High Quality Digital Photographic Printing at Home
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
I have just calibrated and profiled Epson UltraSmooth Fine Art paper again on Z3100 with the latest 4.1.0.2 firmware. I believe I forgot to do the calibration step last time, or, perhaps, something else went terribly wrong, but my previous attempt to use this paper has been a complete disaster. This time, I calibrated before profiling. I used Paper Type: Fine Art Material/Fine Art Paper because the HP PDF listed it as a paper type they "improved" the dark and saturated reds gamut in the firmware update.
The results:
- Images with out of gamut colors (Photoshop softproof) show fewer OOG colors than with HP Hahnemuhle Smooth Fine Art (specifically mentioned in the list of improved papers in the PDF).
- In every respect, images look at least as good on Epson UltraSmooth as on the HP Hahn Smooth FA paper -- I can't tell DMax (max contrast) difference, for instance. Both, however, have noticeably lower DMax than either HP Pro Gloss or HP Pro Satin.
- The one key image that shows a lot of OOG areas on both of these matte papers (though about 1/2 to 2/3 less on Epson than on HP Hahn), prints on both with what seems like a noticeable magenta cast (with, possibly, a slight cyan cast). Epson version is better though.
Since my wife and I find gloss unacceptable with anything that hangs on the walls, we plan to matte/frame everything printing on matte papers and displaying naked, without glass in front. This will, undoubtedly, diminish the life of the images, but they will have a good life :-)
By the time they noticeably deteriorate, I expect to have even better printing technology available. For instance, I expect flat-screen technology to reach a point relatively soon when it will make more sense to hang a "TV" instead of a "photograph" -- matting/framing a large image costs several hundred dollars, and, coupled with the fact that a display can show many images, rotating them, it may be a better investment than several large framed photographs.
The key reason why I am going to standardize on Epson UltraSmooth paper is because it is much less fragile than HP Hahnemuhle, and has much less noticeable texture. To me, texture is an all-or-nothing proposition. I either don't want to see it at all, or I want to see huge amounts of it, like on some exotic papers, where it becomes part of the composition. Hahnemuhle "Smooth" Fine Art paper is not smooth enough for me -- the texture feels like manufacturing defects. And it flakes like crazy... Almost as bad as Hahnemuhle Photorag.
Sources of Epson UltraSmooth Fine Art 24"x50' rolls from PriceGrabber.com. The model number of this roll is S041782.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Of the matte papers listed in the PDF by HP detailing latest firmware fixes, only HP Hahnemuhle Smooth Fine Art Paper satisfies my needs. HP Professional Matte Canvas is too thick and ink flakes off of it. Hahn SFA is warm, but has good DMax. (All of this info is off of forums). Until the firmware is fixed and I can start using Epson UltraSmooth Fine Art paper again, I am ordering a roll of Hahn SFA. It is VERY expensive -- 24"x35' roll costs $105-$135, depending on where you order it, and it is out of stock everywhere I looked by at HP. HP graciously included free 1-day shipping, but at $135 + tax, and considering it's 35' and not 50', this is almost 2x more expensive than HP Pro Satin, which is not a cheap paper by any means.
It is my current understanding that HP branded Hahn SFA differs from Hahn branded SFA, and that current HP firmware only supports HP branded version. The part number is Q8732A.
Correct part number for the HP Z3100 Paper Spindle 3" Adaptors: Q1271-60629 and can be ordered directly from HP.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Recommended matting/framing shops around Palo Alto, CA:
University Art, 267 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301 (650) 328-3500
Great American Framing Shops, 229 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301 (650) 327-4521
Zyt Gallery, 923 N San Antonio Rd, Los Altos, CA 94022, (650) 949-2866
Fast Frame, 371 State St, Los Altos, CA 94022, (650) 949-3278
This PDF explains the changes introduced by Z3100 firmware 4.1.0.2. Apparently, HP ID Satin paper was fixed, but HP Pro Satin was not. Until I get the extra spindles, I am too lazy to change
the roll to the Pro Satin which I just got and test it out. I am satisfied that the problem can be fixed in the firmware, so I can wait for HP to fix it. In the mean time, I will be printing on HP Premium Instant Dry Gloss (that comes with the printer), learning how to optimize images for 24" wide output.
Now that I am prepared to print to hang on the walls, and not just for experiments, I need to find a good local framing/matting shop. First, however, I'd like to learn a bit about framing and matting, to make sure I make good decisions. Here are tutorials I have read:
Norman Koren's Framing and Matting tutorial, which has a link to LightImpressions, who sell custom cut matts. (Which still leaves one with the work of attaching print to matt, and framing it)
Matting and Framing Crash Course by Dale Cotton
Friday, March 02, 2007
Updated to 4.1.0.2 (latest) firmware. Recalibrated/reprofiled Epson UltraSmooth Fine Art paper, and printed about 7 test prints. All looked terrible -- washed out, cyanish tint, all colors unsaturated. Disaster! Photoshop Soft Proof confirms/predicts the result, and out of gamut preview shows about 1/3 of the area of prints being OOG. Changed paper to HP Premium Gloss Instant Dry. Soft Proof looks very similar to the original, nothing is OOG, and prints look great. HP Professional Satin roll has just arrived. It has a good chance to become my "standard" paper, especially if matte gamut problems are not resolved by HP. At this point, despite being unable to print on matte paper, I am a happy camper. Oh, and B&W looks completely neutral, whether printed in Monochrome or Color mode. Fantastic!
