re: Icefields stochastic screening (for platinum/palladium printing)
re: Icefields stochastic screening (for platinum/palladium printing)
- Subject: re: Icefields stochastic screening (for platinum/palladium printing)
- From: Oz Wille <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 01 Sep 2001 21:53:03 -0500
This is an idea I've toyed with and even worked with Icefields testing the
concept.
The results can be excellent. Unfortunately, the workflow issues are
daunting. As I recall, the file size for a moderate resolution 6x9 inch CMYK
Icefields file was quite large, somewhere between 150 and 200 Megabytes.
That would be equal in size to a 12x18 inch grayscale file. The time to RIP
this Icefields file was around 1/2 hour on a Scitex Brisque. A typical
letter size page with similar size tiff, along with text and graphics takes
less than two minutes to RIP on the same Brisque. Your service bureau will
not be happy when they see how long your files take to process. You can
expect upcharges for this service. Some RIPs may even choke on the files.
The Icefields manual has instructions on setup for the files and how to
evaluate the resulting films. The more important tests will involve how the
platinum/palladium coated papers react to the imagesetter negatives. Some
imagesetter films will give you a somewhat softer dot (for example Agfa
film) while others will yield a harder dot (for example Fuji film). The
softer dot films will give you more control in the exposure of the
platinum/palladium paper than hard dot films while the hard dot films will
give more consistent results from multiple printings.
--
Oz Wille
Color Consultant
Chromaticity Incorporated
9055 Ramsdell Drive NE
Rockford, MI 49341
616-874-2779 ext 130
616-874-2778 fax
email@hidden
Neil Barstow wrote:
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Guys
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During the rip discussions it crossed my mind to wonder if anyone
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might know where we might find a copy of the [apparently
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discontinued] Icefields Stochastic screening Mac software.
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I have a client who wants to use an imagesetter bureau to make
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large format [like 20x 34 inch] contact printing negatives for
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platinum/palladium printing.
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It seems that to full control of the process the Icefields
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Stochastic screening software is required but we have been unable
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to track down a copy - any clues please.
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Oh, and it being screened output, do we need a special
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densitometer to reads the imagesetter output in order to create
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photoshop curves [or transfer curves] to retain proper black
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density throughout the grayscales steps?
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thanks
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neilb
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Neil Barstow