From: Tod Gangler (artandsoul@mindspring.com)
Date: 02/25/01-08:51:51 PM Z
Judy S just wrote:
>a propos of stochastic dots, looking at the ramp
>I printed with the Epson, it dawns that the stochastic dots *look like*
>shades of grey, not black as halftone dots -- is that the problem with
>imagesetter films
Hi judy,
Well, so many problems that I can barely keep them straight. The banding
that I was talking about is very interesting, or barely interesting, as it
can be so subtle that it cannot be found, discerned, described or plotted
under the loupe or the microscope, yet there it is when the neg is viewed
at arm's length on the light box, and then again in the print. I think it
happens when the dots "grow" in one or more lines and then "shrink" again
in neighboring lines. Or maybe they are just lightly moved off of their
true axis for a few lines.Subtle vibrations or variations of voltage to the
laser could accomplish both screw-ups. Yes, this can occur because of the
imagesetter film's dots being a hard black or white.
Like you, I've been looking at negs made by an Epson. Ever more problems
there, though. Besides the coarser tone transitions, the problems getting
sufficient d-max combined with medium to poor resolution and extreme
fragility of the finished negs have left me very disappointed. I keep
waiting for the next best printer, though, hoping, hoping...maybe the Epson
10000?
Stephen Herron, the author of Icefields, once sent me some great Epson
print output that he had made with an Epson printer printing the image out
in his Icefields screening. It was great, and if there was a way to get
his Icefields screening out of an Epson onto a neg, I think that would be
very good. That screening has a trick to it, in the way that it plots out
transitions or graduations, making them look smoother than they should be.
I sure could never get it to work on an Epson, though.
Disquishingly yours,
Tod G
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