dithering on DN

[coops]

I think the very small patchwork I see in the light areas on my DN,s is called dither. Anyway of reducing it or getting rid of it? I am using an Epson 3800 and inkpress transparency. I flush the heads and do an alignment and its really the only think preventing me from getting excited about making digital negs.

Cheers

[John MacManus]

I don't think you can get rid of inkjet dithering, it is the result of the 3pL ink drops being laid down. Try doing your alignment on the transparency film you are going to use, I find the definition on Pictorico OHP Ultra which I use to be very clear.

I can't find a clear statement that use of the QTR driver gives less dithering than the Epson driver.

While I understand your theoretical dislike of dithered patterns for DN use, I don't see anything distasteful on prints using alternative methods eg, cyanotype, Van dyke, kallitype, argyrotype or Pt/Pd. This is in part due to the use of rough textured papers.

With silver printing with DN you will see the dithering showing up if you use a loupe. But at viewing distance, I can't see anything on Ilford, Foma, Kentmere papers.

Try it yourself, I hope you'll be surprised ... J

[coops]

Thanks John, will try a head alignment with inkpress paper. The dither is visible in bright areas ( sky, white water) from several inches without a loupe and is really distracting.

[Richard M. Coda]

This is why I don't use this process. I send out to have a new silver negative made by LVT... then you can do whatever you want with it, just like an in-camera negative. They are virtually indistinguishable from each other. Now, Bob Carnie is working with Ortho film in his Durst which offers eve larger possibilities.

[coops]

Great advice I am sure. And while I will have to do a search for LVT to learn what it is, my guess is that at this time my images are not quite good enough to have this done, assuming that I could afford it in the first place. Sounds pricey lol.

[Richard M. Coda]

LVT (Light Valve T-something)... basically a large format film recorder... the do have them out there to 16x20", generally 8x10" and smaller. Takes a hi-res scan (your file) and outputs it to a new piece of silver, wet-processed film. Used for making dupes of transparencies mostly. Chip Hooper first turned me on to it. It is expensive but worth it, IMHO. ludo@reflectiveimagestudios.com or oleg.baburin@albumenworks.com are the two guys I have used... both are great.

[Kerik Kouklis]

Thanks John, will try a head alignment with inkpress paper. The dither is visible in bright areas ( sky, white water) from several inches without a loupe and is really distracting.

Hmmm... something seems wrong. I've printed hundreds of digital negatives with a 3800 and have never seen this. What process are you printing the negatives on?

[coops]

Contact printing on Ilford fiber

[Richard M. Coda]

Yup... for silver you have to go the LVT route. For platinum, Palladium, other alt process, you can get away with it because the paper texture hides a lot of it. Silver is unforgiving.

[coops]

Figures. I really like the Van Dyke images I have seen online. Might give that a try. Thanks for all the input.