best A4 printer for digital negatives ?

lustman · Aug 25, 2011

Hi all,

I am searching an A4 printer to do some great digital negatives to make pd/pt.

I have already an hp8050 with grey ink100 and did pt/pd since 4 years ago, really nice for contrast, uv blocking. it's just perfect for cyanotype.
but sometimes when i want do DG for Pd/Pt prints, i have Venetian Blinds in mid tones, and break tone at 64 in greyscale (my curve isn't the cause).
I already tried cheap epson printers (like r280) with no good result.

On forum, i see only epson r800, and people have sometimes problems with it.
no other printers are really good for doing DG?

Thanks

pschwart · Aug 26, 2011

I used to use an R800 and it made very fine digital negatives. I retired it long ago and replaced it with an R1800 which also makes very fine negatives using all inks to print composite b&w. I use the R1800 for carbon transfer, and I use a 3800 for colorized negatives for platinum. I don't get pizza wheels or venetian blinds with either printer. Of course, both are obsolete models

lustman said:
Hi all,

I am searching an A4 printer to do some great digital negatives to make pd/pt.

I have already an hp8050 with grey ink100 and did pt/pd since 4 years ago, really nice for contrast, uv blocking. it's just perfect for cyanotype.
but sometimes when i want do DG for Pd/Pt prints, i have Venetian Blinds in mid tones, and break tone at 64 in greyscale (my curve isn't the cause).
I already tried cheap epson printers (like r280) with no good result.

On forum, i see only epson r800, and people have sometimes problems with it.
no other printers are really good for doing DG?

Thanks

lustman · Aug 26, 2011

@ pschwart

Thanks for the reply

Did you use the printer with QTR or just with the epson soft,
Some people said what with QTR is less expensive with ink because you can choose which inks use, and the shade tones is better
like in this link:
Luminous landscape

lustman · Aug 26, 2011

@ pschwart

Thanks for the reply

Did you use the printer with QTR or just with the epson soft,
Some people said what with QTR is less expensive with ink because you can choose which inks use, and the shade tones is better
like in this link:
Luminous landscape

i wonder also if the r800 or r1800 inks are enough uv blocking?

Thanks for that

pschwart · Aug 27, 2011

No need for QTR with the R1800 inkset. It is much quicker to get calibrated using the Epson driver and it can provide log 4.0 density which is a lot more than you need. The R1800 has 1.5 picoliter droplets and the negatives print with very smooth tonality. If you want to use QTR the R1800 is supported.

lustman said:
@ pschwart

Thanks for the reply

Did you use the printer with QTR or just with the epson soft,
Some people said what with QTR is less expensive with ink because you can choose which inks use, and the shade tones is better
like in this link:
Luminous landscape

i wonder also if the r800 or r1800 inks are enough uv blocking?

Thanks for that

lustman · Aug 27, 2011

Thanks again,

i've find this thread that you explain some things:
http://www.dpug.org/forums/f8/digital-negatives-epson-r800-pizza-wheel-marks-1078/

i will surely buy a R800 or a R1800 if i try one cheap.
I wonder why there are not more recent good printers

lustman · Oct 15, 2011

i tried epson r800 with and without quadriptone, and i had venitian blinds, i just sold it.
really more expensive in inks than my hp8050

pschwart · Oct 15, 2011

lustman said:
i tried epson r800 with and without quadriptone, and i had venitian blinds, i just sold it.
really more expensive in inks than my hp8050

Too late to try this now, but sometimes simply running a Print Head Alignment from the Maintenance tab in the driver will fix this.

lustman · Oct 15, 2011

a Print Head Alignment done and 3x cleaned done , 70euros in inks for nothing

thought paper test Print Head Alignment are ok

i only try with pictorico for neg

best A4 printer for digital negatives ?

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