Refillable desktop cartridges offer creative possibilities

November 26, 2010, 6:29 pm

Refillable cartridges for Epson 1400, 800/1800, 1900, 2200/2100, 2400 and 2880 printers can be filled with your choice of Piezography and ConeColor inks. We’re packaging them together with inks into sets as well as selling them individually. But, there is no reason why you can’t buy several sets of these cartridges and fill them with several different inks. This is the first product that we have ever sold that opens up creative printmaking to so many users. Some of these ideas are…

Fill up a set of ConeColor cartridges, and a set of Piezography cartridges. There is no need to use flushing cartridges when switching between the two because the automated clean cycles of Epson printers more than rid the print head of its contents.
Another possibility is to uses these cartridges to try blending different ratios of the different Piezography ink sets. For example, as long as a Shade 3 is mixed with another Shade 3, they can be combined in any ratio and still use the same Piezography K7 curve. The concept around Piezography ink blending is to only mix together inks of the same shade. You can blend your own custom inkset. Piezography Special Edition is a blended inkset made by Jon Cone and is reminiscent of the type of Piezography printing Cone did for the giant Ashes and Snow museum expeditions in Tokyo and Mexico City.
With two sets of Piezography inks (like Sepia and Neutral, or Sepia and Selenium) it’s possible to make a SplitTone set from the two, that is used in two ways. By example a full set of Sepia carts and a full set of Selenium carts allows a Sepia/Selenium SplitTone or a Selenium/Sepia SplitTone. The split is caused by using one set of carts in the shades 2,3,4 and the other in shades 5,6,7. The black is common between them. Our favorite is to have Sepia highlights and Selenium shadows.
Fill up a set with PiezoFlush. PiezoFlush is unique amongst cleaning fluids because it is designed not only to be the most solvent possible, but also offer the safest long-term contact with your print heads. PiezoFlush is the best storage-fluid being sold today. If you leave your printer for more than three weeks, you really should install flush carts and allow the heads to clean themselves. Then turn the printer off. If you’re going to be gone for months, we recommend wrapping and sealing your printer in plastic with the flush carts installed.

We ship a set of cartridges with a complete set of syringes. We think its easier to have eight syringes when you have eight cartridges. Our reason is because we like to do all of our filling at once. Then we wash and clean all our syringes at once and let them drip dry on paper towels. Our needles are special slip-on blunts for safety.

Refillable cartridges are easily filled and refilled.

Empty refillables for the 1400 with syringes $24.84

Empty refillables for the 800/1800 with syringes $29.99

Empty refillables for the 1900 with syringes $29.84

Empty refillables for the 2200/2100 with syringes $29.99

Empty refillables for the 2400 with syringes $29.99

Empty refillables for the 2880 with syringes $34.99

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Custom Piezography curves

December 22, 2010, 12:34 pm

≫ Next: Piezography Glossy Curves library

≪ Previous: Refillable desktop cartridges offer creative possibilities

Here is a step-by-step instructional for printing the target we supply when you have InkjetMall produce a custom Piezography curve for use with QuadTone RIP.

We supply a special curve that is used as a “Master Curve” and a special 256 patch target that is printed. When you send the target back to InkjetMall for profiling, we email you the new curve. The instructions are different for matte and glossy media, whereas Glossy profiling gets an extra step.

To install the master, GO and/or custom curve, please drag and drop the curve into the following folder location:

(Windows) C\ProgramFiles\QuadToneRIP\QuadTone\Printer Model-K7

(Mac) /Applications/QuadToneRIP/Profiles/Printer Model-K7

NOTE: With Mac users, you must uninstall your Quad printer model then reinstall it using the install.command located in the same folder you placed the new curve in. This will show the new curve in QuadTone RIP.

Before printing the target image, print a nozzle check to make sure all nozzles are printing correctly. Make sure the target image is not changed in any way when saving or opening.

(Windows) Open the target image in QuadTone RIP and select the printer model specific Master Curve in the curve 1 list (select ‘none’ in the other curve pull down lists). Make NO changes to the Curve Bending or Advanced Adjustments sections (ink limit and gamma should remain at 0). Select Resolution: 2880dpi and Speed: Uni-directional. Print the target image at 100% scale.

(Mac) Make sure your Photoshop color settings gray working space is set to: Gray Gamma 2.2. Open the target image in Photoshop without making any adjustments to it. Print the target image at 100% scale, CS3: under Color Handling select â€œNo Color Managementâ€ or CS4 (or higher) under Color Handling select â€œPrinter Manages Colorâ€ and Intent: Realitive Colorimetric. Then push print to continue, in the QuadTone RIP window, select the printer specific Master Curve in the curve 1 pull down list (select ‘none’ in the other curve pull down lists), Make NO changes to the Curve Bending or Advanced Adjustments sections (ink limit and gamma should remain at 0). Select Resolution: 2880dpi and Speed: Uni-directional.

How to print the GO layer when using glossy media:

Print the target image with the K7-Master curve specific to your printer model, 2880dpi, uni-directional then dry the printed target either for a few hours air-drying or a few minutes of low blow drying.

Make a small (1×1â€ or smaller is fine) pure white (255, 255, 255) 300ppi image in Photoshop, feed the printed target sheet back into the printer and print the white square thru QTR by selecting the GO curve at 1440dpi and bi-directional speed to print an even layer of GO over the entire sheet (GO will print evenly over the maximum printable area, depending on the paper size you select).

Please write the printer model, ink, print settings and paper on the bottom of the printed target. Slip sheet (typing paper is fine) over the printed surface and sandwich the printed target between two pieces of cardboard (tape the edges so the print doesn’t move around inside) to protect it in shipping. The quality of the curve is dependent on the quality of the printed target.

Mail the printed target to the following address:

Inkjetmall

Attn: Dana/Custom Profiles

17 Powder Spring Rd

E. Topsham VT 05076â€¨

You can download the custom profiling package from here if you like. It includes a manual filled will all kinds of interesting information about calibration and displays. It also includes a linearization checker that you can use to see if your system might benefit from custom profiling. To use the Linearization Checker you’ll need both Microsoft Excel and a densitometer or spectrophotometer. Â The download of course has all of the current Master Curves and the target.

Download the custom profiling package by clicking here.

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Piezography Glossy Curves library

December 23, 2010, 8:24 am

≫ Next: Digital negatives and film

≪ Previous: Custom Piezography curves

The is a curves update for QuadTone RIP users of the Piezography MPS Glossy system.
Piezography Glossy printing is any type of printing on non-matte papers (including Baryta).

These papers require our MPS inks which are both matte and glossy compatible due to additional layers of pigment encapsulation. All Piezography pigment is encapsulated to prevent agglomeration due to static charge. However, in order to adhere to non-matte surfaces, we developed two new inks (Selenium K7/K6 and Warm Neutral K7/K6) and a new photo black shade 1 (MPS Black: aka Selenium Shade 1), and a Gloss Optimizer that is used to overcoat.

The process of making a Glossy Piezography print is to select the correct ink curve for the non-matte medium, a quick dry, and then a second printing of Gloss Optimizer using the GO curve. The effect is perfect when compared side-by-side with either an EPSON ABW or an HP print. All of the gloss differential is perfectly equalized so it is not possible to discern the difference between ink and paper. Bronzing is minimalized and with some papers completely eliminated. There is no metamerism.

Eventually these Glossy curves will be part of the QTR download. Until then you can download and install yourself. If you need a curve for a paper that is not listed you can have a custom curve made by InkjetMall for $99 by clicking here.

Instructions for installing curves

To install the master, GO and/or custom curve, please drag and drop the curve into the following folder location:

(Windows) C\ProgramFiles\QuadToneRIP\QuadTone\Printer Model-K7

(Mac) /Applications/QuadToneRIP/Profiles/Printer Model-K7

Select your printer below and click on the download button.

Epson 2200: Epson Exhibition Fiber, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson 2200 Glossy curves

Epson 3800-3880: Epson Exhibition Fiber, Epson Lustre, FotoSpeed Platinum Gloss, Hahnemuhle Baryta FB, Hahnemuhle PhotoRag Baryta, Harmon Gloss Baryta Warm, Harman Glass FB Al, Ilford Gold Fiber Silk, Ilford Smooth Gloss, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson 3800-3880 Glossy curves

Epson 4000: Canson Baryta Photo, Epson Exhibition Fiber, Red River Pearl Metallic, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson 4000 Glossy curves

Epson 4800: Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta, Hahnemuhle Photo Pearl, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Pearl, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson 4800 Glossy curves

Epson 4880: Canson Baryta Satin, Epson Exhibition Fiber, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta, Harman Glossy Fiber White, Infinity Baryta, InkPress Baryta White, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson 4880 Glossy curves

Epson 7600-9600: Canson Baryta Photo, Epson Exhibition Fiber, Red River Pearl Metallic, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson 7600-9600 Glossy curves

Epson 7800-9800: Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta, Hahnemuhle Photo Pearl, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Pearl, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson 7800-9800 Glossy curves

Epson 7880-9880: Canson Baryta Satin, Epson Exhibition Fiber, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta, Harman Glossy Fiber White, Infinity Baryta, InkPress Baryta White, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson 7880-9880 Glossy curves

Epson R1800: Epson Exhibition Fiber, Epson Ultra Premium Lustre, Hahnemuhle Baryta, Ilford Gold Fiber Silk, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson R1800 Glossy curves

Epson R1900: Epson Exhibition Fiber, Epson Ultra Premium Lustre, Hahnemuhle Baryta, Ilford Gold Fiber Silk, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson R1900 Glossy curves

Epson R2400: Epson Exhibition Fiber, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson R2400 Glossy curves

Epson R2880: Epson Exhibition Fiber, JonCone Studio Type5, GO only

Epson R2880 Glossy curves

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Digital negatives and film

January 5, 2011, 2:44 pm

≫ Next: Digital negatives and film part 2

≪ Previous: Piezography Glossy Curves library

I created my own digital film system for making negatives, back-lits, and film positives on an Epson R2400 printer, but it is adaptable to the Epson R2880, 4800, 7800 and 9800 printers.

Where it usually takes several days to create the QTR master curves architecture for a new printer, this took weeks. The problem is that affordable auto-scan film densitometers are not currently available, or it would be easy to release systems for all the current printers. I had sourced a refurbished X-Rite DTP32 for about $1,200. This is a transmissive strip reader that measures only a few densities at a time. I found that in measuring 16 densities at a time, it performs well. But, in creating the initial curves architecture I need to up that to 32 initially, then 64 and eventually 256.

It blows bulbs at that rate and overheats. Measuring 64 patches can take hours waiting for the unit to cool. Obviously, the engineers at X-Rite never anticipated that someone would be trying to make as perfect a linearization as the Piezography process requires.

But, after a few weeks I had a working system. You can find it online at Inkjetmall by clicking on the printer system we support here: R2400, R2880, 4800, 7800/9800. But, the curve for QTR is not part of the current QTR download. So, I will post the items and recipe below and even post the curve I made. Within the next few weeks we will have pre-mixed dilutions and kits you can buy for each of the supported printers.

First, I need to explain what a Piezography digital film system does. The concept behind Piezography is a perfect linearization of ink from dMin (the paper white which in the case of a film system is clear film base) and dMax (the maximum ink density.) This linearization produces an incredibly smooth grayscale that has its contrast pre-adjusted to Gamma 2.2. There are no digital artifacts, nor visible ink dots. It is as close to perfection as a grayscale printing system can be.

It does not pretend to know what you intend to do with it. If you are making back-lits you simply print out the film through the QTR curve and install in a backlit box. Presto! Perfection! Perfect smooth linearized tone from clear film to practically opaque black. This is in part my original intention with this system. I wanted to produce prints that were architecturally interesting, looked modern, and were about transmissive light rather than reflection.

The back-lits we produce at Cone Editions Press for photographers are very subdued as we insert some white density film to reduce the brightness so that they appear just brighter than a traditional print. If the lights in the room are dimmed, they are amazing. The system is being used mostly for offices, and the wiring is being hidden within the walls. It is not an inexpensive process, but is very impressive when installed.

However, if you are making negatives or positives for photographic printing processes â€“ you need to deliver to the system an altered grayscale that reflects the needs of your process. Traditional photo processes require a negative or pos that may not look or feel natural but prints natural. Silver negatives and positives are not perfectly linear and do not approach the dMin and dMax that can this Piezography film system.

For example, in photogravure (which I used to print voraciously from 1984-1992) the needs for dMin and dMax are quite different from the dMin and dMax of the film I can produce with this system. I need a dMin on this positive that is perhaps about 0.32 density. This is the first discernible highlight detail. The dMax for making a just barely detailed black is no more than 1.52. Everyone makes photogravures differently of course. This is just an example. But, the Piezography digital film system produces a dMin that is nearly clear and a dMax that is nearly 2.85.

So I would need to produce an image in Photoshop that the highlight that just prints with detail produces a 0.32 density, and a shadow that just prints with detail at about 1.52. You can use the PDN system at this point. It is very flexible in that it allows you to print out step strips and to find the values you are looking for. You do need to produce the tests into the photographic process you are making film for.

Then you need to create the compensation curve in Photoshop to produce the limited output so that it prints as expected in the process. This Photoshop curve and the QTR curve have no relation to each other whatsoever. The Photoshop curve may actually have to compensate for the “S” curve of the silver process… Lots of curves…

QTR curves are called “curves”, but think of it as a profile for the printer, ink, and media, which in this case is an Epson R2400, Piezography Selenium inks, and Pictorico OHP film. This process I produced allows you to print film that is perfectly smooth so that you can define your own process on it according to the needs of your traditional darkroom method.

I can’t really help you with the PDN kit for making your images. But, I have provided you with an excellent output system for film. What you output onto it is up to you! You may wish to source a good used R2400 printer for this process. It prints up to 13″ wide. Otherwise, Epson often has the R2880 in its clearance center or on sale at it’s website.

Enjoy:

Black = Shade 1 = Piezography MPS Black
Cyan = Shade 2 = 50% Piezography Selenium shade 2 / 50% Piezography Selenium shade 3
Lt Cyan = Shade 3 = Piezography Selenium shade 3
Magenta = Shade 4 = 50% Piezography Selenium shade 4 / 50% Piezography Selenium shade 5
Lt Magenta = Shade 5 = Piezography Selenium shade 5
Lt. Black = Shade 6 = Piezography Selenium shade 6
Yellow = Shade 7 = Piezography Selenium shade 7
Lt. Lt. Black = PiezoFlush

QTR Curve = NewS9aNG2b-PictoricoUPohp.quad
NewS9aNG2b-PictoricoUPohp.quad

The above system can be run in a CIS for continuous feed. However, if you run it in refillable cartridges, you can also change out the mixed shades 2 and 4, replacing with regular shades 2 & 4, and change out the PiezoFlush for Piezography Gloss Optimizer instead. Then you can print regular Piezography glossy prints! Change back the carts to the film system when you need to print film.

Unfortunately, it would take me a couple weeks each printer model to produce similar systems on other Epson printer models. Time, which I do not have. But, I am in the middle of an experiment with a customer to see if we can adapt the inks and the curve to his printer model which is an Epson 7600. One never knows until one tries. He has the 7600 and has installed the inks. We will soon convert the curve and hope for the best! If its successful, you can count on our adapting to other printer models.

The R2400 negative curve will work on Epson R2880, 4800, 7800 and 9800 models and we will update the InkjetMall website shortly as well as post Digital Negative pages for these printers!

…read part 2 here.

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Digital negatives and film part 2

January 6, 2011, 2:20 pm

≫ Next: Piezography for X900!?!

≪ Previous: Digital negatives and film

I had no idea when I blogged my digital negative process that I would be so overwhelmed by questions and queries. So, I best post a more complete explanation of the product itself, the process in how it is used, and how it differs from a regular Piezography printing system.

Explanation

Piezography digital film is a subset of Piezography that uses a modified Selenium MPS ink shade set and a unique QTR curve. The modification to the inks are in positions shade 2 and shade 4. These two shades have been modified to make them lighter so that a curve could be devised for QTR that would result in a smooth linearization on Pictorico OHP film. Without this modification, the Piezography profiler can not devise a smooth output linearization on film and the output looks poor as below:

A poor linearization will occur during printing if a perfect QTR curve is not created.

This is how the Piezography output should appear. Perfectly smooth, no posterizations over visible ink overlaps.

The Pictorico film absorbs ink in the way that requires modification to shades 2 & 4. So it requires a dedicated ink system that can no longer be used for making prints without changing shades 2 & 4 back to the normal Piezography dilutions.

A single curve has been devised that will perform exceptionally well on both Pictorico OHP and Ultra OHP film. The curve will print a 256 shade 8 bit grayscale image and differentiate between all 256 shades. A contrast gamma of 2.2 is applied during the printing so that the 256 shades of gray appear natural to the human eye and imitate the vast majority of displays and monitors that are manufactured today. The dynamic range of the ink is so wide that as is, it can be used to make magnificent backlit images by printing on white film.

QTR Curve = NewS9aNG2b-PictoricoUPohp.quad
NewS9aNG2b-PictoricoUPohp.quad

However, it must be modified by the user when making digital negatives and positives for both traditional and non-traditional photographic processes according to the limitations of these processes. This is ideally modified in a single Photoshop curve that will convert 256 shades of gray to a more narrow range of tone so that the end-points and mid-point fall into the requisite range.

More info in this box awaits those curious about the QTR curves architecture...

You are looking at QuadTone RIP curves which I have made for Roy Harrington’s QuadTone RIP software. The curves are actually a composite of seven individual curves that control the output of each inkjet head. Each curve represents a shade of Piezography ink. The darkest shade is on the right and the lightest shade is on the left. A very good explanation of QTR curves can be found in the blog by browsing the Piezography K7 inks and K7 curves category for Piezography Profiles. Notice that although this is an eight ink printer, there is no LLK curve. That position in the printer is reserved as a dummy containing PiezoFlush or as a Gloss overprint channel containing GO. It gets a curve all of its own. The curves are represented by color position rather than shade.

The curves architecture for film and paper are dramatically different.

The QTR curve for Pictorico film at the top features a very heavy black. Shade two (in the cyan position) had to be diluted lighter to fill in the gap between black and shade 3 (in the light cyan position). Shade 4 (in the magenta position) also had to be diluted lighter to fit between shades 3 and 5 (in the light magenta position). Shades 6 and 7 in light black and yellow positions complete the linearization.

Below the QTR film curve is the QTR curve for Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. It is very smooth and seems to not have any lumps and bumps because the Master Curve was created on this paper, and it has needed only a slight ajustment. All curves that we create produce fantastically smooth output no matter how lumpy and bumpy they look.

QTR curves have absolutely NOTHING to do with Photoshop curves, although I use Photoshop curves to illustrate the concept of QTR curves in the blog post “Piezography Profiles” at the Piezography Blog.

Process

For backlit printing, an image may be printed directly with the QTR curve NewS9aNG2b-PictoricoUPohp.quad. The film can then be inserted into a backlit frame, although I recommend inserting behind the film positive some additional translucent white film to “taste” in order to reduce the brightness to photographic levels. I like my backlits much dimmer than the current new superbright led frames which are designed to reach 100s of yards across trade shows to attract attention!

The dynamic range of a Piezography backlit can be nearly 4.0 – perhaps even brighter contrast than that found on a modern display monitor. I have a very special black ink I use that is nearly opaque – but too opaque for use with making digital negatives. Negatives require a very narrow dynamic range. Photogravure positives are even more narrow. If your heart is set on making outstanding backlits – you should contact us for this special Piezography Ultra Warm Opaque black ink. You can use a Warm Neutral ink set with this for a natural effect, or the Selenium ink set with this for a shadow split tone effect.

For negative and positive printing for wet-processes, a curve must be applied to the image before printing in order to reduce or restrict or manipulate the dynamic range. While this can be sorted with a simple Photoshop curve and 21 step grayscale step wedge, an intuitive and very appropriate 31 step digital step wedge is available from Precision Digital Negatives that can make this task simpler called the Curve Calculator II Tonal Palette. The rest of their process is more oriented towards using color inks. So any similarity between PDN and Piezography digital film ends with the target. But a read through of their materials can be helpful in explaining why a curve in Photoshop is necessary.

Piezography inks do not need to be made to block UV light using color pigments, but rather act as conventional silver negatives which are continuous tone negatives that simply block light by varying the opacity. Piezography prints without the dots and digital artifacts of the EPSON K3 inks and can produce significantly higher levels of resolution if the input file is greater than an optical resolution of 360dpi.

To help you wrap your head around what needs to be done on your part, here is a simple explanation in relation to darkroom principles… When you think of photographic negative film and absolute black on a silver print you think of film base + fog which is darker than the Pictorico film and may be about 0.28 – 0.35. When you think of specular highlight and photographic negative film, you think of a density of perhaps 1.60 – 1.85 of fully exposed film. The mid-point that makes a 50% gray is not half way between these two points, but rather closer to the base point. Light and logarithms and all that…

In making a digital negative with Piezography digital film process, you need to find these values by printing a step wedge through QTR using the curve NewS9aNG2b-PictoricoUPohp.quad. This is going to result in a perfect representation of the step wedge and this is not ideal for darkroom process. But it is ideal as a base for your final digital negative files because of the vast increase in quality as compared to competing systems.

You do not need to buy a digital file form PDN in order to do this. QuadTone RIP supplies a 21 step wedge and a 51 step wedge. Using the standard 21 step file from QTR, making a Piezography digital film and printing it in some darkroom process might produce a print that looks like the below:

The digital film exposed as silver print.

The three points are to illustrate the desired dMin, 50% and dMax. Remember that 100% ink density produces white and 0% density produces black. These are “negatives”. The same process is reversed in figuring out a film positive for processes such as photogravure.

By simple analysis, it appears that 65% input gray will print as pure white on this particular silver paper/chemistry combination. All of the density from 65% to 100% does not print and is lost. So we need to take 100% density (which we might have thought to be our specular highlight) and move it to 65% so that everything below 100% density in the original digital negative file can print with detail in the silver print.

25% input gray produces a satisfactory mid-point. So we need to transform 50% density to 25% in order for our mid-points to print as mid-points. And finally 5% input gray is produces a maximum black. All of the nuances in the 1-4% range are lost. So we need to take 0% gray (pure black) and move it to 5% as this will become our pure black once it is printed in silver. Anything lighter than this will now print with some detail.

Now lets see it in terms that are more visual including the Photoshop exercise…

If you did not create a compensation curve, and used the digital film as is to create a silver print, a digital negative image might print like this:

A silver print from a digital negative image file that has not been calibrated with a Photoshop curve.

However, the step wedge warned us that anything from 65% to 100% would end up as pure white and our mid-point was also much too light, and the deepest shadows crushed. Pretty awful! Now you can see why the need to calibrate your process in Photoshop.

If one creates a curve to restrict the input data to the points found by making test strips from a 21 or 51 step image file, the output will appear more naturalistic. It is a requisite part of this process that is unique to every type of wet-process and is affected by your own chemistry habits or techniques.

How one makes the curve is to determine the three points and make a compensation in Photoshop curves. You would use the previously silver printed test strip from the Piezography digital film…

The digital film exposed as silver print.

Moving these points that you found as dMin, mid-point, dMax to where they should be would create a Photoshop compensation curve that may look like this for the above example:

A Photoshop compensation curve to calibrate the digital film to the darkroom process.

This is the curve that you might use on your inverted digital images before printing them to the Piezography digital film system were your process to imitate this example. But, it is only an example of a curve and it does not mean you do not have to go through the process yourself!

So, this Photoshop curve applied to the digital step wedge image file that is used to make a silver print would convert it to something like this :

The three points are now where we want them...

The resulting silver print is now tonally correct from dMin to dMax with a mid-point gray that is correct.

I can say that this three point method is simplistic. Many photographers will use densitometry and apply 16 points in a Photoshop curve to perfect things. dMin and dMax are easily found, as is the mid-point. But, silver is not linear, so 1/4 tones and 3/4 tones are probably a requisite. It is not much more difficult to determine 1/8ths… The rabbit hole is as deep as you wish to go. Just keep in mind, that your wet-process must be standardized before starting. You are calibrating your wet-process.

If this Photoshop curves process may seem to you like something that should be built-in to Piezography digital film, it can’t. Everyone’s darkroom process is so different and often very personally arrived at. Each chemistry/paper combination will have a unique compensation. What Piezography digital film offers is a very smooth output process onto the film free of dots, artifacts, and a possibility of realizing far greater resolution of detail than that obtained by using Epson K3 color inks to make a digital negative. It’s a perfect base.

Once the curve is obtained for Photoshop and provided you keep your darkroom chemistry standardized, it will be easy to create a workflow something like this:

1) The original digital file in Photoshop

2) Inverting the digital file into a negative in Photoshop

3) Applying the Photoshop calibration curve prior to printing with Piezography digital film

4) print the image file through QTR using the curve “NewS9aNG2b-PictoricoUPohp.quad” onto Pictorico OHP film.

5) Dry the film with a hair dryer or allow to set overnight

6) use the film as you would for your process

Differences from “normal” K7

The Piezography digital film system can not be used for printing regular Piezography prints because the two altered shades of ink will produce posterizations with conventional K7 curves. It is possible in all of the supported printers to have an extra shade 2 and shade 4 carts with the “normal” shade dilutions. You would need to perform two power cleanings (maybe 3) to get this ink to the print heads in the Pro 4800, 7800 and 9800 printers. The desktop 2400 and 2880 require only two regular head cleanings. This ink set could then be used in combination with Piezography Gloss Optimizer to make regular glossy Piezography prints.

By also changing out MPS shade 1 to K7 shade 1 matte black, the system could be used to make regular Piezography matte prints. QTR has a huge array of K7 supplied curves for matte papers, and will soon have the glossy curves embedded. Right now those glossy curves are available here.

Finally…

We currently only support digital film process on the R2400, R2880, Pro 4800, Pro 7800 & 9800 printers.

If you currently are using Selenium inks on any of these printers, you may only need to modify the shade 1, 2 & 4 positions. If you need help figuring that out – let us know. If you are on desktop printers, you just need to buy a set of new carts and possibly these additional position inks. If you are on the large format carts, you just need to buy these replacement carts and inks. Once you convert to the digital neg dilutions – it will not be able to print on paper with K7 curves until you replace the original inks once more. Can’t have best of both worlds with this system.

When I fully develop Piezography for Canon – we will try and keep an eye to creating a system that can do both matte, glossy and film. We are looking for a March release at the SPE show.

If you want to purchase a system you can follow these links for the only supported printer systems we currently produce: R2400, R2880, Pro 4800, Pro 7800/9800

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Piezography for X900!?!

March 14, 2011, 1:45 pm

≫ Next: Latest digital negative processes at Piezography

≪ Previous: Digital negatives and film part 2

WOW! This is totally unexpected.

Roy Harrington (author of QTR) reported last week

“Interesting development. I got a hold of a 7900 briefly so I could try the QTR driver. — the method was just to use the 7880 driver and print a calibration page — Anyway printing at 2880dpi seems to work as expected, but both the 1440dpi and 1440super modes printed expanded output (twice as wide as expected). So the good news is we have something working, but its not completely compatible. Whether the 7890 has the same result is another question. If we can only print at 2880 I think that would be workable. These new printers are faster already.”

Roy later added “I just used the 7880 driver so no I couldn’t try orange and green. Actually selecting the inks is probably not a big problem but I do have to figure out any issues with more than 8 inks. For instance the inkseparation page uses 8 bits for ink selection. I’d probably put this off until later — who really needs that many inks for B&W.”

and

“I have looked at the 4900 and is apparently all Esc/P2 so should not be a problem except for the 8 ink -> 10 ink issues. Haven’t looked at the R3000 but I’d think its like the R2880 except for the K ink selection.”

This is obviously very hopeful news from Roy Harrington. It seems that Piezography K7 is going to be easily managed on these printers. But, if we can get the O and G channels working, we will plan dual Piezography ink systems and perhaps triple quad ink systems using multiple curve blending. I would hope that the news continues to be positive coming from QTR.

The hopefuls!

It’s like Christmas in March from our side. We do plan to continue our work with Canon. But, this is wonderful news to know that even while Epson pressured ErgoSoft to remove the K7 compatibility from their StudioPrint RIP, Roy Harrington is able to adapt to these new printers on his own. This says a lot about the spirit of third parties working outside the established OEM systems. Keep your fingers crossed.

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Latest digital negative processes at Piezography

April 4, 2011, 9:42 pm

≫ Next: Piezography Digital Negative kit

≪ Previous: Piezography for X900!?!

On the Piezography website, I documented several Piezography Digital Negative processes that are quite different from each other. While they are all getting to the same goal, they are doing it differently and bringing out different aspects of fine silver printing.

The last process I completed combines Piezography Selenium inks with Mark Nelson’s PDN Curve Calculator II. Selenium inks make the PDN process easier for those who don’t mind dedicating a printer to monochromatic inks. And it is a great remedy for those who experience dithering or striations with the normal PDN workflow that uses the Epson printer driver and Epson color inks.

With Piezography Digital Negatives, PDN is used only to generate contrast linearization curves for the final silver print – and so it is used only for the creative linearization possibilities it brings to Piezography digital negatives. Very little recalibration will be needed when using density based digital negs.

But prior to this is an earlier Piezography Digital Negative process that I designed to be pre-linearized at Gamma 2.2 for two silver papers: Ilford Multigrade IV RC and Fiber Base papers when used with Sprint chemistry. These Piezography QTR curves actually print what looks like a real negative from a positive image. It even prints that part of the film that is not filled with the image as a fully exposed film leader to act as a white border when contact printed. It also prints film base+ fog for the clear portions of the film. The QTR curve is also designed so that the widest possible range of Epson printers can produce a linearization between the film base+ fog and fully exposed film leader.

This produces extremely long shadows and highlights as a result. You have to want really long, long tone to use this process. Because it is pre-linearized, it should not be used with PDN as that would defeat the process. Piezography linearization is unique and it is proprietary. Piezography linearization produces a Gamma 2.2 response in the final silver print and is available only in this particular process.

And finally, there is also a general purpose film system that produces up to 3.0 dMax for any type of alternative process as long as you give the system the correct dynamic range in the original negative. This one can work with PDN also. I made it as a continuous tone system for back lit in which a fully opaque black is desirable.

Probably, the latest system is the most desirable for use with PDN. The QTR curves I designed produce a specific maximum density on the Piezography digital negatives ranging from 1.50 to 1.80. The dMin of the film in each of these five systems remains constant at 0.15. This is a variable dynamic range system designed to offer suitability to the widest range of silver papers and development techniques. When paired with PDN – it produces a synergy that allows the photographer to achieve silver prints that can be inspected with a loupe and yet can be linearized to the wide variety of contrast effects that PDN produces.

Still, all of these processes are in use by photographers. And some photographers are using more than one of the processes.

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Piezography Digital Negative kit

October 5, 2011, 11:24 am

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We bundled a kit for photographers who want to make easy, but very high-quality digital negatives for producing darkroom prints. This kit is a turnkey system that works with the Epson 2400, 2880, 4800, 7800 and 9800 printers.

The kit includes a set of Piezography ink that is compatible with film. The ink is supported by a group of Jon Cone designed QuadTone RIP curves that can be selected according to the density needs of the silver paper. Piezography Digital Film produces a negative that looks like an actual film negative.

An actual Piezography digital negative

Further, it behaves like an actual film negative. Piezography Digital Film is the only system that is based upon continuous-tone and is conceived as a replacement for conventional film negatives. Using the special curves, a photographer can create a contact negative that has a dMin of film base+ fog and and a final dMax that imitates fully exposed negative film at one of five selected end-points: 1.40, 1.50, 1.60, 1.70 or 1.80.

Jon Cone uses 1.60 for printing with Ilford Multigrade RC and Multigrade Fiber Base papers. For those who usually print with negatives of lighter or heavier density, the other curves will cover most available papers.

The process is quite easy. The inks are installed in very specific locations according to the curves. Because only five inks are used, PiezoFlush can be installed in the unused positions to keep the print heads from drying out. QuadTone RIP (a $50 shareware) is downloaded and installed. The Piezography Digital Negatives are installed. The Piezography QuadTone RIP Quick Users Guide must be read to understand how Piezography uses QTR (as it differs from normal use of QTR.)

A 128 step gradation wedge printed from a Piezography digital negative.

To use the system to make negatives requires a grayscale image. An RGB image can be used, but should be converted to grayscale. Piezography curves are developed in 16bit values which will work with either 8bit or 16bit grayscales according to whether QTR is used in 8bit or 16bit mode.

The image is Inverted from a positive to a negative using Image / Adjustment / Invert command in Photoshop. Next, the image is flipped horizontally. The image is printed through QuadTone RIP (stand-alone application in Windows or as a Print command option from Mac OS.) Only a few settings are used in QTR: resolution set to 2880dpi, speed set to uni-directional, ordered dithering, and the curve is set to one of the following:

32k34-16-lin_d1_4.quad
32k34-16-lin_d1_5.quad
32k34-16-lin_d1_6.quad
32k34-16-lin_d1_7.quad
32k34-16-lin_d1_8.quad

according to the density requirement of the paper or your particular negative development style. As mentioned, Jon Cone uses the 1_6 density curve for Ilford RC and fiber base paper. He uses his regular exposure time (with conventional film negatives) and uses his standard development time in Sprint Chemistry. The curves and a more thorough explanation of the process is here.

If you are just starting out with digital film and have not made conventional negatives before, the 1_6 is a good starting point. Otherwise, you can print out a small step wedge with each of the curves onto a single sheet of Pictorico film. Contact print and develop and choose the curve that produces paper white and dMax at the widest range. You can try altering the exposure time for trials if you wish. But, using suggested exposure times and development times for your enlarger’s light source will be the best base. The correct curve will be easily obvious.

The film produced is already linear. So you do not need to use Precision Digital Negative with this system. But, the Curves Calculator portion of PDN is compatible. You will have to fool PDN into letting you just use the Curves Calculation portion by filling in the requested information of the preceding steps, or simply copy and pasting. Why use PDN at all? PDN allows you to produce creative contrast curves. You can block up the shadows and highlights to look more “photographic”, or close one and not the other.

But, it is just as easy if not easier to produce a creative curve in Photoshop that you apply to the image. The beauty of Piezography Digital Film is that it already produces a linearized grayscale. That work has been done for you. Use it as is to make great prints. Then, simply respond to the print as you would in the darkroom and apply your dodging and burning in Photoshop.

You can find the system for the Epson 2400 here, the 2880 here, the Pro 4800 here, and the Pro 7800/9800 here.

We plan to offer additional printer support this Fall/Winter for the R2000, R3000, 1400, 3800, 3880, 4880, 4900, 7880, 7890, 7900, 9880, 9890 & 9900.

Andrew Overtoom’s excellent The Undead Neg has some blog postings about Piezography digital film including pictures.

Also, other Piezography digital film systems are available with dMax up to 3.0. There is a lot to read about all of these systems on the Piezography blog.

And for fully opaque film for silkscreen – you only need to replace the black ink in your Epson printer with Piezography Warm Neutral very dense shade 1 ink available here.

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Try Piezography inks in your desktop printer

February 6, 2012, 2:51 pm

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≪ Previous: Piezography Digital Negative kit

We had several requests recently from customers who wanted to try the Piezography Carbon inks. They had recently read two interesting discussions on the Large Format Photography Forum between Sandy King and Mark McCormick-Goodhart who is the director of the Aardenburg Imaging & Archives (the leading inks/media longevity testing facility for fine artists and photographers.) Those discussions are (Permanence of non-carbon/sepia Piezography) and Jon Cone on Carbon Piezography.

While we haven’t quite made the announcement that All Piezography Ink Sets are NOW Matte and Glossy compatible – these try me kits on 8 position printers are matte and glossy compatible. So this is an opportunity to see not only the gorgeous velvety matte surface – but also how deep and dark carbon can get on baryta and other non-matte surfaces.

Pre-charged refillable carts with Piezography Carbon

While all Piezography inks can withstand long term exhibition, the Piezography Carbon inkset uniquely is the only ink set from any manufacturer that has met the strict Aardenburg criteria in both the upper and lower limits. In short, it is literally bullet-proof. If longevity is the most important criteria for your work – Piezography Carbon is the only ink set that you should be using. Anything else appears to have compromises.

However, I am not suggesting that longevity is the most important criteria, or that you can’t live with compromises. Many photographers claim that longevity is the most important factor in their decision when buying b&w capable printers. It is clear that Piezography Carbon is an exceptional ink. But, Carbon is a very unique substance. Along with it’s extraordinary half-life of 5000 years comes a warmth that may not be your cup of tea.

Piezography Carbon’s (like all the Piezography ink sets) final tone is actually determined by paper white. It is possible therefore, to get a very wide range of expression out of it by using warmer and cooler papers. The idea behind these try me kits is that for a small investment you can try Carbon. If you have one of our other Piezography ink sets installed, just remove them and pop in the Carbon carts. One head cleaning should remove all residual ink from the previous set of carts. If you have ConeColor or Epson color inks installed it will take two head cleanings.

You will run out of ink in one position most likely, rather than draw the entire set of carts down equally. But you will be able to make more than enough prints to get an idea of what the tone of this ink is like. If you want to continue using them, you only need to buy bottles of ink and some filling syringes.

You will find the tryme carts for Carbon located here for the following printers:

$90 Carbon (matte only) for 1400 click here

$120 Carbon (matte and glossy) for R1800 click here

$120 Carbon (matte and glossy) for R1900 click here

$120 Carbon (matte and glossy) for R2400 click here

$120 Carbon (matte and glossy) for R2880 click here

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To upgrade or not

February 15, 2013, 11:19 am

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I recently upgraded to Lightroom 4 and was very pleasantly surprised to experience that it is possible to print directly to QuadTone RIP from LightRoom 4 without any color management interference from Apple by just clicking the Print button.

However, I’m on Lion 10.7.4. Sadly, it is not possible to print directly from LightRoom through Mountain Lion (10.8) without impacting shadow and highlight detail. To print from Mountain Lion, a LightRoom image must be exported with an AdobeRGB 1998 profile, then opened in QTR Print Tool, then printed to QTR from QTR Print Tool. If you attempt to print from LightRoom in Mountain Lion, the shadow and highlights are compressed and boosted prior to printing (by Apple) if the user decides to have the printer “manage color”. It reduces a stop or two of tonal latitude. Perhaps for a casual user – this compression (or boost) by Apple is appreciated. But, for Piezography which is highly sensitive to shadow and highlight detail, this boost defeats the additional fidelity that Piezography is capable of.

I am mentioning this because it is in itself a compelling argument to upgrade LightRoom to version 4, but not Mac OS X to Mountain Lion. I have reported on the many internal color management schemes that Apple has been experimenting with beginning with OS X 10.5. We now advise those on 10.6 and higher to use QTR Print Tool if they want linearized output from QuadTone RIP.

Print professionals (at least in my generation) have only and always upgraded after every last bug had been worked out, and every possible unforeseen circumstance that could railroad a studio had been eliminated in subsequent updates. It is not uncommon for a pay for print studio to lag several OS X versions behind the current. In fact, it is quite common.

MB871_AV4 My own studio, Cone Editions Press, is still on OS 10.4.7 because that was the last operating system released by Apple that allows a non-color managed workflow. Piezography requires a non-color managed workflow. The reason is that if you work on a grayscale image perfecting its tonality and contrast, the last thing you want is for Apple to convert it into a new contrast gamma prior to your printing it with QuadTone RIP. And Apple began doing this after OS 10.4.7 when it detected that a user was trying to print without an ICC profile. And it began converting the non-ICC profiled image quite differently from one version of the OS to another – without rhyme nor reason – returning to subsequent schemes or trying new ones.

I am sure that Apple’s intention was to prevent its customers from experiencing poor output from OEM printing systems. And probably it works quite well for Apple’s consumer base. On the other hand, print professionals get hung out as a result. Not all – but those print pros or those users who wish to take 100% control of their output, are unable to. The QTR Print Tool allows a Piezography printmaker to bypass the Apple OS.

front1 So, for the moment, Apple and Adobe are again at peace collaborating together in my workflow – probably by mistake or coincidence. But!!! I have it locked down in a new studio we just put into our company. We bought two spanking new refurbished “2010″ version Mac Pro towers so that we coud use 10.7 (Lion). New towers only come with 10.8 (Mt. Lion). The 2010 is this litte gem you can buy from Apple’s Refurb store and it comes pre-installed with Mac OS 10.7. They are new leftover computers.

We also bought two refurbished NEC PA301W-BK 30″ calibrator reference displays at just over $1,040 each. The SpectraView software for these is only $99 and we can use an existing instrument to calibrate them through their 14-bit, on-board video engines. Big memory bumps of 32GB were purchased from Other World Computing.

pdv-2ed-399x265 With a $700 dimming 5000K viewing booth – we have a pair of true PRO printing systems for less then half the price of comparable new systems from Apple (that would include rather useless (for printing) 30″ Apple Cinema Displays). We get state of the art equipment for our intended purpose. What we do not get is better integration between our iPhone, iTunes, and iCloud – a small price to pay for having tonally correct prints directly out of LightRoom 4. For us it is easy to bypass the critical10.8 iCloud integration – because cell phones do not work in our part of Vermont. No one can call us. We can not call out. We have no need for an iPhone that integrates with a remote iCloud. And if we did – we still would not upgrade to Mt. Lion if it knocked out my printmaking workflow.

I would never upgrade my OS without first insuring that everything works with it. You can not revert once you upgrade your operating system. So, you should take the responsibility yourself in vetting it by partitioning a relatively inexpensive drive and have the ability to boot off of either Lion or Mountain Lion. You need a return path these days.

Does it make sense to keep a system which is two or more generations old? We use a lot of color management at Cone Editions Press and we do a lot of numerical calculations on profile making, etc. We like the DTP 70 instrument and we like some older ICC software that are no longer supported by the processors in modern Mac Towers. Our older systems are superior to the replacements being offered by the color management companies. So, we simply keep systems for using what we need.

s3400_drum PM300-AQUA-1B-unit Another example is our Hell 3400 drum scanner. This is such a superior system to modern scanners that we can’t even justify having it’s 3,000lb shell rigged out of our studio for free just to recover the huge amount of space it takes up. We could fit two or more large format printers in the space it occupies. The scanner is no longer valuable. It cost $110,000 new and we could possibly eBay it for $1,000. Who in the heck needs a drum scanner these days? Our clients absolutely do! So, we have no choice – we must maintain it and we must maintain the supportive equipment it requires.

We maintain a 1998 Apple PowerMac Blue and White G3 so that we can run a version of Linotype HELL software developed before they went out of business. This software requires OS9 and SCSI-1. We have another 2000s era Mac Tower that is modern by comparison that is using a sophisticated converter for transforming firewire signals to SCSI-1 signals. We bought this to run the drum scanner off of a hugely expensive 16bit scanner interface. It runs only on an early version of OS X. But, both these systems are antiquated with no further upgrade path to use the software or interface we require to run the drum scanner. We have no choice but to maintain OS9 and OS10 systems on compatible hardware.

syquest We have been digital printmaking for clients since 1984. You can not imagine the amount of backup systems we have used over the last four decades. We maintain an archive of extremely outdated equipment for the rare occasions when artists need to revitalize decades old projects. To use some of these antiquated drives we must still maintain a 1995 Apple Quadra 950 computer. What alternative is there? We can’t spend the time to transfer image files from Syquest, Bernouilli drives, even floppy sets and all kinds of obscure data systems. It’s all a bit of a Catch-22 trying to keep relevant and it often has little to do with the latest greatest bigger faster. In the end, it comes down to what works.

Finally, my interest in pictorialist lenses is getting the better of me. I spent most the summer milling out lens adapters to fit many of my collected turn of the century lenses onto my 5D MKII. This past Autumn, I decided to revitalize my 4×5 view camera and an early version Dicomed 4×5 digital back that I used to use with my 4×5 in the early 1990s. The problem is that besides needing SCSI-1, the digital back also requires an old serial port connection. Both SCSI and serial ports have been long gone from Macs for decades. So my old PowerBook G3 bit the dust the moment I powered it up (probably due to dust frying the main board). I went on eBay and bought a very good working model of the same one. The keyboard has a tendency to fall off but a little tape and it works like a charm.

I bought freshly made SCSI cables. I need a floppy disk to install the Dicomed software and old PowerBooks (bless their heart) have floppy diskette drives. The point being – is that this Summer I will be lugging a 4×5 with an old brass Pretzel lens (from a wet plate camera) and a WWII vintage Elgeet military lens out into the landscape. I will be primordial photographer man…toting nothing more than a 50lb battery pack and cabling, a 35lb tripod, about 20lbs of view camera and digital back, and a clunky laptop computer with which to make my exposures and save to an external SCSI hard drive (not a particularly light one). I will need water for hydration; food for energy; a first-aid kit in case the camera falls on me once set-up. I am considering looking for an old covered wagon to haul everything around in and getting a mule I can name Hypo.

osullivan

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How to perfectly repair an Epson 4900, 7900, 9900 printer

March 17, 2014, 1:52 pm

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≪ Previous: To upgrade or not

We have the perfect solution for repairing a permanently clogged Epson 4900, 7900, or 9900 printer. We can convert an Epson 4900, 7900, or 9900 printer that is hopelessly beyond repair into a fully functioning, highest-standard, Piezography black & white photographic printer.

Convert a clogged Epson 4900,7900, or 9900 printer into a Piezography printer.

You do not need to send us the printer for repair. You do not need to do any actual repair work yourself. The repair is the custom conversion.

Piezography requires as few as 6 functioning print head channels to produce the highest standard of black & white photographic printmaking. The Epson 4900, 7900 and 9900 printers have 11 print head channels. This means that if you are missing only 1 to 3 of the ink channels, we have options for you that can include making both Pizography prints and digital negatives. But, we even have options for Epson 4900, 7900 and 9900 printers with as few as 6 functioning print channels.

This is the first generation of printer that Epson has manufactured that we believe should only be purchased with an extended warranty. The print head is nothing short of amazing, and we love it and use it ourselves, but Epson warranties its head for only one year. We sell more PiezoFlush repair kits for this printer generation than any others. We do have a high success rate when PiezoFlush is used as we instruct. But, if PiezoFlush fails to repair your print head – then our most excellent option is to convert your printer into a Piezography printer. And if you do not want to bother with trying to repair your print head with PiezoFlush – you can simply skip to our conversion solution and convert your printer into a Piezography printer with as few as 6 of the 11 print heads functioning.

Here is how it works. We have an online survey form that you can use to set certain options. You need to indicate which print head channels are perfect and which print head channels are imperfect. Perfect means that when you print a nozzle check, all of the lines are printing without quality issues from that channel (color position). Anything less than perfect is imperfect. We make it easy for you to differentiate by having you select only the channels that are perfect. Then on the next page of the survey you select the type of Piezography system you would like to have.

Depending upon your particular print head availability we can offer the following:

Piezography K7 printing system for both matte and glossy/baryta prints
Piezography K7 printing system for matte prints only
Piezography K7 printing system for glossy and baryta prints only
Piezography2 Digital Negative system
Piezography2 Digital Negative system and matte prints only
Piezography2 Digital Negative system and glossy/baryta prints only
Piezography K6 system for glossy / baryta prints only
Piezography K6 for matte prints only

After you fill out the information page with your name and email (you are not signing up for newsletters!) we will customize a Piezography solution for you including your own special media curves that map out the bad ink channels. We will email you a quotation that includes everything you need. We believe you will be surprised at what you can do with what otherwise will be a useless printer. Why not superlatize your black & white printmaking? In fact, you can buy someone else’s misery printer and set it up as a second Piezography printer if you already are familiar with the benefits of Piezography black & white printing or Piezography Digital Negative.

Go ahead and fill out our form which you can access here. We will review your answers and submit a quotation to you with the available options which you request. The costs will include everything you need to turn your permanently clogged Epson 4900, 7900, 9900 printer into a Piezography printmaking machine!

If you’re reading this and happen to have a small format Epson printer with a clogged head – the following is for you!

If you have a small format Epson printer that you believe is beyond repair, try our small format PiezoFlush kit. We sell our PiezoFlush kit for desktop printers on Amazon.com with next day delivery. Because we are warehousing this product at Amazon, it is available for free shipping for Amazon Prime customers. This desktop cleaning kit contains a 110ml bottle of Piezo Flush with special cleaning cartridge, syringe and instructions. Everything you need to restore print quality in an Epson small format printer. If the Epson cartridge fits right on top of the print head, this will work. The product requires moving the ink cartridges and inserting the cleaning cartridge. A syringe full of PiezoFlush is gently pushed through the cleaning cartridge and directly into each print head. The waste ink, head gunk, and any dried ink is flushed out the print head and collected on an absorbent paper towel that the user supplies. Artisan 50, Stylus Photo R260, Stylus Photo R280, Stylus Photo R380, Stylus Photo RX580, Stylus Photo RX680, Stylus Photo RX580, Stylus Photo RX595, Stylus Photo RX680, Stylus CX5000, Stylus CX6000, Stylus CX7000F, Stylus CX7400, Stylus CX7450, Stylus CX8400, Stylus CX9400, Stylus NX100, Stylus NX105, Stylus NX110, Stylus NX115, Stylus NX200, Stylus NX215, Stylus NX300, Stylus NX305, Stylus NX400, Stylus NX415, Stylus NX510, Stylus NX515, Stylus CX5000, Stylus CX6000, Stylus CX7000F, Stylus CX7400, Stylus CX7450, Stylus CX8400, Stylus CX9400, Stylus CX9475, Stylus NX510, Stylus NX515, WorkForce 310, WorkForce 315, WorkForce 500, WorkForce 600, WorkForce 610, WorkForce 615, Stylus N11, WorkForce 1100, WorkForce 30, WorkForce 40, WorkForce 310, WorkForce 315, WorkForce 500, WorkForce 600 , WorkForce 610, WorkForce 615, Stylus C120, WorkForce 1100, WorkForce 60, WorkForce 320, WorkForce 323, WorkForce 325, WorkForce 520, WorkForce 435, WorkForce 520, WorkForce 545, WorkForce 630, WorkForce 633, WorkForce 635, WorkForce 645, WorkForce 840, WorkForce 845, WorkForce WF-3520, WorkForce WF-3540, WorkForce WF-7510, WorkForce WF-7520, WorkForce WF-7010, Stylus NX125, Stylus NX127, Stylus NX130, Stylus NX230, Stylus NX330, Stylus NX430, Stylus NX420, Stylus NX530, Stylus NX625

See larger image

Cleaning Kit for Epson Desktop Printers (Electronics)

List Price:	$29.95 USD
New From:	$29.95 USD In Stock
Used from:	Out of Stock

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The Proof of Piezography

October 2, 2016, 10:36 am

≫ Next: QuadtoneRIP Ink Seperation & Calibration Mode

≪ Previous: How to perfectly repair an Epson 4900, 7900, 9900 printer

It can be helpful to have a reference image to print and check your Piezography system, or compare to other systems.

This “Proof of Piezography” image consists of a fine line section to check detail, as well as sections to see separation in the extreme shadow and highlight transitions, and a 21 step strip to check linearization. Download the full size printable image file: here.

Print this image with a maintained and linear Piezography system, then compare to other printing workflows, such as the Epson driver, to see how Piezography can achieve far better results with linear output and separation in highlights and shadows, as well extra fine detail.

The post The Proof of Piezography appeared first on InkjetMall & Piezography Blog.

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QuadtoneRIP Ink Seperation & Calibration Mode

October 2, 2016, 10:49 am

≫ Next: Piezography Pro pre-release news

≪ Previous: The Proof of Piezography

This is a small taste of what is covered in the Piezography Community Edition, available for free right here.

Often one needs to print densities from 0 percent of ink to 100 percent of ink from each individual channel of one’s printer to diagnose possible hardware or ink issues. This page describes how to do just that. The QTR Print Tool is necessary when printing from Mac 10.6.8 or higher, for accurate output (other printing applications have screwed up color management that will produce poor Piezography output).

2017 UPDATE: We have created a new custom ink seperation file that you can download and print right here: Download

Print Inkseparation Image Using QTR Calibration Mode:

Printing the inkseparation image thru QTR’s Calibration Mode will print strips of pure ink from each channel. This is an easy way to check ink shade/color placement and density.

The inkseparation files can be found in the following locations:

MAC: Applications> QuadToneRIP> CurveDesign> Images folder.

Windows: C:/ Program Files/ QuadTone RIP/ bin

NOTE: There are different inkeparation images depending on the printer model you’re using. “6” for 6-color printers, “inkseparation” for 7-color printers, “8” for 8-color printers, and “10” for 10-color printers. Be sure to select the correct image for the printer model you’re using.

WINDOWS:

1) Open the QuadTone RIP program, select your printer and paper size

2) Select Tools> Options> Calibration Mode, which will open the inkseparation image file.

3) Ink Limit: 100% and Resolution either 1440 or 2880dpi then print

MAC:

1) Open the “inkseparation” file in QTR Print Tool

2) Select “NO Color Management” in the Print Tool window

3) Select your K7 printer model, and paper size, then push print

4) In the QuadTone RIP window- select Calibration Mode, Ink Limit: 100% and Resolution either 1440 or 2880dpi

The Piezography K7 Ink Separation-8 printout from an 8-color K3 model printer should look like this, note the obvious density differences between each ink shade:

The post QuadtoneRIP Ink Seperation & Calibration Mode appeared first on InkjetMall & Piezography Blog.

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Piezography Pro pre-release news

October 4, 2016, 9:24 am

≫ Next: Piezography Pro second batch inks update!

≪ Previous: QuadtoneRIP Ink Seperation & Calibration Mode

There has never been a photographic printing process like this before.

At Cone Editions Press and InkjetMall we are deeply committed to the artistic process and over the years, Lewis Hine’s life, work, seminal photograph Power house mechanic working on steam pump, 1920 has captivated our attention. It’s personal for us. We’ve used the photograph internally as a validation and R&D image and we developed this ink set as almost an homage to his work and other great photographers both past and present. His trailblazing lives on through the work of the great artists who continue to print their images at the highest quality possible no matter what.

So, imagine if Lewis Hine printing 95 years ago had access to a monochromatic system that made prints with higher fidelity than silver, as luminous as platinum, with longevity to pass the test of time, and could be produced in a million different tones or split tones. How might his artistic vision have been transformed? How might his experience in the darkroom have been transformed by such a system? How might the history of photography been transformed by such a system? Now imagine transforming your own images this way. Imagine transforming your own experience this way.

At Cone Editions Press, we get to print with custom Piezography systems. We make batches of oddly suitable inks for photographer’s projects which need them. We get down with custom software when it moves us. We invented Piezography this way and we’ve reinvented it this way time and time again. We eat, breath, and often do not sleep because of Piezography.

So, rather than reinvent a new system for our exclusive use, we reimagined and reinvented a new Piezography for you. There has never been a Piezography like this one.

Piezography Pro Cool and Warm Ink Sets

Welcome to the control center for Piezography Pro inks

This is where you endlessly blend or split-tone the cool and warm ink sets together with precision control in the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights. You have one million possible combinations that you can adjust using two or three sets of sliders. Finding your own expression is probably going to be very unique to you.

On the left is the QuadTone RIP interface for using Piezography Pro ink sets. Split-Tone is checked so that the sliders operate independently in shadows, midtones, and highlights. In this example, there are neutral, warm, and cool curves for Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper.

The neutral curve gives you a starting point for creating neutral from the two ink sets. You can use it on its own and produce a neutral on a supported media paper, or combine it with the cool / warm curves to produce what you see or what you measure as neutral. Using the neutral curve along with the cool / warm curves makes the system subtle. Using only the cool / warm curves to do stronger split-toning. Uncheck the Split-Tone option to blend the inks evenly across the entire tonal range.

We’re setting the bar higher (again)

We innovated a new type of ink glossiness that is unprecedented in the industry without giving up our superior matte paper printing.
With one-pass printing, your gloss will have absolutely no bronzing nor gloss differential. A gloss print now takes no longer than when making a matte print.
We innovated a blacker carbon photo black.
You’ll print blacker gloss blacks than you can with any other OEM or 3rd party system.
We innovated a new ‘curves’ architecture to be used in combination with the QuadTone RIP printer driver from Roy Harrington. Piezography Pro prints can stand side-by-side with a traditional Piezography K7 prints.
We packaged the Piezography profiling algorithms into an optional software called Piezography Professional Edition that you can license annually to perform your own linearizations with Piezography Pro inks or traditional Piezography K7/K6 inks.

New! Piezography Professional Edition software for Piezography Pro and K7/K6 inks.

Use Piezography Professional Edition software to re-profile your environment when something changes, or re-profile a particular batch of paper, or create a profile for a new paper that you find interesting.
Use curve tuning with our software to match your imagination, or to match your display, or to include a creative Photoshop curve intent inside of a QuadTone RIP curve.
Piezography Professional Edition offers endless possibilities for creative expression when paired with Piezography Pro inks.
Create your own autographic system.
Use Piezography Professional Edition with existing K7 and K6 curves to superlatize your output or create profiles for new media.

Welcome to a Community

Download and read our new Piezography Manual that shows you how to use these new tools. We built a private support forum for Piezography Professional Edition software Pro, K7, K6, and P2 users. Piezography Professional Edition is extensible. Your support (annual licensing fee) will keep our development front and center and allow us to continually provide you with masterful and knowledgeable product support, new master curves, and upgraded toolsets.

We are also offering a free Community Edition of published curve sets for those who prefer not to try their hand in the mystical nature of curve calibration, or who do not own or prefer not to invest in a spectrophotometer. But, we also include tools that allow you to use your eye or a scanner to make these linearizations. You do not need to buy Piezography Professional Edition software to use the new Piezography Pro inks.

The upcoming Piezography Pro Ink Pre-Sale

Our plan is to have a pre-sale on Oct 18 to offer Piezography Pro ink sales to our current customers. The pre-sale will be a special offer and will be an unpublished URL. We will deliver these pre-sale systems beginning on Nov 17 first-come-first-served. On Nov 17, we will begin taking orders from new customers with delivery either in November or in January if our pre-sale consumes the first batch of Piezography Pro ink.

The new ink is the heart and soul of Piezography Pro. It is the first ink that we have both spec’d and then batch formulated in our Vermont ink sampling lab. And we’re going to try and keep producing it that way. Small batches will allow us to more readily develop new ink designs in the future. Piezography Pro is 100% Made in Vermont small batch goodness!

Piezography Pro is being released for the Epson R2880, R3000, 3800, 3880, 4800, 4880, 4900, 7800, 7880, 7890, 7900, 9800, 9880, 9890, and 9900 printers as well as limited support for the 11880. The Epson R1900 and R2000 will be added later in 2017. As we initially reported and according to Epson, the SureColor P-800 and larger printers are designed to “work only with Epson brand carts”. There are reports of refillable cartridge users being locked out of their printer after a P-800 refillable cartridge resets its chip for the first time. We will not be supporting these models until there is a better solution than is currently available.

TIP: We recommend sourcing a free Epson Pro 4900, 7900, or 9900 printer with one or two missing channels to run the dual/quad Piezography Pro. A single missing channel is very common with Epson inks. Piezography inks perform really well in Epson 4900, 7900 and 9900 printers. PiezoFlush can usually recover missing channels. Look locally for one that has not sat for more than a few months. Many people are more than happy to have someone come and cart it down stairs for free. We’ve obtained several printers this way, recovered them with PiezoFlush, and have recycled these donated printers by giving them to education institutions that now have fully functioning Piezography / Digital Negative systems. What better way to get into Piezography Pro than with a free printer.

Upgrade FAQs:

Can I use any of my existing Piezography K7 inks if I want to upgrade to Piezography Pro inks?
You can only use the Piezography K7 matte black. All the other positions are new and unrelated to K7.

Can I just rinse out my older carts and fill them with the new inks?
We recommend that you use new cartridges. You can rinse out your old cartridges to use with PiezoFlush or to keep around as emergency spares. But, this is a very precise system and we would encourage you to use new cartridges.

What if I do not own a spectrophotometer? Does Piezography Pro come with a full set of curves or will I have to buy Piezography Professional Editions software to make my own?
Piezography Pro comes with curve sets for many popular papers. Each curve set includes a warm, cool and neutral curve which can be blended using the shadow, mid-tone, and highlight controls. Many users will not need to create custom paper curves. And many users would not think of starting a printing session without doing so if they could!

Can I use the new Piezography Professional Editions software with existing Piezography K7 and K6 inks?
Yes, you can! The Piezography Professional Editions software is an independent product.

Will the new SureColor printers be supported?
There are two critical issues we are working on. First, we are not satisfied with the dithering that is available with these new printers when used with more than three blacks. This may be intentional by design. Second, the P800 and higher models have built-in circuitry for permanently disabling 3rd party cartridges after the first chip reset. We do not want to sell supplies that will lock our customers out of ever using their printers again with 3rd party inks. Once the circuit is activated it can not be reset.

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Piezography Pro second batch inks update!

March 23, 2017, 8:46 am

≫ Next: Cone Editions Press 2017 Digital Print Workshops

≪ Previous: Piezography Pro pre-release news

Look for Piezography Pro inks online at InkjetMall on Tuesday, March 28! We expect to be swamped with orders and will make every effort to ship as quickly as we can on a first-come-first-served basis. The service you select for shipping will be used as your order becomes available for shipping.

Piezography Pro is our first small batch ink set. Small batches let us tightly control the precise L*ab values from batch to batch for each of the 11 inks. This batch’s margin of +/- change in comparison to the first is barely measurable in both L* and *AB.

We craft these tightly-controlled inks for Cone Editions Press and for InkjetMall customers all over the world. The printhead performance of these inks is second to none (including the original K7 inks). Our small batch inks are like factory race engines – blueprinted, balanced, and at the highest possible spec.

Thinking of Upgrading to Piezography Pro?

The Piezography Pro dual-quad ink set for 9 ink printers includes photo and matte blacks, Gloss Chroma Optimizer, and dark, medium and light grays in both warm and cool tone.

The Piezography Pro dual-quint ink set for 11 ink printers includes photo and matte blacks, Gloss Chroma Optimizer, and dark, medium, light, and very light grays in both warm and cool tone.

The number one question I receive from customers is whether the Piezography Pro dual quad (2 x 4) and dual quint (2 x 5) ink sets can match the fidelity and acuity of Piezography K6 and K7 ink sets. The answer is yes and then some. Piezography Pro is not a K4 or a K5. It does not print with only 4 or 5 shades of black. Piezography Pro ink sets are K7 or K9 ink sets. Piezography Pro is a step up, not down.

Piezography Pro inks are comprised of two toning inks that are blended in software to produce over a million possible blends and split-tones.

The only time 4 or 5 shades of ink would be encountered is when printing pure cool tone or pure warm tone. Those are at the opposite ends of the toning possibility afforded by the dual ink sets. And yet we’ve designed a new QTR curves architecture that makes sure that these inks print smooth when using only 4 or 5 shades. Piezography Pro is printing almost always with 7 or 9 shades of ink. Below is typical of what is happening when the two ink sets are blended. It’s a lot of shades of inks with overlaps and complexity:

Piezography Pro is easily comparable to K6 & K7. The same highlight and shadow definition. The acuity is there. The tightness in control of these inks along with a new curves architecture makes this our best system ever!

The second most frequently asked question I get is whether you can reproduce your current K7 ink tone with Piezography Pro inks. First the two ink systems are quite different. With that said, Neutral K7 and Warm Neutral K7 become “new and improved” with the dual toning Piezography Pro inks. Further, the tone can be adjusted according to paper base. That is not something that is possible with K7. You get a better neutral that produces 1000s of different blended tones that are just off axis of neutral. You can dial in a neutral to satisfy your “sense” of neutral. Likewise, you can hit the Warm Neutral sweet spot or adjust it to better fit your sensibilities. But, Pro inks are not replacements for K7. It is a whole new paradigm.

Using Piezography Pro dual toning inks to replicate Special Edition K7 has a lot of advantages. Your version of Special Edition can be precisely tuned to your liking by triple split-toning the quad or quint ink sets. If there are things you love about Special Edition and things you wish you could change, Pro gives you that flexibility. For example, Special Edition K7 prints so much warmer on glossy media because of the amount of warm carbon in the dark shades and the inks reaction to a gloss coating is to sit on it rather than in it. You can even adjust your split tones with Pro inks to compensate for each paper.

The two K7 ink sets which we can’t quite replicate are Selenium K7 and Carbon K7. Piezography Pro inks can get close but not exact. Pro can go cold like Selenium and warm like Carbon, but it does so in a different way than the K7 ink sets.

The benefits of upgrading are full of possibilities!

There are actually one million possible different tone combinations you can set with the dual tone quad or quint ink sets just prior to printing. And yes you can save these settings! So, the potential for unlimited expression is unleashed. We can equalize tone density whether on matte paper of glossy paper. In the image above the top two rows are Pro matte prints and the two bottom rows are Pro glossy prints. The contrast is equalized. Having the industry’s darkest matte black (Ultra HD) helps accomplish this but so does our proprietary PPE toolset.

We put the tools in your hand!

Although we provide a slew of media profiles you now have the option of linearizing your own. With the optional Piezography Professional Edition (PPE) tools you can master your own domain. For some it will be the occasional check on linearity, and for others the PPE tools can actually be a creative center in defining the output characteristics of Piezography Pro inks. That’s a choice you can make in regards to how much you like to fiddle with things. PPE supports the i1, ColorMunki and Spyder tools. It now includes the new Blender Tool (Thanks for your support Early Adopters!).

Single pass gloss printing is what most the early adopters are telling me is their single most favorite feature. K7 requires two passes through the printer. Piezography PRO prints the GCO (gloss chroma optimizer) at the same time as the inks and the results are superior to K7 glossiness and at a level way above anything Epson, Canon or HP have to offer. Below is a side by side comparison between Epson ABW on the Epson SureColor P-800 and Piezography Pro on an Epson 3880. Which would you prefer?

Piezography Pro is the one on the right (without all the bronzing).

dMax! Maximum darkness has been super tweaked in this ink set. The matte black is formulated from a new generation of carbon designed to absorb most of the light reaching it. Ours is the darkest matte black ink on Earth. You will see a huge jump from your K7 system (although with PPE tools you can upgrade K7 to the new Ultra HD

Matte Black ink). Piezography Pro can literally produce a matte print that can stand up to a glossy print in terms of impact! The new HD-Photo Black is glossier and denser than our K7 photo black.

In case you are curious what the new black ink looks like in comparison to our existing Piezography K7 Shade 1 matte black – the photo above was taken in our studio today for comparison. The dMax increases from 1.64 to 1.81 on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. Hahnemuhle Bamboo produces 1.83. That is an L* value under 13 for MATTE PAPER!!

Look for Piezography Pro online at InkjetMall on Tuesday, March 28!

Introducing Higher dMax!

Ultra HD Matte Black is the darkest matte black ink on Earth. Not Epson, not Canon, not HP, nor any 3rd party can touch it! It is proudly produced by Vermont PhotoInkjet and sold exclusively through InkjetMall and our new authorized sole European distributor Taos Photographic in Toulouse, France. There simply is nothing else like it being produced by anyone anywhere!

We measured the new Ultra HD and Epson SureColor HD matte black inks to compare them by printing and drying a single channel of ink using the same printer and the same standard settings in QTR Calibration mode. This way we compared apples to apples, or carbon to carbon. Ultra HD Matte Black produces a dMax of 1.82 on Epson Hot Press Bright White and Natural White paper. By comparison, Epson’s newest SureColor P-800 HD Matte Black produces a dMax of only 1.74 on the same papers. 1.74 is nothing to snicker about. It’s a huge upgrade to Epson’s previous matte black. But, Ultra HD is a huge upgrade to Epson’s latests MK. If you know your dMax – 1.82 is a WOW! The original Epson Matte Black and the original Piezography Matte Black can reach 1.64. Jumping from 1.64 to 1.82 or higher is visually startling.

We’re offering a print sample which you can purchase at InkjetMall for $35.00 where you can see this benefit in action! This sample print is a signed unlimited edition print by the artist, Walker Blackwell, using Piezography Pro to appear “neutral” on Hanhemuhle Photo Rag UltraSmooth. It is an excellent example of the acuity, smooth tone and the Ultra HD super dark matte black ink.

Ultra HD comes standard in the new Piezography Pro ink sets. If you do not want to upgrade to Piezography Pro from K7, you can upgrade your existing K7 ink set to Ultra HD Matte Black provided that you purchase the Piezography Professional Edition toolset and produce your own linearizations.

Piezography Pro HD Photo Black is also new. And it’s also very dark. It is the Photo Black that is used in the new Piezography Pro system. Regular Piezography K7 glossy prints using the HD PK option are improved. It’s visually apparent.

You can incorporate the new HD Photo Black into your current Piezography K7, and P2 printing by using Piezography Professional Edition Software to linearize your own choice of media using this new ink option. If you do not produce new linearizations, there will be a jump from the blacker dMax into the greyscale transition at the shadows. Producing a custom linearization will make the transition from blacker dMax more natural. We do not really recommend that you upgrade to this black without creating new linearizations (curves for QTR). You must use the original GO as a second pass with K7 and P2 Piezography systems.

Both of the new blacks are currently being sold.

You can find Ultra HD Matte Black here.
You can find High Density Photo Black here.

Piezography Professional Edition Software

Piezography Professional Edition tools is a new software product that we designed for Piezography Pro inks. It will also benefit current K7, K6 and P2 users. The software allows you to produce your own Piezography Pro, P2, K7 and K6 curve linearizations. You can use it with current K7, K6 and P2 systems to incorporate our new Piezography Pro HD Photo Black and Ultra HD Matte Black inks or to superlatize your current inks using our new Master Curves.

You can read more about Piezography Professional Edition Software as well as purchase it here. Piezography Professional Edition Software does a lot more than just profiling. It can also build-in aesthetic intents into your Piezography curves. That alone might be worth the price of admission! The cost is $150 for a years license to our online linearization tools. You can renew your license annually. And we hope that you will continue to support us supporting you that way. If the community grows as we expect it to, we will be able to lower our annual re-licensing fees. If you do not renew your license, you will not be able to access the online proprietary Piezography smoothing algorithms or access the Professional Edition Software community forum. But, you will still be able to keep and use the downloaded software tools to continue making your linearizations..

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Cone Editions Press 2017 Digital Print Workshops

March 28, 2017, 8:16 am

≫ Next: Piezography Pro inks are now online at InkjetMall

≪ Previous: Piezography Pro second batch inks update!

Cone Editions Press Digital Print Workshops is the longest running workshop program in the world. Cone Editions Press pioneered digital printmaking in 1984 and began offering workshops shortly after.

The program is designed by Cathy and Jon Cone, the founders of Cone Editions Press.

Cathy is the Creative Director at Cone Editions Press and leads the group critiques or can provide one-on-one guidance if you prefer.

Jon Cone is the Master Printer of Cone Editions. Together they have designed these workshops to offer you a fabulous experience.

There are dozens of workshops being offered by organizations all around the globe and Cone Editions Digital Print workshops are the only in which printing is not the secondary activity.

Cone Editions has taken printing, long considered to be the most difficult-to-master aspect of digital photography, and pushed it to the forefront of instruction. Quality is the primary purpose which leads to printing confidence. What could be better than seeing your work expressed so beautifully and learning workflow that will simplify your studio and unlock your print potential.

If the ultimate experience in printing is what you seek, Cone Editions Press Digital Print workshops are perfect for you. The courses are designed for photographers and artists of all levels. This means seasoned veterans working side-by-side with newbies without diminishing the experience for either. Jon and Cathy have so much to share with you, and you will learn tons from the entire staff at Cone Editions Press.

Meet Dana Hillesland. Dana is a super-experienced Epson printer expert. She has been involved in research and development of several Piezography products. She is the production printmaker at Cone Editions Press, and the person responsible for the printing of, curating of, and inspection of the work that is printed. Her eye for quality control is as legendary as her expertise in making sure that Epson printers don’t misbehave. You may recognize her as the one giving expert printer maintenance advice in our InkjetMall videos. Dana can dispel the complexity of printer maintenance as well as guide you through workflow and even train your eye towards improving the printed quality of your work.

Meet Walker Blackwell. Walker is one of the original Piezographers from way back when and has adopted nearly all of the Piezography systems (which are now in their 6th incarnation).

Walker has owned and operated his own printing studio, established and set up the highly regarded non-profit and open-access print studio Latitude Chicago. He formerly managed LightWork in Syracuse before moving back to Vermont where he now works at both Cone Editions Press and Vermont PhotoInkjet.

Walker is the lead developer behind the new Piezography Pro system. Lots of good things are happening under his influence including our Piezography Communities.

Walker and Dana are both excellent teachers, demonstrators, and make sure that everyone has a chance to do process in a one-on-one situation.

The classroom is in the actual printing studios of Cone Editions Press. Inside the main studio, we have a separate teaching studio where we offer NEC Spectraview and Eizo CG hardware calibrator displays to which you connect your laptops.

The other side of this teaching classroom features printers. It may be the most printer packed classroom in the World! It’s not only an R&D room. It is also the studio in which Jon Cone worked side-by-side with James Nachtwey for two years in the production of his last museum show. It is the smallest room at Cone Editions Press and it is reconfigured constantly. The main studio is more spacious and filled with tons of larger format printers. You’ll be able to see how Cone Editions Press handles professional level print production. If need be, we will take our printing into the main room.

We also make sure that you’ll eat well!

Spencer Cone is our resident chef. He cut his teeth in some of the best kitchens of NYC. Now back in Vermont, he has joined our family business and manages our ink line and production. Our defect rate is now literally nil. Spencer runs the production line like a high-profile kitchen.

We enlist Spencer to make our lunches with an eye to your dietary restrictions. We have a professional kitchen on property and he dishes out the deliciousness of locally sourced natural and organic ingredients.

For example….

And weather permitting, I’m known to serve up quite the Paella party on the deck behind InkjetMall. InkjetMall is located on the same property as Cone Editions Press and sponsors the workshops with a 20% discount on products purchased during the workshop (that can help offset workshop costs!) InkjetMall generously sponsors the Paella with the best ingredients. This is also a good evening to share work and stories.

The paella above is a Spring Paella with Spanish chorizo and artichokes, Florida Gulf Shrimp, and locally sourced Vermont organic chicken and fiddlehead ferns from a farm just around the bend… We do however depend upon our attendees to bring their favorite libations. (hint hint wink wink)

Where to stay?

There are three rooms available 5 minutes walk from us at the Back in Time Bed and Breakfast. Hosts Glenn and Burnice Dow serve up a wicked good breakfast there. Then stroll up the road to our studio. Book early with Back in Time if you want to be in our village.

Otherwise there are plenty of Air BnB in the area as well as a hotel within a 30 minute drive. 45 minutes if you wish to stay in Hanover, NH where Dartmouth College is located. We actually have quite a few campers who take our workshops and there are campgrounds all around us including in Groton State Forest and in the next town over at East Corinth, VT. You can download the information pdfs from the Learn More link on any of our workshops to get an idea of places to stay.

And if you’re curious where we are in Vermont – our house is on the cover of a Milton Bradley puzzle. Our Studio was not yet built. We had just moved here from New York City! I put a red arrow on the picture to show you where we are. The Back in Time in is next to the Church with the spire in the middle of the photograph. When you come to East Topsham Village you will notice that our village has not changed a bit! from this picture.

The airports near us are Burlington, VT (BTV) at 1 hour 15 minutes; Manchester Airport (MHT) at 2 hours 15 minutes; Boston International (BOS) at 3 hours. The Dartmouth Coach are busses that travel between the Yale Club in Mid-Town Manhattan and Dartmouth University in Hanover, NH. It is another option. There is even a train to White River Junction, VT.

Restaurants abound here in Vermont. We have more micro-breweries per capita than any other State. We are also home to countless artisan cheese-makers including several nearby. All of this information is in the Learn More section in any of our online courses.

For more information about our workshops that is not covered by our website please call Cathy Cone at (802) 439-5751 ext 101.

Here is our 2007 Schedule:

Piezography Pro featured in The New Piezography workshop at Cone Editions Press

We will be featuring the new Piezography Pro system along side with Piezography P2 printing systems during The New Piezography workshops at Cone Editions Press this Summer. We’ve also extended our workshops from 3 days to 4 days and from 6 attendees to 8 attendees. Still a small workshop with lots of attention, instruction, and tons of time for making prints! The cost for a workshop is $1,500. $450 is collected as a deposit when you sign up. The balance is due 30 days prior.

The New Piezography Workshop is as it sounds…about what is new and what is the latest. This workshop takes place where Piezography is developed. You may see things no one else has and get access to things prior to release. The amount of knowledge and experience you will gain is huge!

Piezography Pro is an all new ink system of 8 or 10 shades of ink comprised of dual quad or dual quint ink systems that can be endlessly blended in software to produce a million tonal possibilities. There are 100 possible selections ranging from very warm to very cool. There are literally 1000s of off-axis Neutral. There is Neutral (of course). And there rare countless triple split toning combinations. This is the most expressive system we have ever launched!

Piezography Pro features single pass glossy printing. Industry leading dMax you really need to see in order to believe. And Piezography Pro has an optional Linearization toolset. Some of the workshop time will be in learning to use the toolset to produce media profiles, adjust media profiles, create new ink blends. Some of the workshop time will be in making prints that use those results. The idea is to merge creativity with technical learning.

But, it is also an opportunity to refresh your skills and learn if an upgrade to Pro is in your future. Or you can use the workshop to learn if Piezography is in your future and what flavor is your favorite. It is also an opportunity to learn about installing and maintaining these systems. It’s also an opportunity to get guidance on your Photoshop and Lightroom skills. And it’s an opportunity to make some dynamite prints of your images! Wait till you see how dark the new blacks are!

PiezoDN Digital Negative Workshop

We’re offering several PiezoDN Digital Negative Workshops at Cone Editions Press. The cost for a workshop is $1,500. $450 is collected as a deposit when you sign up. The balance is due 30 days prior.

PiezoDN is our new digital negative system. It does to digital negatives what Piezography does to black & white inkjet printing. It greatly expands the possibilities and standards in your work. It was originally designed to rid the defects that are present in negatives made with color inks. But – it became so much more when we created an easy to calibrate software system. That software is only $75. We call it PiezoDN.

In case you are curious, we recently gave a PiezoDN Platinum Palladium workshop in Shanghai, China. On the right above is Hon Lam Wu who represents Hahnemuhle in China. On the left is Harris Choy who is our exclusive China/Hong Kong representative for Piezography products. The gentleman with the excellent brush technique is head of an important Chinese photographers association and is coating his first ever platinum print on Hahnemuhle Platinum Rag paper.

PiezoDN adapts to any alternative process. But, Platinum and Palladium printing is the only non-toxic process that we can demonstrate at Cone Editions Press. That probably sounds wrong. It’s not. Silver printing is harmful to the earth and can be harmful to you internally. Platinum and Palladium are noble metals and safe for using with country plumbing because no dastardly chemicals are required. We can work in dim light rather than in the dark. Totally enjoyable way to learn the PiezoDN digital negative system. What you learn you can bring back to your darkroom for silver, cyanotype, carbon, salt print, whatever….

The darkroom at Cone Editions Press features a 14 foot walk around stainless steel sink. We have two exposing units (one for backup). And you will be making actual platinum/palladium prints from your digital images. By the 3rd or 4th day you will be working on your own! It’s a wonderful opportunity.

I’ve fallen in love with the medium and believe PiezoDN Pt/Pd prints to be amongst the highest expression of Piezography.

Above is one of my palladium prints shot locally at Bedell State Park in a flood plains forest. An antique lens adapted to a Sony A7R works perfect with the medium! But, it’s an example of how well our PiezoDN negative works. It takes any and all guess work out. It runs on printers from the Epson 1430 (sub $300) all the way to the Epson 9900! We can show you how to make prints that are typical to the medium or to expand the contrast range (an option with our software).

The heartbeat of the system is a linearization method in which you measure the contact print. No other digital negative system produces this quality and this simplicity. Using an i1, ColorMunki, or Spyder and entering the data into PiezoDN software produces the output “curve” for QTR and a Piezography ink set to print a perfect negative! We will teach you directly in a one-on-one situation. You will be operating the measuring device and using the software. First we’ll demo it. Then you’ll do it. And you can watch while others take their turn. By the time you leave, this part of the process should be as easy as coating paper (yes it’s really not that complicated!)

You’ll learn about the chemistry and how it is mixed; and how the complication of it is replaced with a more simplified version for PiezoDN. You will learn how to brush coat or rod coat Hahnemuhle Platinum Rag paper. You will learn how to prep your images for digital negative. You will learn how to install and use Piezography inks sets and software. You will learn how to print on Pictorico Ultra Premium film using the Piezography ink system. You will learn how to expose the film onto the coated paper, process, wash and dry. You will also learn how to calibrate the system so that what you see is what you get! The PiezoDN system is the highest quality digital negative system available, but it is also the simplest. This is why we can teach both Pt/Pd printing at the same time as Digital Negative and Piezography printing. The reason we teach Piezography printing is because PiezoDN compatible ink sets can also make Piezography prints and the workflow is the same!

One of the benefits of taking a workshop at Cone Editions Press is that InkjetMall sponsors them and offers a 20% discount on materials purchased during the workshop including alternative process supplies like Platinum and Palladium powders and solutions, Piezography inks and software, refillable cartridges, PiezoFlush systems, Pictorico Film, Hahnemuhle and other papers for hand coating, brushes, and other materials.

Jon Cone’s Piezography SantaFe Workshop

The workshop I lead in Santa Fe, New Mexico is called Piezography Reimagined. And this is the year in which Piezography has been totally reimagined from K7 into Piezography Pro and from the Piezography Digital Negative to the PiezoDN system. Last year in Santa Fe we were printing almost exclusively with Piezography 2. This year’s workshop promises to be worth repeating if you’ve taken this workshop with me before.

There is no shortage of Piezography printers at the Santa Fe studio of Don Messec where I teach the Piezography workshop with Don and Michael Trupiano.

This year we will install at least one Piezography Pro printer, possibly two, and I will bring the Piezography Professional Edition tools software to teach with. It’s an exciting time with so much development in place and all new ink sets. This workshop is 5 days long and room for 12 attendees.

We often try and do a half-day of shooting at a nearby canyon. Michael is not only an extraordinary photographer, printmaker and teacher, but he also seems to know the best canyons at the right time of day. It’s not a guarantee we’ll take a field trip – but it seems like we usually do. If we don’t, you can! Santa Fe is a great place to arrive a little early or stay a little later.

And there is no shortage of chile if you are into Santa Fe chile. I obviously am or I would not have mentioned it. And yes – I make a Santa Fe green chile paella on the Wed or Thur nite to which you can bring your traveling partners.

Don contributes his famous Santa Fe chipotle salmon which we lay on top. If that salmon appears small it is only because the paella pan is soooo large!

Michael Trupiano contributes his amazing chef skills to the Paella! He and I are brothers in spatulas and knives! Fresh peas go on before the shrimp! The local chorizo makes such a flavor impact. Kind of like how our new Ultra HD Matte Black impacts the Piezography Pro system.

And you all get to eat it, although everyone seems to take pictures of it first! Please remember that the chefs work up a terrible thirst and all manner of libations are appreciated. We try to set it out in a ritual carrying from the studio where its cooked to Don’s patio where its eaten and without dropping it. We haven’t yet! You are welcome to watch us make the paella in the classroom. It’s actually part of the curriculum.

With 12 attendees and lots of partners on hand, this party is always fun!

But, food is not the focus! Piezography is. This is a workshop in which tons of printing takes place. So much in fact, that I often find it hard to pull people off printing and onto a demo. The goal of this years workshop is to slow it down a bit and to get into what Piezography Pro offers. It’s a much more contemplative medium now. With a million potential toning combinations I will be showing you some of my favorite Piezography Pro settings. You will be discovering some of your own, and seeing those of your fellow workshop attendees. We will try and do a Platinum Print PiezoDN digital negative demo so you can see that if Alternative Process interests you.

There is always a critique on our last day. It really surprises me how many prints get made during this workshop.

If you are interested, you need to coordinate with Don or you need to reserve online at Making Art Safely before it sells out! You can find that here. This workshop is run by Don Messec. Of course, I look forward to meeting you and sharing all things Piezography with you. But, if it sells out I can’t get you in. Oh yes….Bring lots of images to print!

Now back to food…if you like chile – some of the best red chile in the Southwest is in Santa Fe! Here’s a picture of my typical red chile breakfast burritos swimming in chile. Don prefers his with extra chile; just wanting to see the peaks of the potatoes above the red tide!

I also know a great place for breakfast tacos. I think they actually kill the chickens there. It’s really fresh. The sauce is killer hot! They make and fry the corn tortillas just before they fill it with chicken, avocado and lettuce. These can make you cry for all sorts of reasons.

Also, if you are into Green Chile Cheeseburgers…I know (and these are fighting words) absolutely who makes the best in New Mexico and probably on Earth. They take the Hatch green chiles and fry them whole. You can order extra ones. They put a small green salad next to the hand cut fries so as to make you think you’re eating healthy. This dive bar is on my agenda if anyone is into it! David Michael Kennedy introduced me to it. Actually, David is selling collectors prints (palladium prints) from his gallery in El Rito, New Mexico a short 85 minutes drive from the workshop. It’s a great opportunity to add a photograph or two to your collection. Look him up and tell him Jon sent you!

And just so you know I won’t keel over during the workshop from food over-indulgence, I always rent a carbon race bike in Santa Fe for early morning before class road bike rides of about 15-18 miles. If you want to connect on that with me let me know and we can coordinate. The altitude is over 7,000 feet and if you are not used to that (which I never am), it’s really tough but worth it. If you can do 20 miles near sea level, 10 miles is a trick a mile high. By the end of the week you’re altitude fit and you will be surprised how strong you ride when you return back to below 2,000 feet. Unfortunately, it wears off in just a few days.

So, where’s the ink in all this food and where is the paper??? Tons of it – piles of it. This is a workshop to try them all out and find your favorite ink/paper combination in the spirit of the generosity of the great Southwest! I just happen to be acclimated to New England, so Santa Fe is a big deal for me! Big huge skies, lots of friends out there, a totally cool studio atmosphere, and Southwestern food. Did I mention how much I like Santa Fe? See you there!

This workshop is June 12-16, 2017 and it costs $1,232.30 and requires a $300 deposit. You can register directly on Don Messec’s website by clicking here.

Private Platinum/Palladium PiezoDN workshops!

Workshops sound wonderful but not convenient to your schedule?

Come spend an entire day in a private workshop at Cone Editions Press. This can be a learning experience or you can treat it as a print day where we do all the work for you or with you. The idea is to maximize your output or maximize your learning experience. We can have paper coated and ready for you. We will print negatives when you arrive, and already be making Pt/Pd prints in the morning. We will coat paper again before lunch (or you can!) and then a second round of prints. When you leave we will wash and dry everything and send to you. The idea is to print as much as you can! The cost of having platinum prints is expensive. So this workshop is a bargain!

These are private one on one. Our whole studio is dedicated to you and your work during this time. Days are specific and limited. But, if you want something like this on another date – please call the Workshops Director, Cathy Cone at (802) 439-5751.

We have one on one workshops all the time in Piezography, Color Printing, and Pt/Pd. We often have photographers here for several days producing museum exhibitions and portfolios! We even have private technical workshops for University technical admins with the entire day devoted to printer maintenance. You name it, describe it, request it…and we can accommodate it.

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Piezography Pro inks are now online at InkjetMall

March 29, 2017, 8:06 am

≫ Next: Direct To Plate Photopolymer Photogravure

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Piezography Pro inks are now online at InkjetMall

The Piezography Pro dual-quad ink set for 9 ink printers includes photo and matte blacks, Gloss Chroma Optimizer, and dark, medium and light grays in both warm and cool tone.

The Piezography Pro dual-quint ink set for 11 ink printers includes photo and matte blacks, Gloss Chroma Optimizer, and dark, medium, light, and very light grays in both warm and cool tone.

You can learn all about Piezography ink at piezography.com.

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Direct To Plate Photopolymer Photogravure

September 5, 2018, 1:11 pm

≪ Previous: Piezography Pro inks are now online at InkjetMall

This photo narrative is about Cone Editions Press’ Direct-to-Plate Photopolymer-Photogravure process. It is both a re-invention of solar plate intaglio and a re-invention of aquatint photogravure. If you’re interested in having Cone Editions produce photopolymer photogravure plates for you – you can view this page. If you want to buy unexposed solar plates from InkjetMall – your can buy them here. Otherwise, click the image below and enjoy the read . . .

Pieter Hugo photogravuew being pulled at Cone Editions Press — Click the image to read the article.

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