Epson p700/900- "Black Enhanced Overcoat" and "Carbon Black Driver"?

New quality options, here I try to show what the speed, gamut, and visual quality differences are with these two new settings in the Epson p700/900 printers.

[@photosadhu]

What a wonderful video! I am not a tech-guy but you did a great job with your presentation! Looking to get a P900 in the future so your work will be relevant for a very long time, Thanks! Mike

[@mediacontent8384]

Thanks Wayne, that's a LOT of effort. Appreciate it.

[@cwaynefox]

thanks

[@robertnystrom289]

Fabulous! Even if it does take away from golf...

[@cwaynefox]

lol. thx.

[@opti420sk]

Super technical and amazing! thanks for the insights

[@geoffstradling6709]

Great video Wayne. You talk about printing on 8 x 10 but would the benefits show more if printing on A2?

[@cwaynefox]

original tests were on 13x19 in my original video. There are probably some images where the high resolution might show a minor difference, but to quote a comment by Keith Cooper at Northlight Images, he thinks he might be able to see it using his USB microscope. I agree, it would take some extraordinary examination of typical continuous tone photographs to pick up a difference.

[@fredwestinghouse2945]

On Windows, Epson P700, use EPL (Epson print layout), choose Rear feeder and you can use Max Quality (Carbon Black). Choose Sheet and you can only go up to High Quality - no Carbon Black. So, do you know why Epson does not allow Carbon Black on Sheet?

[@Wairoakid]

Very helpful.

[@cwaynefox]

thanks

[@user-cd5xe7xs8e]

Hello, can you tell me if there is a service manual for repair of Epson SC P-900?

[@cwaynefox]

Probably, butting getting your hands on one could prove difficult.

[@peterrlee100]

Perhaps if you had made black and white prints it would have been better

[@robertjwilliams3532]

I gave a like. However I have no idea what is being talked about. Wish I could find information on printing my drawings that a B&W graphite. Seems every thing I read about the printers of today talk about color for photos for the most part.

[@fredwestinghouse2945]

Borderless printing is only allowed up to "High Quality" level, i.e. cannot do borderless on Max Quality and Max Quality (Carbon Black). Do you know why this is so?

[@chico11mbit]

Hmm. it reduces metamerism? I thought bronzing.

[@cwaynefox]

epson.com/faq/SPT_SCP7570SE~faq-0000c8a-scp7570_9570?faq_cat=faq-topFaqs to quote Epson from this page “ Black Enhanced Overcoat is a new print mode that can reduce metamerism on photo media. When Black Enhanced Overcoat is enabled, the product prints with darker tones of black by overcoating the black with gray.” I think the real purpose here is the second one ...prints with darker tones. I’m not sure metameric failure has been an issue for some time with inkjet printers - pretty rare. but as you can see, Epson says nothing about bronzing. Bronzing hasn’t been much of a problem with epson printers for a while either, pretty rare as well.

[@chico11mbit]

@@cwaynefox thx. I will try it with the P9570.

[@dummatube]

I AM a tech guy and sadly you are wrong. Pigment blacks reduce colour shifts to a slight magenta or green look depending on the viewing lighting spectrum so this is NOT an issue with any pigment printer. The extra gloss overcoat is purely to smooth out any gloss differential caused by the black pigments 'sitting on top' of gloss paper and looking slightly matte when viewed at an angle. Also the extra coating won't do anything to add extra detail!

[@cwaynefox]

Gloss differential is when the paper white with no ink appears to have a different sheen than areas with ink. the only way to get rid of that is apply a “Clear” ink where paper white is exposed. Adding more ink to the blacks will not change the sheen or gloss of these printed areas and cannot make them match the gloss of unprinted areas of white. but the purpose is directly related to metamerism. Here is the link to one of my sources ... epson.com/faq/SPT_SCP7570SE~faq-0000c8a-scp7570_9570?faq_cat=faq-topFaqs to quote Epson from this page “ Black Enhanced Overcoat is a new print mode that can reduce metamerism on photo media. When Black Enhanced Overcoat is enabled, the product prints with darker tones of black by overcoating the black with gray.” So it specifically designed to help with metamerism. Pigment ink printers are not immune to this problem, although I haven’t seen any issues for a long time. I assume there must be some unusual circumstances where it becomes problematic and epson is trying to address those. From my point of view with photographic continuous tone images, I haven’t seen it add anything and leave it off, since it uses more ink.

[@aaronperelmuter8433]

@@cwaynefox You should be careful who you choose to quote and printer manufacturers in general, Epson specifically, need to pay far more attention to exactly what it is they’re trying to say, the terminology they’re using to (attempt to) say something and above all else, it can be incredibly helpful, not to mention useful, too, is to make logically consistent statements that are based on evidence and/or fact and use the English language in a manner which isn’t just gibberish and ideally, it’d be great if it actually makes sense. Consider the quote you’ve provided, specifically the section “Black Enhanced Overcoat is a new print mode that can reduce metamerism on photo media.” What I believe the ‘apparently not so’ expert colour scientists at Epson were trying to say was that the new print mode can reduce METAMERIC FAILURE. I never attended RIT or any other prestigious institution to earn a Fine Art degree of some description, but I’m glad I always paid attention in both science and English classes as metameric failure is the concept that two different hues, when viewed under a particular source of light appear to match, yet when those same hues are viewed using a different source of light now appear to be noticeably dissimilar. A very common way to picture this is that the colours and relationships between those colours in a print look fine when viewed in midday sunlight yet that same print, when viewed under a fluorescent light source, now has ugly discolouration, as in areas which were previously neutral may now have a distinctly green or magenta tint. Again, this has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with metamerism, which is the the fact something is segmented or divided, such as an earthworm or a lobster. Their bodies are divided into successive metameres, it could even be said that these species exhibit aspects of metamerism but I very highly doubt that’s what anyone at Epson wanted to convey. Fair enough that you made the same mistake Wayne, you’re a photographer, not an English literature major, or even a colour scientist but when a company such as Epson makes such a ridiculous error, they must be held to a much higher standard and their press releases and product brochures ought to actually make sense (what a novel concept!) and use correct terminology, not just make up their own meanings to words which have been in use for hundreds of years, and that’s just in English!

[@cwaynefox]

@@aaronperelmuter8433 I am well aware that the use of the word metamerism is technically incorrect . But at this point in time, the term metamerism is widely and universally used to describe metameric failure, not just in printing but in dyes and fabrics and paints. This isn’t an Epson thing, it’s pretty universal. A couple of examples… www.xrite.com/blog/what-is-metamerism xRite, a leading company in color technologies in their article about metamerism describe metameric failure, and never once on this page does the word failure appear. Their use of the word metamerism in this article refers to metameric failure. Example, the first paragraph in this article reads “Have you ever walked out of the house wearing two black socks, only to arrive at work and realize one of them is navy blue? If so, you’ve been a victim of metamerism.” Technically, you haven’t been a victim of metamerism, but of metameric failure. But the term metamerism has evolved to mean metameric failure, and indeed the term metamerism has little other application when it comes to this. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metamerism Here in the Merriam Webster dictionary it says 2: the identical visual appearance of two colors that have different physical or spectral compositions : the condition of being metameric in color … the colors of dyes or pigments that match in daylight may not match in incandescent or fluorescent light, and so on, a characteristic known as metamerism. - Kurt Nassau While their definition is somewhat correct, their use of the word in a sentence is describing metameric failure. At this point the word metamerism is so widely used to describe metameric failure it should be considered part of the definition and added to the dictionary. Generally speaking in nearly all cases the word metamerism is used anywhere, most likely it is being used to describe metameric failure. Google metamerism, and most of the hits are an article where the term metamerism is being used to describe metameric failure. It’s certainly not my job to try and correct the world on the improper use of the term . Rather I will continue to use the term just like everyone else does, because everyone familiar with the term understands what is meant when it is used. And since languages evolve, there really isn’t a problem with this happening. There is little use for the word in other areas of language, and in fact outside the use of describing metameric failure, as you mentioned in your post it’s more accepted definition has nothing to do with light and color, but something completely unrelated. (See previous dictionary link). I am currently working on a video about printing terminology for photographers, include metamerism, bronzing, gloss differential as well as some other things that most have heard but maybe really aren’t sure what they mean. Metamerism is often confused with both gloss differential and/or bronzing. And in that video I will talk about metamerism actual meaning as well as talk about that fact that metameric failure is really what is happening and printer makers are trying to prevent as much as possible. But like the rest of the world, I will continue to use the word metamerism to describe metameric failure when it comes to inkjet printing technologies. There are many terms in the language that evolve to be understood to mean something else. I don’t think it’s any big deal.

[@sfbigdawg]

Your patience to respond and ignore people's unappreciative know it all attitudes is to be applauded. Keep doing your thing, see all learn from it.