I understand that the GO “hardens the film and keeps it from getting scratched.” How important is it to have this feature? Does GO have any other effect on or purpose for PiezoDN?
I need to obtain a PiezoDN compatible printer. I am not necessarily interested in gloss printing. However, I am trying to understand the value of GO for PiezoDN so that I can choose a small format printer: new Epson 1430 or refurbished Epson R2000/R3000 (assuming that support for the P-series printers will not be forthcoming soon).
Actually support for P400 (updated version of the R2000) and support for P600 (updated version of R3000) are immenent. I’m working on a PiezoDN driver for these two printers which I will publish for this group in Beta form. This will support both Pro ink as well as K7 (selenium) ink sets.
The GO does harden the film for K7 ink as that ink is a bit softer than Pro ink. It is not used when making negs for Pro ink.
So, in short, I suggest getting the P600 (we have a CISS for it right now and new carts for it being molded as we speak) with either Pro ink or K7 ink. We’ll be releasing beta driver code in a few weeks. This driver allows for 5760x2880 resolution and new dot placement dither that is a dramatic improvement over the Ordered dither of QTR.
Just to confirm this guidance re K7 inks: run the negative through the printer a second time with a GO curve selected and a white image in Print-Tool? Should I expect any change in UV transmission such that I need to re-calibrate?