Hey guys, I just bought an Epson Workforce 1100 large format printer. I printer my first film positive but it didn’t come out as dark as I would have hoped. I would like to know how to get the best prints from this printer. (high quality and opacity with fine details) I use vector images from Photoshop but I do not have a rip program and wanted to know if that would help. Thanks for any help
Questions about the Epson Workforce 1100
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You dont "need" a rip to make films dark enough to make some screen. It should output dark enough to work for most jobs.
I use an epson r1800, so im not familiar specifically with your printer but I also print films with two othe repson printers.
What paper did you select? select transparency if its there but if not use like premium photo glossy or what ever they call it.
What resolution? Select the best possible. like photo quality or something like that.
I use corel, but make sure the black youre trying to print is indeed a dark black. Try and find the Pantone color swatch so you can print using like Pantone Solid Black.
So as to not waste films, try doing your test prints as a small square or circle. after you hit print and it finished printing ....hold it up to a light ( i just hold it in the ar and look thru the lights on the ceiling- no need to get right up next to a bulb) if its not dark enough then go back to the software. Move the test box over and reprint on that same transparency. that way you wont waste that many doing your tests. a 2"x2" square is fine.
Not sure if this will help, but its a starting to point to help narrow down whats up.
I use an epson r1800, so im not familiar specifically with your printer but I also print films with two othe repson printers.
What paper did you select? select transparency if its there but if not use like premium photo glossy or what ever they call it.
What resolution? Select the best possible. like photo quality or something like that.
I use corel, but make sure the black youre trying to print is indeed a dark black. Try and find the Pantone color swatch so you can print using like Pantone Solid Black.
So as to not waste films, try doing your test prints as a small square or circle. after you hit print and it finished printing ....hold it up to a light ( i just hold it in the ar and look thru the lights on the ceiling- no need to get right up next to a bulb) if its not dark enough then go back to the software. Move the test box over and reprint on that same transparency. that way you wont waste that many doing your tests. a 2"x2" square is fine.
Not sure if this will help, but its a starting to point to help narrow down whats up.
Thank you for your input. I did have those setting selected when I printed, but I’m concerned because it is more translucent than I would hope they would be and that of course worries me. When you look at your transparencies under light how do they look?
Also, when looking online about RIP programs I found this info talking about large format printers and what RIP does for them.
“A printer engine can understand and use raster information only. Bit mapped data - a dot by dot representation of a page is called bit mapped data or Raster Image. However all the high end especially graphics printers uses a Process called POSTSCRIPT, which instead of bit mapped data contains information in Vector format i.e. information in coordinates.
Therefore to print graphics data or image we would require a Vector to Raster converter. This conversion software or hardware or combination is called RIP or Raster Image Processor.
In MS Windows a postscript image or file can be printed without a RIP also but in that case it would take the screen display image for printing and not the actual image.
In your system without a RIP whatever quality image you are getting 100DPI or 600 DPI – it’s getting printed from the Monitor display image of 75 DPI only.”
Kind of Long I know, sorry. However, this lead me to believe that the print quality is there for far less than it should be and would be if one were using a RIP. Am I mistaken?
Also, when looking online about RIP programs I found this info talking about large format printers and what RIP does for them.
“A printer engine can understand and use raster information only. Bit mapped data - a dot by dot representation of a page is called bit mapped data or Raster Image. However all the high end especially graphics printers uses a Process called POSTSCRIPT, which instead of bit mapped data contains information in Vector format i.e. information in coordinates.
Therefore to print graphics data or image we would require a Vector to Raster converter. This conversion software or hardware or combination is called RIP or Raster Image Processor.
In MS Windows a postscript image or file can be printed without a RIP also but in that case it would take the screen display image for printing and not the actual image.
In your system without a RIP whatever quality image you are getting 100DPI or 600 DPI – it’s getting printed from the Monitor display image of 75 DPI only.”
Kind of Long I know, sorry. However, this lead me to believe that the print quality is there for far less than it should be and would be if one were using a RIP. Am I mistaken?
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How dark your transparency is also has to do with your exposure unit. When comparing my transparencies and my exposure unit to my friend (who also has a shop) I noticed he can get away with films that arent as black because his exposure unit doesnt has an intense lighting. He can get away with films that when used on my exposure unit it allows too much light to pass THRU the black ink and never really washes all the way out.
The reason why I tell you that story is because depending on the light you use, you may be printing dark enough as is. The prints i get from my years old epson 880 work fine on my exposure unit and def work good enough no his. The prints i get my my new epson cx9400 fax-scan-copy work fine on both our exposure units. The prints i get on my r1800 are great. In all my printers i use NON-OEM inks i get off ebay and its perfectly fine for me.
When i select a printer i can pick the "r1800" o ri can pick the "rip r1800". When i use the r1800 and the RIP's print driver it does print darker, but it also prints dark enough as just the r1800 with out using the rip.
So im using 3 different epson printers and all three print perfectly fine for two different exposure units. Your printer shoudl be printing dark enough.
One thing I noticed in my years is thata quality film is worth the money. What transparencies are you using? They are for the ink jet printers right? Where did you get them?
The reason why I tell you that story is because depending on the light you use, you may be printing dark enough as is. The prints i get from my years old epson 880 work fine on my exposure unit and def work good enough no his. The prints i get my my new epson cx9400 fax-scan-copy work fine on both our exposure units. The prints i get on my r1800 are great. In all my printers i use NON-OEM inks i get off ebay and its perfectly fine for me.
When i select a printer i can pick the "r1800" o ri can pick the "rip r1800". When i use the r1800 and the RIP's print driver it does print darker, but it also prints dark enough as just the r1800 with out using the rip.
So im using 3 different epson printers and all three print perfectly fine for two different exposure units. Your printer shoudl be printing dark enough.
One thing I noticed in my years is thata quality film is worth the money. What transparencies are you using? They are for the ink jet printers right? Where did you get them?
I don’t have the name of it right now but yes I put the money in for the good stuff. I get it from a local place called McBees.
You said you use aftermarket ink, have you ever used anything like this?
Amazon.com: Free Shipping, Bulk Black Anti-UV dye refill ink for Epson Workforce 30 310 315…
You said you use aftermarket ink, have you ever used anything like this?
Amazon.com: Free Shipping, Bulk Black Anti-UV dye refill ink for Epson Workforce 30 310 315…
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no clue on that stuff. I use this stuff from ebay and its worked for a few years and hasnt clogged my epsons. I use the CIS on the 1800 and the other two just get whatever else i find on ebay.
if i had that printer i would buy this.
ebay item 260618565946
this is the exact item i bought for my r1800 and for my friends r1800. he used to go to Staples and get films printed until he got this. It saved him money cause instead of paying his guy to go to Staples and paying them to pirnt films, he does it.
ebay 260481105711
if i had that printer i would buy this.
ebay item 260618565946
this is the exact item i bought for my r1800 and for my friends r1800. he used to go to Staples and get films printed until he got this. It saved him money cause instead of paying his guy to go to Staples and paying them to pirnt films, he does it.
ebay 260481105711
G
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·I just bought the 1100 as well. I printed my films and the back of the positves came out milky. The front was very opaque. My epson 1400 does not do this. I assume its bc the 1100 uses pigment it and the 1400 uses dye. I use the waterproof film from ryonet and it suggest using dye based inks so I assume this is the reason. I burnt a screen with the milky film and it exposed fine but the design was not real detailed. Not sure if that'll matter anyway. When the pigment runs out I'll prob try to find an after market dye ink to go in the 1100.
You can email Richard through his site and he can give a price for his CIS directly if it isnt listed on his site here: .:: Cobra Ink Systems::. This is where the term CIS began
I havent installed the CIS, only the waste tank, but it doesnt seem like its too hard, just running those little lines so they dont bind and attaching them to the carts/tanks. Richard is really helpful too, if you need photos with the instructions he is willing to email you them.
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i have the 1100 myself and prints great but i can definitely see how your exposure unit can make a diffference...i personally built mine and use 500watt halogens with a 2m 15sec burn time and screens come out great.... even with gradients and halftones...once i finish up some work and ill take some screen shots and also transparency that ive printed and post later so you can reference...now the transparencies i use i bought at Lees in Missouri city around the corner from alpha/broder,...me assuming your from the houston area cause you mentioned mcbees..
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