Wet Print Evaluation Issues - Age Related? Help!

[Hans Berkhout]

I use and recommend ColorView bulbs (frosted, 29Watt, 3000 K) from the Solux company. I have three bulbs from ceiling aimed at to be evaluated print area. Bulbs are arranged as to achieve EV 7 when spotmeter aimed at white board placed in print location, which is on an acrylic sheet upright behind the holding tray. EV is a personal choice, it works well for me related to dry-down.

The wet print is placed on the acrylic, gently squeegeed to remove distracting shiny water drops, and then evaluated.

On the acrylic sheet I can place for comparison unexposed(white) and/or exposed(black)processed printing paper when assessing the dark and white print areas. Not an option I use very often, I see it a bit like only looking at laboratory test results instead of looking at the entire patient.

Aging eyes with cataracts see whites as somewhat yellowish, ask anybody who had cataract extraction followed by lens implants.

[Tin Can]

Hans, I am buying those bulbs asap

and yes after cataract implants i stopped cleaning my glasses constantly

yet Glaucoma is also here

I use and recommend ColorView bulbs (frosted, 29Watt, 3000 K) from the Solux company. I have three bulbs from ceiling aimed at to be evaluated print area. Bulbs are ar

Aging eyes with cataracts see whites as somewhat yellowish, ask anybody who had cataract extraction followed by lens implants.

[John Layton]

Hans, thanks for the reference! After going to the Solex site and looking over specifications...I've ordered four of these (29 watt, 3000K, frosted) bulbs, and look forward to trying them out!

[Hans Berkhout]

Thanks John, Tin Can.

I'd be interested to read your comments after using them.

In my case had to lower the EV value a bit. To do this, I just hung some polypropylene film in front of the bulbs. I thought a dimmer switch might just add another variable (for instance if the setting was inadvertently changed).

The polypropylene may change the spectral output of the emitted light somewhat, but in practice I did not run into problems in that respect.

[Drew Wiley]

I put a light neutral gray backdrop panel behind my sink where the toner tray typically goes. The overhead bulbs are angled toward it, to bounce the light onto the tray. I have decent halogens, but will improve those when I happen to order a larger number of well-balanced bulbs. Most LED's and CFL's are quite poor for hue evaluation - none are "black body". But there's no substitute for fully drying a print and evaluating it under ideal color matching lights with rested eyes. I wouldn't even try right now, after using a computer screen much of the day. My retouching station is equipped with 5000K 98CRI German color matching tubes, a set of 3200K tungsten spotlights is nearby, and white natural softbox daylight (due to coastal fog) is often available right outside the door.

[Tin Can]

Hans I ordered 10 for $25 delivered

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...613WIQY3&psc=1

may be a while

[Drew Wiley]

Solux are nice but awfully warm, color-temp wise. Ideally, one would match the print to the actual display lighting anticipated. But since that is generally out of our hands, if the print sells, I aim for a middle ground ground between tungsten and daylight, around 4000K. However, for critical color evaluation, like when calibrating a fresh batch of color paper to a specific colorhead setting, or when spotting any print, either color or b&w, I stick with the industry standard of 5000K.

There is a new category of LED light strips (not bulbs), for sake of overhead lighting, with violet filters over the blue elements, which allegedly achieves a very high CRI at 4000, and produces very little heat. But are very expensive and need a dedicated solid state power control. That would be voodoo anywhere in my lab building due to the almost certain risk of EMI (electrical magnetic interference) to my solid state enlarger feedback circuits. Even when the light itself is switched off the problem can persist in nearby electronic components. Same goes for electronic fluorescent ballasts, versus the ordinary kind. Never again.

Regular hardware and big box store "excellent color" bulbs : take the labeled CRI rating and divide by the BS marketing coefficient of 2 to get an approximate real figure. And as far as rated bulb life goes, divide by 20.