Epson 2200 B&W profile

[margaret_gruesbeck1]

I use an Epson 2200 and am trying to create neutral B&W proofs and

heard that there is a new profile that greatly helps in getting good

quality B&W prints. I searched for this profile in various forums

and came up with nothing. Does anyone know about this or what other

measures need to be taken to ensure the best quality B&W prints on

the Epson 2200?

[rhaytana__tim_adams_]

I don't know how much this will help, Margaret, but here's a link to a Luminous Landscape article on B&W printing with the Epson:

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/printers/2200-bw.shtml

 

... plus the new Epson ICC profiles:

 

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/EditorialAnnouncement.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=42114986

[john_houghton]

Using the standard inkset, to get a fully satisfactory b&w print that looks neutral in different lighting conditions (i.e. no metamerism)you need to use a RIP such as ImagePrint instead of the Epson driver. ImagePrint prints b&w without using the yellow ink - the source of the metamerism. Some find the solution of using the "black ink only" printer mode an acceptable solution, though the prints are slightly grainy (the grey ink is not used). Otherwise, a custom printer profile can give a good b&w print for a single lighting condition. If it looks good in daylight, it will acquire a slight magenta cast in tungsten light. By balancing the profile somewhere in between the two, the print can look quite acceptable in either, if not quite neutral. The new 2200 profile you mentioned might possibly be one of those recently released by Epson. See the Announcements page on www.epson.com .

[damon_kirschbaum]

I get neutral black & whites prints with a custom printer profile for my Epson 2200 that

was generated using GretagMacbeth Eye-One Match software and the GretagMacbeth Eye-

One Spectrophotometer. They are sold as part of the GretagMacbeth Eye-One Photo

bundle.

 

I chose to get the GretagMacbeth Eye-One Photo bundle instead of the ImagePrint RIP

because I did not want to have to use a dongle, there are many reports of glitches with

ImagePrint, ColorByte Software charges big fees for upgrades, and the GretagMacbeth

Eye-One Photo bundle will allow me to generate printer profiles for as many printers as I

want, with as many papers as I want.

[almagnus]

You an get "professional quality" profiles made for your the 2200 printer, that focalise on the quality of the BW rendition. You cannot use these profiles for color printing, but only BW printing. Basically, these BW profiles are very accurate in all the neutral grey zones, but totally inaccurate elsewhere.

Honestly, I possess a 2200, and nearly bought a 1290 for piezography use. I was quite decieved with the 2200 printing, notably the innacurate neutral tones even using dedicated color profiles. I then decided in a last try, to have dedicated BW profiles made.

For EU users, for 40 euros at http://perso.wanadoo.fr/christophe.metairie.photographie/index.html

you can get OUTSTANDING BW dedicated profiles, with 5 tints from cool to warm. The metamerism issue is reduced but however not solved. So each profile comes twice :for indoor use (tungsten lighting) or natural lighting... that give 10 profiles in all.

For me at the moment, it is the cheapest and best solution, and the results are honestly excellent... I tell you I am difficult!

Good luck,

[jamie_roberts]

Margaret--I have to second the i1 Photo profile fix. I actually bought it for color proofing of my monitor and printer. When I printed a favourite BW photo (with color ink) for the heck of it, I was pleasantly shocked. My wife thought I was nuts running from room to room, turning on different lights, studio floods, running outdoors to check the (noon) sunlight and shadow etc...

 

No color shift--and no ImagePrint :) Needless to say, I've since checked this with the other (Epson) media I've profiled and couldn't be happier.

 

But it's not a cheap solution (there had to be a downside, right?). But what it means is that a good profile can make printing BW a pleasure on the 2200. As others have said, you can probably buy a custom-made profile for a single type of paper for around $100 USD (cheaper if you order more than one). Try

 

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/custom/customprofiles.htm

 

for example.