Paper & Digital Negatives on Same Printer?

[Neil Poulsen]

Is there an advantage to dedicating a printer for digital negatives? For example, I'm wondering if paper dust in the printer might cause pinholes or something when digital negatives are printed. Etc.

My Epson 4000 is a bust for digital negatives! Lots of pinholes, and now there's a banding artifact on transparent material. (Still does great for color prints on paper, though.) If there's no advantage to dedicating a printer to digital negatives, then I might as well sell the 4000.

Does anyone have experience on this?

 

[dwross2]

I print both on a Epson 2400. I've never noticed problems that seem unreasonable. I do print exclusively Enhanced Matte, which seems to be pretty clean.

If you haven't yet tried spotting digital negatives, it works very nicely. I use a black 005 Micron micro pigment ink pen over a light table. Hold the pen straight up over the negative (printable side) and gently touch the surface. If the spot is larger than the diameter of the pen, it works better to stipple in a series of little dots than try to get it covered all in one pass.

 

[sanking]

I print both on a Epson 2400. I've never noticed problems that seem unreasonable. I do print exclusively Enhanced Matte, which seems to be pretty clean.

If you haven't yet tried spotting digital negatives, it works very nicely. I use a black 005 Micron micro pigment ink pen over a light table. Hold the pen straight up over the negative (printable side) and gently touch the surface. If the spot is larger than the diameter of the pen, it works better to stipple in a series of little dots than try to get it covered all in one pass.

Sounds like a good working procedure.

Thanks,

Sandy King

 

[sanking]

Is there an advantage to dedicating a printer for digital negatives? For example, I'm wondering if paper dust in the printer might cause pinholes or something when digital negatives are printed. Etc.

My Epson 4000 is a bust for digital negatives! Lots of pinholes, and now there's a banding artifact on transparent material. (Still does great for color prints on paper, though.) If there's no advantage to dedicating a printer to digital negatives, then I might as well sell the 4000.

Does anyone have experience on this?

Yes, by all means dedicate a printer tio digital negatives if you can afford to do so. Simplifies your working procedure and saves on wear and tear on the head.

Sandy King

 

[Christopher Perez]

I use only one printer for everything. No pinholes (as long as I use the right paper setting). Just great consistant work.

The HP B9180 just roars along for both prints and digital internegs. When the print heads go bad (mine are still good), they're $40 each to replace and simple to do.

 

[Ted Harris]

I agree with Sandy in principle. OTOH, if the printer in question is a B9180 the heads are relativley inexpensive.

 

[donbga]

I agree with Sandy in principle. OTOH, if the printer in question is a B9180 the heads are relativley inexpensive.

This raises some thoughts I've had about HP printers touting replacement heads. Doesn't that mean that the heads are a consumable expense like ink and paper?


Don Bryant

 

[Neil Poulsen]

If you haven't yet tried spotting digital negatives, it works very nicely. I use a black 005 Micron micro pigment ink pen over a light table. Hold the pen straight up over the negative (printable side) and gently touch the surface. If the spot is larger than the diameter of the pen, it works better to stipple in a series of little dots than try to get it covered all in one pass.

Out of curiosity, what brand do you use that would identify the actual pens that you use?

I'm curious about the HP DesignJet printers, like the 130 or one of their larger cousins. If I'm not mistaken though, these are dye based inks, and I'm wondering how well they would work on Pictorica

The HP B9180 and their replaceable heads, but I want to go larger than 13 inches wide.

 

[dwross2]

Neil:

Micron is the brand name -subtitled Pigma, made by Sakura Color Products Corp, Japan.

Helix brand pens seem to work just as well. I usually have one or the other brand near at hand. Helix only claims to be water resistant, though, rather than waterproof - whether or not that makes much of a difference to the job.

(I can't speak from personal experience about dye based inks on Pictorico).