Epson 4900 and digital negatives

[timgray@rogers.com]

I currently use an Epson 4000 and Ron Reeder's QTR (windows) method for making digital negatives using the Na2 Palladium process. I'd truly love to trade in the ink guzzling 4000 for a 4900, but from what I can gather it may be difficult for Roy Harrington/QTR to support the newer Epson models since Epson hasn't been willing to share the information required concerning the new print drivers, which apparently are based on new code.

In any event - any thoughts on what the options might be? I have an older PDN manual that I bought when I was reviewing options that I could dust off, and have just ordered Ron's new book, which looks like it might contain an option, but thought I would ask here.

One possibility I'm curious about is that HP is promoting (I use the term loosely) a profile for digital negatives suitable for platinum using mostly their green ink which is claimed to have the UV transmission characteristics so as to minimize the need for an extreme photoshop curve. I'm wondering if something similar might work for epson's new ink set.

Thanks for any advice....

 

[timgray@rogers.com]

Actually it looks like the driver won't be a problem, but maybe the 10 vs 8 inks...

 

[R Shaffer]

Ciao Tim,

Can't help on the 4900 questions, although that does not sound promising for the future.

But there is a good thread on the HP digital negatives. It's worth serious consideration. I was a devoted HP fan for many years with large format plotters for my business. I send all that out now as it saves time to have it done for me.

http://www.dpug.org/forums/f8/new-video-regarding-hp-design-jet-digital-negatives-2039/

Hopefully the link works

 

[Manuel G Teixeira]

Ciao Tim,

Can't help on the 4900 questions, although that does not sound promising for the future.

But there is a good thread on the HP digital negatives. It's worth serious consideration. I was a devoted HP fan for many years with large format plotters for my business. I send all that out now as it saves time to have it done for me.

http://www.dpug.org/forums/f8/new-video-regarding-hp-design-jet-digital-negatives-2039/

Hopefully the link works

I've tried PDN with the equivalent Epson 9900 using PDN, and even with more 15% ink density I was far from getting an acceptable UV density, as Mark Nelson anticipated.
After that, I tried the HP digital Negatives solution with 2 different HP Z3200 printers, but unfortunately, I could not get good results even with all the direct, fantastic and impeccable support provided by the software developer the colour scientist Angel Albarran and HP.

I returned to State of the Art combo: PDN+3800
All this makes reference to Pt/Pd DNs.

 

[Ben Altman]

Seems like Roy Harrington is working on it. See e.g. Dead Link Removed

Ben