Is Piezography worth the effort and what are the pitfalls?

[Keith]

With all this talk about prints I've been wondering about this system and how much better it is than the normal advanced black and white function of the Epson 2400 ... or if indeed it is actually superior.

Are there any users who can relate any information and or experiences?

 

[nlubis]

I'm subscribing to this, to read the discussion.
I've looked into piezography a couple of years ago. Only tried there print drivers.
Wouldn't go any further as the cost was prohibitive for me (hobby).

 

[Bob Michaels]

I tried Jon Cone's Piezography about eleven years ago. It seemed that the introduction of the various density K inksets for the Epson 1280 by people like MIS Associates leveled the playing field. Then Epson made that giant leap forward with the introduction of the 2400.

Jon Cone still has his followers but I have not been able to see any difference in print quality in the last ten years.

 

[icebear]

Hi Keith,
I have no experience myself but just yesterday read this article on his website:
http://www.piezography.com/PiezoPress/state-of-the-state-of-the-arts/

You will have to make a decision for B&W printing only, or deal with flushing the printer, which is not impossible but seems to be a hassle.
If you are not satisfied with what you get from the 3 different Epson black inks, Piezo K7 seems the way to go for highest fine art standard. You can always order a test print to get an idea, if you can see a significant enough difference before you make the jump into this system yourself.

I will not do it, I'll have to rely on lab. printing as my print volume is not sufficient to get an entire set up myself and keep it from drying up.

 

[Calzone]

Hi Keith,
I have no experience myself but just yesterday read this article on his website:
http://www.piezography.com/PiezoPress/state-of-the-state-of-the-arts/

You will have to make a decision for B&W printing only, or deal with flushing the printer, which is not impossible but seems to be a hassle.
If you are not satisfied with what you get from the 3 different Epson black inks, Piezo K7 seems the way to go for highest fine art standard. You can always order a test print to get an idea, if you can see a significant enough difference before you make the jump into this system yourself.

I will not do it, I'll have to rely on lab. printing as my print volume is not sufficient to get an entire set up myself and keep it from drying up.

It seems that the Quadtone RIP is an upgrade over the OEM (Epson) Driver. Cost is $50.00. My friend Rob says that it is easier to use than the OEM and he got good results quickly. Chris Crawford also uses the Quadtone RIP for his printing.

Two added blacks and two added whites are rather costly, but Jon Cone seems to have advance and updated Piezography over the last decade. If you like black-blacks and mucho shadow detail and are willing to pay a premium perhaps Piezography is worth it. Also depends on the size of your prints and perhaps the level of detail in your images.

I recently took advantage of a Epson rebate offer and purchased a Epson 3880 in January. I still haven't loaded the inkset, but going Piezography has added costs like new empty carts. Don't know if I should canabilize the required chips off the carts or if its more cost effective to buy a chip set. I'm okay with dedicating a printer to B&W only.

I intend on sending a detailed shot taken with my Monochrom and having Jon Cone print a 20x30 on matte paper. I also intend on using Piezoflush to store my printer, but when I print (winter months) I intend on printing extensively on a big scale. My Epson can print 17x22, but for larger prints I'm thinking of Peizography's printing service.

Klaus we need to talk more.

Cal

 

[mfogiel]

From what I have seen, piezography only produces matte' prints, which is inherently limiting the output and the Dmax (I find for example, that Epson 2400 matte' prints lack deep blacks and shadow detail). Personally, I prefer a semi glossy finish, although some subjects ( particularly portraiture) can benefit when printed matte'.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

From what I have seen, piezography only produces matte' prints, which is inherently limiting the output and the Dmax (I find for example, that Epson 2400 matte' prints lack deep blacks and shadow detail). Personally, I prefer a semi glossy finish, although some subjects ( particularly portraiture) can benefit when printed matte'.

I tried it and found that it produced less deep blacks at the time than the Epson R2400 does with Epson's matte black ink. Didn't like it.

 

[Godfrey]

With all this talk about prints I've been wondering about this system and how much better it is than the normal advanced black and white function of the Epson 2400 ... or if indeed it is actually superior.

Are there any users who can relate any information and or experiences?

I used the Piezography inks and such before the R2400 was released. While Piezography inks have been improved, the R2400 (and later Epsons) remains better in every way: consistency, quality, dmax, freedom from clogging, and cost.

Piezography inks destroyed both my Epson 1160 and 1270 printers by permanently clogging the heads, unrecoverably.

My R2400 is very old now ... I bought it in October 2005 ... and has produced many thousands of flawless prints with perhaps one or two clogs in all that time. When it finally dies, I'll move to whatever is the current Epson 3800 series printer for the larger paper size and bigger ink tanks.

Stick with an R2400 or later Epson with the K3 inkset, use good papers, and learn how to render for best print output.

G

 

[L Collins]

I tried Jon Cone's Piezography about eleven years ago. It seemed that the introduction of the various density K inksets for the Epson 1280 by people like MIS Associates leveled the playing field. Then Epson made that giant leap forward with the introduction of the 2400.

Jon Cone still has his followers but I have not been able to see any difference in print quality in the last ten years.

Ditto. Same experience.

 

[kxl]

Tried it a while back, but I had issues with clogging heads.

 

[GaryLH]

A side couple questions for the thread... Slight hijack...

I have had to toss two epsons due to head clogs.. An r2200 and r800. The last one being the r800..this year 🙁. So I need to figure out what next.

- are the newer inks better than what I had for my printers
- do I still need to flush for matte based b&w

Thanks
Gary

 

[GaryLH]

With all this talk about prints I've been wondering about this system and how much better it is than the normal advanced black and white function of the Epson 2400 ... or if indeed it is actually superior.

Are there any users who can relate any information and or experiences?

I can c the hand of the monochrom shots of the dp cameras had a hand here :angel:😎😀

Gary

 

[Calzone]

A side couple questions for the thread... Slight hijack...

I have had to toss two epsons due to head clogs.. An r2200 and r800. The last one being the r800..this year 🙁. So I need to figure out what next.

- are the newer inks better than what I had for my printers
- do I still need to flush for matte based b&w

Thanks
Gary

Gary,

My understanding is that multiple head cleanings and wasted ink is required to flush out the heads, and out of all the colors yellow is the most stubborn. Also using Piezoflush to store your printer is recommended. Also it has been reported that Piezoflush can unclog heads with good results.

The way I see it maintaining a printer means frequent use, and that intermittent printing is asking for trouble.

From reading through this thread many of the bad experiences and listed limitations are from experiences that happened years ago. I've been doing the research and there seems to be some real advantages: Piezography does not use dithering like the OEM process. I think this is mostly due to the Quadtone RIP which can be used with Epson K7 inks as an upgrade.

I know that Piezography has evolved where it is now possible to get glossy prints, and that I bought the Epson 3880 specifically so that I can print both matte and glossy without having to change inksets because enough cart slots exist where excess flushing is not required to go from matte to glossy and back. I also know that Jon Cone has improved his inks for a darker Dmax.

Cal

 

[jsrockit]

Cal, I would listen to some people here before going this route. I've been saying it since day 1. Try the regular inks first and then go elsewhere if you aren't satisfied.

 

[GaryLH]

Gary,

My understanding is that multiple head cleanings and wasted ink is required to flush out the heads, and out of all the colors yellow is the most stubborn. Also using Piezoflush to store your printer is recommended. Also it has been reported that Piezoflush can unclog heads with good results.

The way I see it maintaining a printer means frequent use, and that intermittent printing is asking for trouble.

From reading through this thread many of the bad experiences and listed limitations are from experiences that happened years ago. I've been doing the research and there seems to be some real advantages: Piezography does not use dithering like the OEM process. I think this is mostly due to the Quadtone RIP which can be used with Epson K7 inks as an upgrade.

I know that Piezography has evolved where it is now possible to get glossy prints, and that I bought the Epson 3880 specifically so that I can print both matte and glossy without having to change inksets because enough cart slots exist where excess flushing is not required to go from matte to glossy and back. I also know that Jon Cone has improved his inks for a darker Dmax.

Cal

Thanks Cal. I check into this.

Gary

 

[GaryLH]

So it sounds like try OEM inks first w/ Quadtone rip is the recommendation here. Also that peizoflush to clean the heads and as a storage medium if u don't use your printer a lot.

Ever since the r800 died all I have right now is a cheap all in one.. But since then I have been making sure that the printer gets used at least once a week by printing a test print tat dp review uses for its printer testing.

Hopefully this will be enough. W/ peizoflush as the emergency solution if I come across clogged heads again.

Gary

 

[rafriedman@gmail.com]

Piezography: Yes!

Piezography: Yes!

I am currently using a K-7 Selenium Piezography system on an Epson 3880 printer. I couldn't be more pleased. I've had no clogging issues, the ink costs a fraction of the OEM Epson ink, and I can easily print matte or glossy. Both look terrific. I usually print matte on Moab Lasal since it's an inexpensive paper. The blacks are deep and the prints show fantastic gradation and detail. I've made some prints on Cone 5 baryta, which is a little pricey, but the prints are a wow.

I debated a long time about whether to go this route, but it has proved more than worthwhile. One caveat: the quality of the printing will soon reveal any sloppiness in your image-making chain, including poorly profiled monitors.

 

[KEH]

I've tried piezography and MIS inks and got good results. But the older Epson 13 inch printers are very susceptible to clogging if not used regularly. In the end I bought a 3880 and have had only one minor clog in over two years.

I have gone to Imageprint as a RIP for the 3880 - expensive, but it does a beautiful job of both BW and colour prints on a huge array of papers, and they will turn around a custom profile very quickly (for free if they have the paper in stock).

Mark Dubovoy has a great review.

Cheers,
Kirk

 

[GaryLH]

Is the r3000 considered one of the older 13 inch printers?

Gary

 

[Keith]

I can c the hand of the monochrom shots of the dp cameras had a hand here :angel:😎😀

Gary

I've never printed anything from from a digital camera on my 2400 ... the files from the D700 have never really impressed me that much in black and white.

The Sigma however is a whole different kettle of fish ... so yes! 😀