Ink Myth – 2880 Uses More Ink Than 1440

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Printing at 2880 and 1440 resolutions uses about the same amount of ink. The difference is 2880 only uses the finest dot (3.5 picoliter) rather than a variable dot structure. (2880 may look a little darker, particularly on matte papers, because the dots tend to bleed together. Use 1440 if you get excessive dot gain – pooling in shadows, spattering in highlights.)
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4 Comments

  • trace

    11.12.2008 at 14:31

    I’m a bit disappointed you’ve chosen to use the “common”, misunderstood meaning of “myth” in your post titles. Joe Campbell would upbraid you on that!
    That said, would you do some insightful (i.e. your thoughts) posts on the environmental impact of our field of photography, including paper manufacturing and ink cartridge disposal, etc? There is a lot to discuss, and concerns all of us. I’m interested in the “global/environmental” impact of the photography we do.
    Thanks, JP
    Trace

  • johnpaulcaponigro

    12.12.2008 at 14:01

    Point taken.
    I defaulted to slang for efficiency’s sake.
    What’s your recommendation for a better word?
    Eco issues of media are planned.
    And I’ll do an entire article on it for Photoshop User magazine.

  • trace

    12.12.2008 at 15:32

    Perhaps poetically, “Ink Blots” :
    blot |blät|
    noun
    a dark mark or stain, typically one made by ink, paint, or dirt : an ink blot.
    • a shameful act or quality that tarnishes an otherwise good character or reputation : the only blot on an otherwise clean campaign.
    Good to hear on the environmental issues. Besides media, I’m wondering about the rapid changes in printers/inks that have many upgrading to the “latest/greatest” model. What happens to older printers (Epson Pro Stylus 7600/9600 for example) when one upgrades (i.e. what did you do with your old one?), and then, what happens when (not if) Epson chooses not to make ink sets for these older printers? As I said, lots to consider.
    “Tread light on the earth”
    ~ a man of tea

  • timgray

    18.12.2008 at 17:32

    JP,
    It’s about time somebody debunked this myth! After reading this post, I finally tried printing some of my work using the 2880 setting, along with the 2880 icc profiles for my Epson 7800, and wow, what a difference!
    Not only is there no change ink usage, but the MicroWeave function which uses a smaller dot size produces images which, upon close inspection, appear leaps and bounds above their 1440 counterparts.
    Who would have thought a single blog entry could change a photographer’s workflow.
    Thank You!

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