Shrinkage

[bob carnie]

We are making some very large inkjets lately 60 inch x 120 inch and have been fooled a few times with some shrinkage, specially on the long side.
When I make silver gelatin prints I take in account for this problem , but have been surprised by the amount of inkjet downsizing.

Any one else notice this or thoughts of what papers are worst or better for this problem?

[greenrhino]

We are making some very large inkjets lately 60 inch x 120 inch and have been fooled a few times with some shrinkage, specially on the long side.
When I make silver gelatin prints I take in account for this problem , but have been surprised by the amount of inkjet downsizing.

Any one else notice this or thoughts of what papers are worst or better for this problem?

Paper will certainly change size with humidity as you note with silver how it changes with processing but i think that the inkjet paper is not so much shrinking as there is a bit of transport error on the printer that gets exaggerated at that size. You could scan a ruler, print it and account for the error in the file. How much are you seeing on 120"

My chromira has a solution built into the driver for this exact problem but I don't think epson or canon does.

Best
Anthony Accardi
Green Rhino Inc.

[vinny]

By the title I thought you were inquiring about lake michigan's current temperature. I don't swim in it til august due to "shrinkage" that occurs.

[Michael E]

By the title I thought you were inquiring about lake michigan's current temperature. I don't swim in it til august due to "shrinkage" that occurs.

I was thinking about the same thing... Is there a solution?

[greenrhino]

Bob, What did you figure out? Is it a transport issue?

[bob carnie]

Well I just got back to this thread so I am going to do what you suggested.
We noticed about 1/2 inch on enhanced matt on a 120 inch print and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch on a cheaper semi matt luster paper on 60 inches.

I am thinking you may be right as for the life of me cannot figure out this kind of shrinkage.
Silver paper always shrinks on the long side and I always give 1/4 inch bleed.

A chromira is RA4 paper correct?? I have never seen this happen with our RA4 papers or at least very minimal.
I am specifically talking about inkspray on thinner papers like enhanced matt 230 gsm and semi matte luster which is called a 8 mill paper.


Bob, What did you figure out? Is it a transport issue?

[bob carnie]

By the title I thought you were inquiring about lake michigan's current temperature. I don't swim in it til august due to "shrinkage" that occurs.

At my age shrinkage is happening all over except for my waistline that is rapidly expanding

[greenrhino]

Chromira is RA4, i find the paper changes about .0825 to .125 over about 50" so not nearly what you are getting on the inkjet but still something if a frame is being made while the printing is happening. i would cut a strip 10" wide by the width of your paper (60") measure it super accurately and then print it with a pure black file set to photo glossy and see what the shrinkage is for that. i might try it here as well. i just checked a print i made today on an 11880 that was 40" and it was exactly right. It's got to be the transport. Are there white borders? If there are, i think you would get a whole mess of buckling as opposed to over all shrinkage, I don't think the borders which don't get ink could shrink along with the inked image......

[Jerry Bodine]

At my age shrinkage is happening all over except for my waistline that is rapidly expanding

Bob, that sounds kinda like the Poisson effect in compression. The opposite would be like stretching taffy and watching it get skinny in the middle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisson%27s_ratio

[bob carnie]

On the job with the most shrinkage we were indeed putting a white border on. The paper was also I our framers words too thin and flimsy to frame properly. I will do some tests to check this out re the transport issue.
I have a 30 inch lambda so our length of prints are usually around 40 inch or smaller if we are doing singles and I have never seen a problem , but I will look at that now more carefully.


Chromira is RA4, i find the paper changes about .0825 to .125 over about 50" so not nearly what you are getting on the inkjet but still something if a frame is being made while the printing is happening. i would cut a strip 10" wide by the width of your paper (60") measure it super accurately and then print it with a pure black file set to photo glossy and see what the shrinkage is for that. i might try it here as well. i just checked a print i made today on an 11880 that was 40" and it was exactly right. It's got to be the transport. Are there white borders? If there are, i think you would get a whole mess of buckling as opposed to over all shrinkage, I don't think the borders which don't get ink could shrink along with the inked image......

[bob carnie]

Jerry , that explains it, I have been told that I have a wonderful mind and my brain then must be heavy which is producing a downward pressure causing the Poisson effect..
thanks for pointing this out as I must make all my co workers aware of this fact.


Bob, that sounds kinda like the Poisson effect in compression. The opposite would be like stretching taffy and watching it get skinny in the middle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisson%27s_ratio