Photoexpo Aztec seminar / P2000 printer

[chiendh@uci.edu]

1. I've posted a summary of the Aztec color mgmt. seminar to the 
scan@leben.com group in case anyone is interested in knowing what was 
talked about.  The following are just a few notes out of the length 
scan@leben.com post.

In brief, you must do real-world tests with test targets like the 
USAF 1954 resolution target and the Kodak ST-34 Linear Gray Scale 
Density Target to find out the real-world performance of your scanner -- 
you -can't- rely on the box ratings at all. 
In general, if you're not going for a drum scanner, expect 
Dmax/resolution to be lower that rated by a long-shot -- you'll be 
surprised by how much the makers lie.
Film is the highest resolution storage format for image data, and not 
even a digital camera, PC, etc. can touch it. (so much for those digital 
camera buffs)  However, everything has it's nitch, so if you don't want 
high-res, you can pick something else.
Know what the scanners will give you and match that to the project 
you are working on.  If your project needs exact color matching and 
super-high-res-scans, don't expect a flatbed scanner to do the trick for 
you - just go straight to a drum scanner.  On the other hand, web work 
is fine off a cheap flatbed.
Something about S-gamma vs. monitor gamma and how some monitors can 
be set to S-gamma so you don't even need color. mgmt./ICM once 
everything's setup correctly.  Of course, what about us who don't have 
S-gamma monitors?  How do we see on-screen what the color is supposed to 
be for adjustments?  Expensive color spectrometers?  
Fly-by-eyedropper-only?  Ran into overtime and didn't cover that too 
well.
real-world specs of tested scanners re: dpi/resolution they actually 
achieve.

2. Epson P2000.  Looks like all the shops have got them (eg. Samy's 
Camera in Los Angeles), and we're all wondering why we can't get them 
ourselves....they be everywhere at Photoexpo booths.

Output to textured, semi-glossy paper from a P2000 wasn't all too 
suprising.  You can still see dots (in the yellow,brown areas - again, 
most 6-color inkjets fail to produce smooth gradiants in certain color 
ranges), and the output isn't that far off from an 870/1270, given that 
they're still running at 1440x720 and everything else about the 
mechanisms (besides the print head/dot size) is about the same as the 
other Epson printers.  
Print speeds are on par with the latest Epsons, so don't expect it to 
do huge PPM output speeds.

As for the output, if you'd never seen an epson 870/1270 glossy 
premium photo paper print, you'd be suprised and you're jaws would drop. 
But if you've seen an 870/1270 glossy print, the texture semi-glossy 
print simply IMO isn't as Wooing, and I really do prefer the glossy 
premium paper prints more -- they have that much more snap and depth to 
them vs. the flatter looking semi-gloss textured prints -- this may also 
have to do with the fact that they're using pigmented inks in the P2000 
vs. dye-based inks in the 870/1270 printers.  I didn't see any noticable 
horizontal dither lines, but again, this was on textured semi-gloss 
paper which hides defects better than smooth glossy.

Thus, based on preliminary prints from a demo P2000 printer (may be 
improved in production models), I'd say that it's on par with a 870/1270 
for most intents and purposes, and you can safely go ahead and buy the 
870/1270 if you don't want to wait or spend the extra $$$$ for the 
pigmented P2000 inks.  The difference in quality and visibility of dots 
is minor (you'd have to examine a print at 8" or closer for some time to 
see dots on either printer if you've never examined an inkjet print for 
dots before -- ie. most viewers of your prints), and this is more of a 
first-generation thing than anything else (ie. Epson's first pigemented 
inkjet printer; next generations will clearly optimize it far better).  
Naturally, since they're all based on the 1440x720dpi engine, there are 
no improvements in maximum achievable resolution of note -- the 870/1270 
can already render 1/2mm text crisply, and you really don't print with 
that level of crispness in large format prints.

Nevertheless, I'm eager to get my hands on a test print and do a good 
side-by-side comparison vs. the 870 Photodisc test target print I've 
already got.

david =)
The Dotty Spotty Printer Column
www.silverace.com/dottyspotty/


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