ipf6100 banding

[bbbelly]

I've got a new IPF6100 last friday (18/01/2008). It got installed by a Canon technician.

After making a few tests, with different papers i have used, I noticed banding on the prints. I checked my manual and it said to use headalignment. I did so. But i still got banding. I tried the nozzle check, but no problem at all there, everything looks ok on the testpage.

So i decided to test it more thouroughly and printed the same picture on the same paper with different settings. The result was quite astonishing:

Standard quality : you can see a bit of banding. OK, let's say, it is standard setting, i assume that there can be banding

High quality: you can see less banding, but still apparent

Highest quality: there is a LOT of banding, even more then on standard.

Highest quality with high precision printing: you can't really see any banding any more (well i seem to see a bit, but i guess that's just my mind playing tricks on me)

Highest quality with high precision printing/thicken fine lines: youcan't really see any banding any more (or do i? :))


So i just printed a few colorrectangles with different colors, gray and black. I used Canon SG201 for that testprint, with quality set to highest in the driver settings... and i got banding again..., you can see it especially in the 50% grey and in the blue rectangle. see last picture


So my question: Is it normal to get that amount of banding unless i use highest setting with high precision printing? Does the "highest with high precision printing" use more ink? Does anynone have the same problem(if problem there is?) any suggestions?


I scanned the prints and put them on my website so you could see for yourselves. (http://www.thierryfrisch.com/canon/ipf6100banding.html)
btw, page might need a bit to load, put all the pics on one page. sorry

thierry

[Ted Harris]

The simple answer is NO you shouldn't see any banding at any setting.

I have been running the 6100 for nearly three months, killed several rolls of paper of a variety of flavors and no banding, not even once. I took a look at your scans and I would call that smearing rather than banding and the cause could easily be the paper. I have not looked hard for details on the paper but it appears to be a paper that is meant for the lower cost dye ink printers. Have you tried using the test roll of paper that Canon furnished with the printer?

[bbbelly]

Ted,

Thanks for your answer. I just tried with the rest of the provided sampleroll. And as you predicted, there was no "banding"/"smearing" whatsoever.

The ilford Paper is supposed to work best with epson ultrachrome and canon lucia inks (that's what is written on the back of the ilford paper).

As far as i know, the ipf6100 has lucia II inks. thought that should be working.
It is a shame that it doesn't work with the ilford galerie gold fibre silk, because that paper looks, feels and even smells just as the old darkroom baryta paper by ilford. Oh well....

Since you've had your printer for a few months, what paper would you suggest to use?
I would need:

a Pearl finish paper
a glossy finish paper
a matt finishpaper
and of course some baryta-like paper for the BW photos.

thanks for any suggestions

regards,


Thierry

[Kirk Gittings]

FWIW on Epson's and glossy paper there is a head height adjustment that effects banding.

[anchored]

Thiery - You've asked for some suggestions on different papers, and I do have a suggestion for a couple. But... as a side note, I'm running a similar printer (iPF 5000 with Lucia inks) and have had no banding problems except for once when trying to run copies on cheap glossy paper. The printer should easily handle Epson or Ilford paper stocks.

A suggestion for pearl paper: I've run quite a few tests comparing Ilford Pearl against Hahnemulhe Pearl. Finished prints between the two papers are very similar, but the HM paper edges out the Ilford because of two characteristics: It picks up details in shadows slightly better and is a MUCH heavier stock paper... the Ilford must be handled carefully or it's prone to dimpling... the HM paper is very tough and durable. Only negative to the HM Pearl... it's a LOT more expensive than the Ilford paper.

Nearly all my prints are run on Hahnemulhe paper these days... they're my favorite paper for all uses... with the exception of "general purpose" prints that are not offered for sale. For general purpose prints I generally use Epson Luster. Moab's fine art papers are also very nice papers... nice and thick with no tendency towards dimpling.

Glenn

[jetcode]

But... as a side note, I'm running a similar printer (iPF 5000 with Lucia inks) and have had no banding problems except for once when trying to run copies on cheap glossy paper. The printer should easily handle Epson or Ilford paper stocks.


do you see any advantage in using a ipf5100 instead of an ipf5000?

[anchored]

jetcode - The iPF5100 is simply the latest/greatest... in essence the same printer. Some minor differences in program. The advantage of using the "old" iPF5000... they have, or did have, a HUGE incentive program in order to get rid of the old machines.


Glenn

[Ted Harris]

5100 v. 5000 major differences/advantages:

5100 has an integrated roll paper feeder without the problems possible with the 5000.

all x100 series printers have reformulted black/gray inks with virtually eliminate any metamerism/bronzing/gloss differential problems

Thierry, as far as papers go there is so much subjective about paper choices. So far I have been running the printer almost exclusively with Harma and Ilford barayta base papers, Canon polished rag (a gloss like Crane Silver rag) and Innova FI. The Canon pearl surface paper is nice as well. See my review of the 6100 in the January/February View Camera.

[bbbelly]

Thanks Glenn and Ted,

Glenn, thanks for the suggestions about papers. I have also been looking into Hahnemühle Papers, but they are just so unbelievably expensive. I don't know where you are coming from but i am from Luxembourg, Europe and here, even though i think to know that hahnemühle comes from Germany, so about 30 miles away from where i live, they are more expensive than in the US. (That said, any computer-related things, hard or software are far more expensive in Europe... I still wonder why, but that is another discussion )

Ted, when i used my printer and got that banding/smearing, i exactly used those Papers you are suggesting: Ilford baryta based and canon photo paper plus semi gloss (pearl). But i still got that effect on those papers.

Could it have to do with the fact that i used it as sheets and not from the roll? Canon sample paper came on the roll. The others i have are A4 and A3+ sized.
The Ilford is A4 sized and very thick (310g/sqm) and as far as i understood the manual, one should load paper that thick rather through the front, than through the top. But unfortunately the A4 is too small to be fed correctly through the front, that is why i still feed it through the "top".

But then the canon photo paper plus semi-gloss (sg201) is 260g/sqm and i feed that through the "top" too, and still get that result...

weird

[Ted Harris]

Thierry,

Check ALL your paper settings carefully on both the printer LCD window and the selections you are making in the Canon Export Driver (I assume that is how you are prniting as using the PS driver only gives you 8 bit). One wrong choice and the printer could be making the wrong print head selections.

[bbbelly]

Hello,
I finally found out what the problem was:
WHen the canon techie was here and i showed him my ilford galerie gold fibre silk paper he said that it might be necessary to set the head height to maximum, to avoit the head scratching the Paper. So i manually changed the Head height to maximum.

When i changed it back to automatic, i got no more banding/smearing at all.
Guess the techie needs some more training...

Thanks for all your help

Thierry Frisch