RIP for 2200 B&W ?

[stella_blunt]

Okay now I have the 2200 - what is the best rip I can get for control over my

bw & color printing and any techniques to recommend for printing B&W. For

true Blacks.

Thanks .

[beau 1664876222]

1. ImagePrint.

2. Print "black only".

[kaiyen]

don't forget QTR, or QuadTone RIP

 

allan

[kent_tolley2]

I'm new (1 week) to the Epson 2200 and Imageprint and am having a problem. There appears a band of apparently unfinished printing at the very end of the print as it is about to exit the printer. I turn the print around in the IP layout window (old start border is now final border) and the band of unfinished printing occurs at the new latter part of the print. I print without IP by going directly from the 2200 print driver software and the problem goes away. The IP problem happens regardless whether color or monochrome is being printed and regardless of print size.<BR>

I couldn't find Beau's reference to "Black only" in the IP User's Manual or any of the IP menues/tabs and don't understand what he's trying to say.

[jtk]

Just select "black only" in Epson's "Properties". Primative, but surprisingly attractive. If you look closely you'll see slightly grainy high tones in some images...but if you're thinking 35mm it's about what youd expect and it's not unattractive.

 

QTRgui's so cheap, easy, and good that it's surprising to hear of people resorting first to ImagePrint (not to knock ImagePrint). QTRgui's a little better than black only for me because I like its tone controls.

[kent_tolley2]

If I knew how to get there I wouldn't have asked for directions. I went to my Epson 2200 Printer properties and could not find "Black only." Would you be willing to give complete directions?

[kent_tolley2]

Under Epson 2200 Printing Preferences on the Advanced page is a checkbox for "Blank Ink only" (not precisely "black only." When I select that preference I'm warned "The Blank ink setting is suitable only for text or draft printing. The print quality is not suitable for photographic images."<BR>

Is this the "Black only" option you refer to?

[boris_zugic]

Hi Kent,

 

Install section of user guide refers specifically to the 2200.

You have to set it up in such way (sorry do not remember details and I am away from my home PC)to reference windows print driver as pointer.

You will also have to set print directly to printer and disable bi-directional printing on original Epson driver.

That should resolve your problem.

[jtk]

Kent, sorry about my sloppy jargon...ignore that Epson warning, it's just there to prepare you to be unhappy with the results. But it's probably mistaken, you'll probably be happy.

[kent_tolley2]

Thank you Boris. You are correct. I emailed the Support desk at IP and they got back to me immediately. The PROBLEM is particular to the 2200. The Epson print driver commandeers the Port and the result is the print final image is not printed. In actuality I think data is being shipped in packets to the printer by IP in your computer At the same time the printer is sending back print data to the computer. They need to agree on who is talking and the other one be quiet or they stomp on each other. The FIX as you said is<BR>

1. Dbl click Epson Stylus 2200 driver<BR>

2. Printer properties<BR>

3. Port tab and uncheck box: enable bi-directional support. I got a perfect print once I did this.<BR><BR>

What you loose is the data coming from the printer that you can monitor on your screen like ink supply, %complete, etc.

[kent_tolley2]

I installed my 2200 with a USB cable because I already had another printer installed to the printer port using a printer cable. Had I installed the 2200 with the printer cable to the printer port I think I might not have had this problem. When I find out I'll get back with results.

[kent_tolley2]

Stella - I don't know if ImagePrint is the best RIP for the 2200 but I've heard that recommendation from several photogs I respect. I can only compare it to the native Epson print driver and say that it prints a perfectly neutral B&W print. The IP software also has some nice layout features similar to feautures I've seen in PageMaker and which are nice to have. I am very happy with the print quality from IP. Before I saw it I thought the Epson print driver did OK even if a little green. But now I wouldn't want to be without the IP and I've just gotten the SW to work with the HW an hour ago.

[almagnus]

QRT, no doubt about it. MUCH better than Black only, good results even on semi-gloss. IP is just too expensive for the extra plus.

[jtk]

I'm very happy with both Black Only (in non-critical images) and QTRgui, (neither of which seem capable of producing bad tones)

 

 

...but I'm very interested to hear Imageprint offers layout capabilities...

 

What kind of layouts? Can you position multiple pictures randomly and precisely on a page? Can you precisely position accompanying text (like on a brochure)?

 

Very interested.

[dealy663]

I use the IJC/OPM RIP from Bowhaus.com. It is half the price of IP and allows me greater control of the inks that are used to generate the type of B/W images that I'm after. IJC/OPM does require more effort to learn, but it is worth it in my opinion.

 

The cost and licensing restrictions on IP are prohibitive in my opinion.

 

Derek