Anyone using an Epson 2400 with the Epson driver?

I'm attempting to make some digital negatives for Pt/Pd using 12+12+1 @ 2.5% Na2, a Nu-Arc 26-1K plate burner, Pictorico OHP, and an Epson 2400 printer. I'm getting exposure fog using the semi-gloss setting, and Photo Black ink w/color inks in the Epson print driver. A Stouffer stepwedge indicates I'm getting a 1.5 density range with the chemistry and exposure.

Is anyone using the Epson 2400 driver to make successful negs for Pt/Pd? If so, could you suggest some settings and perhaps post a curve?

It has been several years since I made digital negatives and then I used an Epson 2200 and made negatives for Van Dyke prints. I assume the resultant prints needed a spectrally denser negative due to the longer exposure scale of VDB. I've tried screening the negative with the same color (and others) that I used for VDB, but I still get fogging.

After various tests it seems I'm approaching the curve posted on Ron Reeder's website, but his curve is for using QTR and matte black ink. I've overlain that curve with my best attempt so far at right in the image below.

Thanks for any help.

Joe

I use an Epson 2200 with Pictorico OHP with the Epson defaults for "enhanced matte". I first make a B&W file and print with PS then open it in Burkholder's plug-in as a 16 bit and convert to his OHP for 2200 and tweek as I feel necessary and print reversing the horizontal; it gives you the option of including a step wedge which is part of his software. I am pleased with the results. I also print from negatives enlarged on to x-ray duplicating film and from 4x5 negatives. My capture is on film, I will sometimes vary my pt/pd emulsion but it is most often pd 2:1 pt plus a very small amount of gold chloride; Bostick & Sullivan FerricOxalate Sol1 and Sol2 depending on the contrast boost needed. The light sensitive 1 and 2 combination = to the pd/pt/au total. Developer is Ammonium Citrate and clear in 3 baths of EDTA with Sodium Sulfite.

As far as curves go I think it would be best to make your own. I've made a few but generally eyeball the neg and adjust before printing it on the OHP.

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Just for giggles I ran a comparison this morning between the 2200 and 2400 printers on the same sheet of OHP. The only difference was switching the ICC profile for the paper setting to match the recommendation for the respective printers. Quite a difference in output...

Wow. There is quite a remarkable difference in output. I am not familiar with the 2200, does it use the same ink as the 2400?

No. And the 2400 has a third black ink, hence the K3 designation? I would have thought the newer inkset would have better maximum density.

You don't need color management when printing digital negatives so why use an icc profile?

smieglitz said:

Just for giggles I ran a comparison this morning between the 2200 and 2400 printers on the same sheet of OHP. The only difference was switching the ICC profile for the paper setting to match the recommendation for the respective printers. Quite a difference in output...

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