iii) Printing the Image

PiezographyBW actually prints at 2160dpi and likes to have as much image data in the form of pixels as it is possible to get. When using PiezographyBW it is better to keep the image resolution as high as possible without upsampling. Most of my images were printed with Photoshop set for anywhere between 240 and 360ppi. Precise values do not seem to be important so size the print according to your needs and if the Photoshop output resolution falls above 240ppi, great. If it's less then make the print smaller, do not upsample if you want to retain all the qualities of PiezographyBW.

Making a print in PiezographyBW is slightly different to the normal process of selecting Print from the Photoshop File menu. With PiezographyBW you actually print via the Export command, again found under the Photoshop File menu.

The "Gamma" and "Dot Density" options are designed to allow the user the opportunity to fine tune the printer output. The user manual explains both in detail, so I'll give them a miss. Nevertheless, I never found any need to use either them.

Setting up the printer is also fully explained in the user manual. However, you should notice the option for Page Setup in the PiezographyBW dialog shown below. The option will give you access to the standard Epson driver from where you will choose the media type, printer resolution (ideally 1440dpi) and paper size. The other settings are all pretty much irrelevant; PiezographyBW does its own thing.

 

PiezographyBW Export Plug-in (Epson Stylus Photo 1200)

 

Choosing the correct media profile is important. Each paper type listed has been profiled to achieve the best possible output. If you find yourself testing a paper that is not listed, try the "Unsupported" option. However, you'll probably have to create a new dot gain curve for previewing the image. Some users have reported that using the "Unsupported" option produces very good results with many of the Epson papers. I haven't tried this for myself but do keep it mind for future reference. 

 

PiezographyBW Media List

 

One thing that becomes very apparent with PiezographyBW is the speed of printing, it is much quicker than the standard Epson driver.