ULTRA TONE 2 (“UT2”)
INFORMATION AND SETTINGS
By
(2-2007b)
(original 2003)
(Note, the formatting of this document works better when at full
screen display.)
Ultra Tone
2 (“UT2”) is a pigment-based, variable-tone black and white inkset for the
Epson 1280 printer. It can be purchased from MIS Associates. See the MIS website at:
http://www.inksupply.com/ut2-1280.cfm
The 1270
also makes good matte prints with this inkset when the 1280 driver is
used. PCs seem to have no trouble with
this. Macs may not be able to run the
1270 with a 1280 driver. The 1270 glossy
printing may not be up to the 1280 quality.
The 1290
can also use this inkset and the 1280 curves.
At one time I thought the 1290 printed slightly darker than the
1280. However, now having a “silver”
version of the 1280, I’d say that printer is actually a 1290 with a different
power supply and name plate. The silver
1280 also prints slightly darker than the original 1280.
For the
2200 or other UltraChrome printers use the UT7 inkset.
There are two general printing procedures for the UT2 inkset. First, any application can be used to print
grayscale files on matte papers just by using the standard Epson print
driver. Tones (hues) can be changed by
using the sliders in the Epson
driver. The range varies depending on
the Yellow position ink option used, as discussed below.
Second, with image editors Photoshop
and Picture Window more control is possible, including print tones that range
form dark sepia to very cold, by using image adjustment curves.
Photoshop Elements can also be used to
gain this expanded control. For that
program the adjustment curves need to be put onto small files as adjustment
layers that can then be dragged to the image file. I have not done this for many papers, but
will do so as people request the layers files.
The settings for these two printing
methods are in separate sections, below.
UT2 is compatible with both matte and
glossy (also called “barrier” or “RC”) papers.
For matte paper, Eboni matte black ink should be used.
For glossy papers, there are two
printing procedures that can be used.
First, if Photoshop, Picture Window, or Photoshop Elements is used,
image adjustment curves (or layers) are available that allow printing a number
of popular glossy papers even though Eboni matte black ink is installed in the
printer. I, personally, keep Eboni black
ink in my 1280 and use the image adjustment curves to print on glossy paper. This makes the inkset extremely flexible and
also usually results in better prints.
Second, Photo black ink (“PK”) can be
used. It must be used if the print is
made with programs other than the image editors noted above. Recommended settings for PK ink are in the
last section of this Readme file.
INK POSITIONS
The UT2 inkset uses predominantly
carbon pigments. The magenta and light
magenta ink positions use un-toned carbon pigments, which give a warm print
tone. The cyan and light cyan positions
are predominantly carbon pigments, but they also have blue pigments added to
tone them cold. No old style dyes are
used in this inkset, so all images will be reasonably fade resistant and
archival on acid free paper and with proper display and storage. In general, the more carbon pigment that is
in the image, the more lightfast it will be.
The Yellow-position ink has several options. MIS sells several
of these options, and once there are easy-refill carts available for the 1280,
more options will be easy to utilize.
The default ink in the yellow position
of the pre-filled MIS 1280
UT2 cartridges is sepia.
Some users might want to mix a custom sepia tone by adding more MIS 2200
yellow or light magenta pigments. Due
to the amount of color in the sepia, it is not recommended where longevity is
needed. For that, use the warm magenta
position carbon inks on glossy paper.
If one does not print sepia tones, then
there are better uses for the Y-position ink spot. If one prints only matte papers, a second
light gray carbon ink can be put in the yellow spot. The UT2-LM is the appropriate ink. This makes the slider range slightly more
neutral. It also makes the inkset more
lightfast, as it reduces the amount of yellow pigment, which is the weakest
component of the new UT2 inkset.
If one prints on glossy prints, it now
appears that MIS “Gloss Optimizer” (“Glop”) placed in the Y position will be
able to eliminate most of the bronzing that was so distracting with these
papers. While I have been recommending
spraying with PremierArt Print Shield for this purpose and for print
protection, the Glop, applied with special curves that have “Glop” in the
names, largely eliminates the need to spray.
Since the Print Shield spray is a noxious chemical, this is a pleasant
option that I recommend to all glossy print makers. New curves for glossy papers that utilize the
Glop have been posted on my download page.
Glop can be purchased in bulk from MIS at http://www.inksupply.com/product-details.cfm?pn=ESCR800-4-OPT
. (The curves I have posted do not require the
procedures listed on the MIS web page.)
MIS is also starting to sell UT2 carts with Glop in the yellow
position. Note that when Glop is applied
while printing, the driver setting should be set to 2880 dpi to ensure
smoothness.
While MIS Photo black (or the new PKN)
can be used, the most flexible approach is to have Eboni installed and use
Photoshop curves to adjust the inkset for glossy printing. Thus, the first section, below, assumes Eboni
is installed. Another section, further
below, has some recommendations for printing when Photo Black is
installed. I have only made curves to
control the gloss optimizer when Eboni is installed. However, these curves also work when PK is
installed; they just do not utilize the PK.
_____________________________________________________________
Workflows & Settings when EBONI Black
ink is installed:
In
general, the Photoshop Color Settings
(Edit, Color settings) are set as follows:
First, set the top setting to Photoshop 5 Defaults, which includes Gray
Gamma 2.2; second, change RGB working space to Adobe RGB (1998).
1.
SLIDER CONTROLS – Printing from Any Application on Matte Paper
This
workflow option requires only the Epson driver, but be sure it is a full driver
and not one of the abbreviated ones that ships with Windows XP.
The Epson Driver Settings are made when a
person starts to print a file. (“Print
with Preview” is used in Photoshop CS.)
These are
the recommended settings for best grayscale file printing:
Source Space – Document : Gray Gamma 2.2.
Print Space – Same as Source.
Media Type – “Matte
Paper Heavyweight:”
(If the
deepest black tones are not properly separated or blotchy, try the “Photo
Quality Ink Jet” or “Photo Quality Glossy Film” media type settings.)
Print Quality -- 1440 dpi
Color Management -- Color Controls checked; Mode – Vivid.
Slider Settings
Default – all sliders at “0.”
(Different papers print with
different tones or hues.)
For cooler prints: Cyan +10, Magenta -10
Warmer prints: Cyan -15, Magenta +10, Yellow +25.
With Glop
in the Y spot, use up to C – 25, M + 25.
(Obviously, putting more Y
ink in will not warm the print if Glop is installed.)
These
slider settings are illustrative of what usually works well. Experimentation will probably allow you to
achieve prints that better match your monitor and the look you prefer.
2.
IMAGE EDITOR ADJUSTMENT CURVES
This
workflow option requires specific image editor programs. While Photoshop is the industry standard
image editor, Picture Window is a good, affordable alternative for Windows
users. (See Digital Light and Color for
Picture Window, at www.dl-c.com.) As noted earlier, Photoshop Elements can
also be used when the curves are first put onto files as adjustment layers.
Controlling
the print tones (hues) with image adjustment curves gives more control than the
sliders and has some other advantages for experienced printers. Which curve is applied determines the mix of
inks and thus the tone of the print.
For this
approach the final grayscale file must first be changed to an RGB color image
for printing. (Save the final grayscale
file before doing this.)
For some
curves, particularly the sepia and carbon curves, it is best to have the RGB
file in 16 bit mode before the tone curve is applied. This is true even if the grayscale file was
an 8 bit file. Once the curve is
applied, it can be converted back to 8-bits per channel (24 bit total) and be
just as smooth.
In
general, the following driver settings are used:
Source Space – Document: Adobe RGB (1998)
Print Space – Same as Source
Media Type – "Photo Paper" works well for most, but this can
vary with paper type.
Print Quality – 1440, High Speed unchecked, works well for most prints; 2880
gives marginally better quality but is slow.
For glossy papers some might see the difference.
When Glop is used, 2880 is recommended.
Color Management – “No Color Adjustment” is always used. Because this setting is used, the curves
should work equally well with both Windows and Mac computers.
These
curves are not difficult to modify for fine tuning the printing system. For the relatively neutral curves the Red
curve (which controls the cyan/cool ink) and the Green curve (which controls
the magenta/warm-carbon ink) have only 3 internal points on them from 75% to
0%. Changing the tones of the highlights
and midtones independently can be accomplished by making off-setting moves of
the respective points of these 2 curves.
Densities can also be changed while holding the tone/hue the same by
moving the Red and Green curves the same amount up or down.
Compared
to past partitioning and control curves, the UT2 inkset allows much simplified
curves and adjustments because the Epson driver takes care of the light-dark
ink cross-overs. Users are encouraged
to learn how to tweak the pre-made curves.
The
"carbon" tone curves print warm, about half way to a sepia tone. Some people compare its visual impact to the
classical platinum print. The curves
essentially eliminate all the color pigments and print with only carbon. This gives the most lightfast print possible,
because the carbon pigments are more stable than the color pigments.
"Carbon
on cotton" (acid-free & buffered paper) is such an appealing visual
and archival medium that it can, in my view, stand on its own as a classic
B&W medium.
As late as
2004, the pure carbon tone was the only tone I would recommend when longevity
was primary. With the upgraded UT inks,
however, the neutral tones are almost as stable as the carbon tones. Note that the primary aging one sees with
carbon is that it warms very slightly.
This is actually an increase in the yellow density of the carbon. It is not fading in the sense of density
loss. In the long run, however, all
imaging substances will fade if left in bright sunlight for extended
periods.
Using
curves to control tones also allows one to make split-tone prints by using one
curve in one selected area and another curve in the other part of the
image. If the selected areas overlap,
apply the different curves to 2 separate copies or layers of the image, and
then combine them. The curve must be on
the top layer, and multiple curves applied to the same image will not print
well.
Curves are
available for the following papers. Use
the settings above unless otherwise specified.
Go to my curves download page at https://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/UT2-curves.html
or MIS for copies of these.
MATTE PAPERS (Use with Eboni black ink.)
Wood-pulp
based papers:
Epson
Enhanced Matte & “Archival Matte” (These are the same paper, and neither is
archival due to acidity. They are
excellent for non-archival printing.)
Premier
Art Dual Matte, 210 gsm, 11.5 mil. This double-sided matte paper is the
best bargain
in acid free papers. It has a dmax that
rivals Photo Rag.
It is a bright, cold paper. The convex side seems a bit smoother.
PermaJet
Matt Plus (acid free)
Use media type
“Photo Quality Glossy Film” for the 1280, “Plain Paper” for the 1290.
Cotton-based
papers:
Cotton
papers are the most archival, but most such papers have suffered from a lower
dmax and problems with flaking surfaces.
PermaJet
Alpha (Optical brightener free, very good dmax, very little if any flaking)
PermaJet
Omega (similar to Alpha, some optical brighteners)
PermaJet
Delta (similar to Omega, slightly more optical brighteners)
Innova Art
has a line of papers that offers an excellent combination of features.
PremierArt
Fine Art Hot Press (no optical brighteners, but relatively bright; little
or no
flaking, various weights and sizes, 205 is dual sided, the convex
side prints
slightly smoother; 205 is a very good value in cotton papers.)
PhotoRag
(dmax champ, optical brighteners), German Etching, Torchon,
& Albrecht Durer
Brushing
or wiping off the surfaces of these papers before printing helps avoid flaking
problems, but sometimes it will leave marks.
Compressed air
or a blower
bulb is another option. PhotoRag’s surface is very soft and easily damaged.
Epson
UltraSmooth (Appears to be the same as PremierArt, above.)
GLOSSY PAPERS – WITH EBONI BLACK INK
The UT2
inkset does allow one to print on glossy papers even when Eboni ink is in the
printer. However, special curves must be
applied. They will all contain “Eboni”
or “Eb” in the name of the curve.
For glossy
paper, the Epson printer "pizza
wheels" may leave marks on the finished print. I recommend the wheels be removed. See the instructions at
http://www.inkjetart.com/pizza/
Most of
these papers have some reflective differentials or artifacts that can be
reduced significantly with a spray like PremierArt Image Shield or Lyson Print
Guard. When sprayed, these papers have a
surface that is durable enough to be cleaned with a damp paper towel.
Curves are
available for the following papers:
Use the default settings, above,
unless otherwise noted.
Ilford
Galerie Smooth Pearl & Glossy papers:
Use "Photo Quality Glossy
Film" media type.
2880 gives noticeably smoother prints.
Ilford Smooth Pearl provides a good
image and one of the deepest
blacks of any
paper, but it is not acid free and bronzes.
Costco’s
Kirkland Signature Pro Glossy Inkjet paper, made in
is an
excellent product that uses the Ilford curves.
The paper appears to be acid free, and
has the best combination
of dmax, very
low bronzing, and price. This can be
mail ordered
from Costco
even by non-members. Too bad it’s only
in letter size.
Epson
Premium Semigloss, Glossy and Luster Photo Papers
These papers and the Costco paper,
above,
are the only
acid-free glossy papers I know of. In
general,
acidic papers
will not last more than about 30 years.
Wilhelm Research rates the Epson
Premium papers as having
a dark
storage life of >200 years, the top rating any paper receives.
These curves do not work on Epson
Premium Semimatte.
Epson
Glossy Photo Paper (also known as “Photo Paper”):
(This widely-available and
modestly-priced paper produces a
very good image, with few
if any differential reflection issues such “bronzing.” However, it is not archival, and some like a
thicker feeling paper. )
Permajet
Oyster and Gloss
(Use “Photo Quality
Glossy Film” media type.)
Settings when MIS PHOTO Black ink is
installed:
GLOSSY PAPER SLIDER
SETTINGS -- (Use Photo Black ink.)
For glossy
paper, the Epson printer "pizza
wheels" may leave marks on the finished print. I recommend the wheels be removed. See the instructions at
http://www.inkjetart.com/pizza/
Epson Glossy Photo paper (aka Epson
Photo Paper):
Media Type: "Matte Paper
- Heavyweight."
("Glossy Photo Paper" or "Photo Paper" are
OK only when the
sliders are
in
the neutral/"0" positions).
Sliders:
To darken the
midtones and for a full tonal
scale: Brightness -6, Contrast -6;
Neutral: C +10, M -5, Con -3;
Warm: Y +25, M +10, C -15.
Premium Semigloss, Glossy & Luster
Photo Papers:
Media Type: “Premium Glossy
Photo Paper.”
Sliders:
To lighten print:
Brightness +5;
Neutral: Brightness +10, Contrast -3, C +7, M -7;
Warm: Br +12, Contrast -2, C -15, M +10, Y +25.
(These settings do not work
with Premium Semimatte.)
(Highlights are a little
lighter than the target densities.)
Epson Photo Quality Glossy Paper:
Media Type: "Photo
Quality Ink Jet Paper."
This would be the
starting recommendation for other
thin
photo papers such as Photo Quality Ink Jet
paper.
Sliders:
Neutral: C + 5, M -5;
Warm: C -15, M +10, Y +25.
Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl &
Glossy; these settings will also
probably
work well with Costco Kirkland new Swiss paper.
Media type: "Photo
Quality Ink Jet paper."
Sliders:
Neutral: C +5, M -5;
Warm: C -15, M +10, Y +25
Contrast -5 might help open up
shadows.
_________________________________
Image Adjustment curves:
GLOSSY PAPERS – WHEN PHOTO BLACK INK IS
USED
Curves are
available for the following papers:
Epson Glossy Photo Paper (also known
as Epson Photo Paper);
Ilford Galerie Smooth & Glossy
papers;
(Media
Type: "Photo Quality Glossy
Film.")
Costco Glossy paper will
probably work well with these curves
and
settings.
Epson Premium
Semigloss, Glossy and Luster Photo Papers.
Nearly all
of the glossy papers other than the Epson Premium line and the Costco product
have paper backings that are not effectively buffered. These papers will have a more limited life
due to the acids in the paper backing.
Paul
__________________________
PS: For an
open forum where I hang out, join the B&W Digital Print form at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/