DanPhoto@aol.com
Sat, 31 Jul 1999 19:30:42 -0400 (EDT)
You said in your message...
>What is the proper method of sending a negative image to a hi-res inkjet
>printer that will assure that the printer is printing at its highest
>resolution and with the greatest number of grays?????
Sorry I haven't been more active but I fly out in the morning to teach a
workshop in N.Y. and have been short on time the past few days.
We're making this issue more complicated than it need be. And I gotta say
that when discussing how printers put down dots, those who get into the
"it ain't random 'cause 'puters don't really do anything random" are
adding to the confusion. When you let your Epson inkjet printer do what
it does best, the darn little spots of ink are for all practical purposes
deposited in a random (non-regimented fashion) pattern. Geesh!
To get the "best" output on one of the Epsons, you need to be instructing
the printer (via the Page Setup and Print dialog boxes) to print using
all Colors (you don't want just Black ink), you want the Highest
Resolution (generally 1440 on newer printers) and you want the
SuperMicroweave turned on (if an option). You also want Error Diffusion
which (and I'm almost afraid to say it) provides a wonderful random dot.
It's true, the latest Epsons vary the size of the ink spot as well as the
frequency (number of ink dots in a square inch) so they are sort of
"super-stochastic" (now that term should piss-off the sticklers).
Don't worry about "number of shades of gray" when printing to an inkjet.
Those "rules" are more appropriately applied to line screen output in
which the dots are lined up like cars in a parking lot.
Note that if you are making negatives (as I do) on the Epson Transparency
material, you must LIE to the printer: telling it you are using Photo
Quality Paper. This misrepresentation is required because if you specify
"Transparency Film" in the print dialog box, you'll be limited to just
360 dpi output.
Sorry I can't say more but I gotta get packed.
Good luck and hope this helps!
Dan
Dan Burkholder
P.O. Box 111877
Carrollton, TX 75011-1877
USA
972-242-9819
www.danburkholder.com
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