All The Music You'll Ever Need

you HAVE to check it out... and it gets updated all the time!

http://www.nodata.tv

Why I Love My Epson 1400 Again...

A little while back I decided to snag my first medium format printer.  It was after a little debate and finally allowing my entry-level bubble jet printer to take to the skies that I decided on the Epson 1400. It also didn't hurt that I had an extra discount due to a corporate partnership between Epson and Apple. After the discount and mail-in rebates...I got it for about $150... not bad, right?!  Regardless, I would have still gotten it even without the aforementioned discounts.

Okay, now back to the show... I set up my new printer and happily began printing what I could only imagine would be great prints at an affordable price.  And for a while...that was true... and then came the scan lines....

(insert dark ages)

I couldn't get around the fact that I had put out some good money (not big money, but good money) and had only these stupid lines to show for it.  If I were going for a collage look.... this would definitely be my aesthetic and printer of choice.

So I took to the online superhighway and delved into the wonderful world of user forums.  Others were having the same problems with very little success of correction.  Scan lines everywhere.... it was like Frankenstein vs. the villagers all over again and I knew how this was going to end... not well.  

Now I assure you that this has a happy ending.  I would not still own this printer if it didn't so keep on reading.  Some more months pass and I decide to start reusing my printer thinking that after I had cleaned the printer heads and realigned the heck out of it, it would once again bring back the magic it was able to perform fresh out of the box... and then there were more scan lines.

What makes this time different is that I was armed with brand new knowledge...the knowledge that I was letting the printer manage my colors.... I know, it happens to the best of us, but it's going to be okay.

Now begins the fix... I went back to the forums and user sites, but now had some context with which I could direct my search.  

First and foremost...I turned color management over to Photoshop.  I also noticed that the output resolution was set to 360x360dpi and I had the opportunity to increase that to 720x720dpi.... and increase it I did!  I also found a site with some great screenshots for the color settings for the 1400. 

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supAdvice.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&noteoid=92209&type=highlights

Putting in that information, I also noticed that I was using a generic ICC profile for the Epson Ultra Premium Enhanced Matte Paper that I so dearly love (great paper...seriously).  So I found the ICC profile at:

http://www.centralcamera.com/FREE-icc-profiles-for-Central-Camera-Paper/

After installing and restarting, I was newly ready to re-rev the engines.  And rev I DID!  SUCCESS! Beautiful prints every single time, right out of the gate.  And more importantly.... no scan lines!  So, for anyone out there who is looking for a cost effective printer that will deal with some larger stock, I would definitely reconsider the 1400.  

I also recently picked up a Canon Pixma Pro 9000.  More on that later.

LightRoom and iWeb

For some time now I have been wrestling with the idea of embedding a gallery created with LightRoom into a website created via iWeb...well, here's your awswer.

"yourpage.html" is the actual address where your gallery lives on your server.

"x" and "y" are actual numbers that you will need to input.

keeping scrolling to a value of no will make the gallery fit into the window that you create by putting in those numbers.

Hope this helps!

"The Golden Age" Starts This Friday

After much ado with planning, scouting, and scheduling, "The Golden Age" project is finally going to start.... This FRIDAY! I can't tell you how truly excited I am. This project is unique in the fact that this is a mix of both fine art and high fashion. This is also unique because it blends both the Elizabethan and Pin-Up styles. The look is specfic and stylized which is something I really love.

This project is also unique in the fact that there is a lot more production value going into this project. Hair stylists, MUAs, and even assistants are coming together in support and execution of this project.

The task at hand currently is to find a few assistants. People who are both reliable and dedicated as well as eager to learn.

Even I am getting into this project full-on. Believe it or not (IIIIM WALKIN ON AIR!) I'm actually dusting off my sewing skills for this one and making Elizabethan-style collars by hand! That's right ladies and gentlemen, this dude can sew. Now it's not perfect, but it's functional. And that's what really matters.

Pictures of the collars are on their way.

Okay back to life.

See you all on the slide!

Posted with LifeCast