further.
> 
> Then I'd try a different feed route...try to systematically eliminate one variable at a time.
> 
> As you know, there have been instances of print head failure popping up now and then,
> 
> Paul
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "BOB KISS" <bobkiss at caribsurf.com>
> To: "'The alternative photographic processes mailing list'" <alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
> Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2011 7:53 AM
> Subject: [alt-photo] 3800 VERTICAL BANDING DIGI NEGS FOR ALT
> 
> 
>> DEAR LIST,
>> 
>>           As this applies to my Epson 3800 which I use to make enlarged
>> diginegs for alt printing, I hope you will agree that it is on topic.
>> 
>>           I have recently begun experiencing subtle vertical banding in my
>> negs.  I know it is from the printer (not the original negs, scans, or
>> files) because, though they are most obvious in any smooth midtone areas of
>> an image, they exist also in the D-max non-image area that is put around the
>> image area on the digineg to create a white area surrounding the image on
>> the print.  They run the whole length of the image and appear to be nearly
>> (or exactly) the same in the last 3 negs I have tried.
>> 
>>           I already tried cleaning the heads and get a perfect test
>> printout but the banding remains.  Might this be an alignment problem?
>> Should I try re-aligning the heads in the Epson Utilities program?
>> 
>>           Has anyone else had this problem and do you know of a fix?
>> 
>>                       CHEERS!
>> 
>>                                   BOB
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Please check my website:  <http://www.bobkiss.com/> http://www.bobkiss.com/
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "Live as if you are going to die tomorrow.  Learn as if you are going to
>> live forever".  Mahatma Gandhi
>> 
>> 
>> 
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