Digital BW, The Print

While we B&W types seem to obsess about our print dmax, it's instructive to put the numbers and readings in perspective.  In message 105399 dpgoldenberg33 noted that D=1.57 means that 2.7% of the light striking the paper is reflected.  D=1.7 means that 2% is reflected. To see the extent of the non-linear nature of these density numbers, see the graph at http://www.gravurexchange.com/gravurezine/0804-ezine/ploumidis.htm

I've also been noting that the spectro measurements are, in effect, using side lighting that is much more ideal than most of us have in the real world.  In fact, my 1% spot meter readings of glossy v. matte blacks on the wall indicate the matte blacks are often deeper.  This is contrary to what the spectro readings would indicate.  The spectros are not measuring total reflectance in all directions.  Yet in most real world situations the light is coming from lots of different directions, so total reflectance may be a more meaningful measure (but difficult to do).

To follow up on the significance of the reflective nature of the medium to its spectro readings, I just got a density reading of 1.75 from an ordinary glass mirror.  That's a great dmax from a mirror that reflects nearly all the light that hits it!

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com