Piezo Inks (Piezography)/First Impressions

[mark.brennan]

Hey All -

 

I installed the Piezography K7 (Neutral) inks in my Epson R800 last night and

printed a few test prints.

 

Installation was fairly straightforward but the ink cartridge lid didn't seem to

close well, despite firmly seating all K7 cartridges well. I ended up taping

down one side of the cartridge cover w/ a piece of tape!

 

I was already using the QuadToneRIP to good effect with Epson Inks for my R800

and Epson Enhanced Matte paper, so it was easy to use the K7 profiles.

 

But first impression, believe or not, was that I liked my Epson ink versions better!

 

The transitions in the grays with the Piezo inks was indeed much more smooth and

nuanced. And using a loop you could easily see how much finer the dithering

with the Piezo inks was. Everything as promised, and indeed very impressive.

 

I think the key difference is that my Epson ink prints seem to have more

contrast; the blacks seem blacker, certainly darker.

 

Here's a quick summary of my workflow:

- B&W film (TX, Neopan 400 or HP5) souped by my local lab (Duggal) in Xtol with

consistent results;

- Nikon Coolscan V using Vuescan;

- RGB 24bit conversion in CS2;

- Curves and sharpening;

- Mac Print w/ Preview, using QuadToneRIP, profiles, etc.

- My standard paper is Epson Enhanced Matte and I compared prints w/ this paper.

(However, I also did a test print from my sampler of Hahnemuhle papers - Photo

Rag Bright White, I think - and was VERY impressed; hard to choose!)

 

I'm acutely aware of the many parameters in each of the processing points,

starting w/ metering/exposure, through scanning and PS, so I'm certain there's

an ENORMOUS amount I need to learn about each area. (To this end, I am planning

on getting "Mastering Digital Black and White" by Amadou Diallo). My PS skills

are pretty rudimentary; I only do quick and dirty curves to boost contrast and

also I've been bumping the middle pixels in the red curve by about 2-3 values to

warm up the image. For sharpening, again, I do a quick and dirty. I know my

way around PS, but I am VERY unsophisticated! No masks, or even dodging and

burning.

 

So, discounting my need to improve my PS skills, I was wondering if anyone else

has experience with these inks?

 

It seems to me that I simply have to increase the contrast curve in CS2 to boost

the contrast on the finished print using Piezography.

 

It also stands to reason that if I am using the Piezography K7 Neutral inks that

the emphasis is on the grays, which indeed are rendered beautifully and subtly.

Unfortunately, to an "average" viewer, the first impression of a print is often

based on the contrast between black and white/gray tones in the print. Do you

agree?

 

Sorry for the long post. Wanted to share my impressions and perhaps engender

some discussion. It's clear I have a lot to learn! Thanks for any feedback,

thoughts you might have.

 

Regards,

-Mark

[patricklavoie]

Totally agree with you Mark.

 

I once had a epson 9600, buy the Piezo ink set too, QTR etc...have a amazing 16x20 BW to do. Print it (i must say that i was pretty comfortable with QTR as i always use it with my epson 2200) the look was stunning but miss a little something.

 

In the same time i had both a 9800 for color print at first, as i couldt'n believe the BW would have been better than a full black ink set...oh my god i was rong! When i print the same file using Advanced BW mode, darker, neutral...i got the most amazing print i have seen coming from a ink jet. Richer, Black Black, full tone, smooth gradient.

 

I sold the 9600 with all the brand new Piezo ink and QTR to someone that couldt'n believe that any inkjet could produce better print than that....i think i saw him trying to sell it to a store so he could get a 9800 ; )

[howard_slavitt2]

I also prefer the look of the Epson 2400 with color inks using the Advanced BW mode to QTR. I've also used an MIS all grey/black ink system in the past. . . . One thing great about the 2400 (or 9800, or other color printers now) is that using Lightroom you can do some great split toning. I find that very subtle split toning gives more depth than any other method I've used for printing black and white.

[amadou_diallo]

Mark,

A common experience when switching from OEM inks and/or driver to a quad or now

seven black setup is the feeling that prints are flatter or lower in contrast than what you're

used to seeing. One thing to keep in mind is that an inkset like K7 offers very subtle

gradations between the K values you see in Photoshop, whereas a canned profile with OEM

inks may actually be blocking up shadow detail. In short, you may be seeing 90% and

higher K values rendered more accurately on paper. If you are used to seeing prints where,

say everything from 93% to 100% prints as maximum black, you will indeed feel that your

K7 prints lack punch. So part of the learning curve may involve tweaking your existing

images since the driver-induced shadow blocking is not occurring.<br>

Now I must also mention that with a pigment inkset like K7, your DMax (maximum black)

is going to be significantly lower than with a pigmented inkset like Ultrachromes which

contain non-pigment "additives" to reach a darker black. Here the tradeoff of density for

long-term stability is inherent to the inkset.<br>

Now if ultimate black density is the goal, you'll want to use the UltraChromes on a glossy

paper. K7 prints are more reminiscent of custom platinum prints than photolab glossy RC

prints.<br>

K7 is one option, Epson UltraChrome is another. Every photographer has different needs,

priorities and sensibilities. So it's really about matching tools and technologies to your

photographic ideal. The K7 (and Piezotone quads for that matter) are capable of absolutely

stunning results. The more you edit your images with this inkset in mind, the more

satisfying results you're likely to see. Of course, you may be equally satisfied sticking with

your previous setup. Really depends on the type of prints you're looking for.<br>

The good news is ther are lots of valid options. The bad news is there is no one-size-fits-

all solution.<br>

Amadou Diallo<br>

Author, <a href="http://www.masteringdigitalbwbook.com">Mastering Digital Black and

White</a>

[dzeanah]

OK, I'm confused, but then I haven't been paying attention for over a year.

 

Isn't the concept here that dye-based inks like used in most OEM inksets produce better blacks, at the cost of reduced print life. Pigment-based inks (like the MIS inks) are supposed to offer a more archival print (as is appropriate for artwork), but are still catching up on the "best looking print" front.

 

Isn't this what most folks expect? Or is my understanding just off?

[mark.brennan]

Hey all -

 

Thanks for the good feedback, Patrick and Howard.

 

Amadou, thanks for your thoughtful reply, which is exactly the kind of insight and technical know-how I was looking for. Hoping your book contains as much good info (I'm sure it does!). It's clear there's a lot of learning involved here, so I'm both excited by it and dreading it!

 

I suspected that the more subtle tones I get w/ the K7 inks implies that I need to refine my PS skills and my approach to processing. Again, without discounting the need to elevate my skills, do you think a short-term solution is to increase the contrast curve in PS?

 

BTW, it may not be appropriate to do social name dropping in a public forum, but Jean is my next door neighbor (literally: I walk outside on my balcony and can water Carol's plants!), so I was excited to see him interviewed in your book. I've known him for 5+ years now, but we rarely talk photography and I think he travels a lot; it's not like we're hanging out!

 

Thanks again for the great advice.

 

Regards,

-Mark

[amadou_diallo]

Try a gentle S-shaped curve, taking are not to clip highlight or shadow detail. With the K7s

you should have a printable range of 2% in the highlights down to 98% in the shadows. Tell

Jean I said hi.<br>

Amadou Diallo<br>

Author, <a href="http://www.masteringdigitalbwbook.com">Mastering Digital Black and

White</a>

[mark.brennan]

Thanks for your reply, Amadou. I'll try that. And when I next see Jean I'll say hi for you!

best,

-Mark

[mark.brennan]

BTW, just ordered Amadou's book Mastering Digital Black and White from Amazon. Looking forward to digging in!

-Mark

[jtk]

Amadou, your book arrived today.

 

It brings the original Zone System books by Adams and White to mind.

 

Every one of the 371 pages (with useful Index, and with NO "filler") appears valuable, Vs the seat-of-pants learning I've painfully and sloppily accumulated.

 

Well done.

 

John Kelly

[amadou_diallo]

Thanks John,

Glad you're enjoying it.<br>

Amadou Diallo<br>

Author, <a href="http://www.masteringdigitalbwbook.com">Mastering Digital Black and

White</a>

[ilkka_nissila]

At least with Ultrachrome inks the R800 produces deeper blacks using glossy, semiglossy, or luster papers. It is not ideally suited for matte printing. You might try some lustre paper and see if you get deeper blacks with your K7 inks that way.

 

I am considering getting the K7 inkset for my R1800. For color I have gotten by far the best results using one of these non-matte papers.