Digital BW, The Print

Ernst,

I just checked the HP website under Indigo and I see that they DO offer somewhat of a monochrome solution. They offer an optional light gray ink which when added to the black channel could improve bw output significantly (I would think). Apparently you remove one of the color inks ( like the violet or orange :-) ? ) that they add to the cymk set to get to the 97% of pantone gamut. 

http://h10088.www1.hp.com/cda/gap/display/main/index.jsp?zn=gap&cp=20000-13698-16021^364906_4041_100__

They way I look at this, HP could simply remove the orange and violet and add a mid gray also and have something on the order of what you get with the Z series printers smoothness and neutrality, a high-quality tri-tone with all the toning capabilities. 

Sure mass companies like Blurb probably wouldn't use it because they would be afraid of relying on only a few of their many outsourced printers using them, but I still don't see why at least one of these many outfits couldn't just use the existing light gray option that HP already offers and specialize in bw books. Hell who needs the damn violet channel anyway for 90% of the work they do. They wouldn't even have to give up doing color.

Even beyond all that, they could have super killer bw Indigo workflow by using even more grays than 3. Why not? This POD book making business, and digital press in general is talking over whole publishing business, eventually. As with everything in the printer market, bw is the last thing they consider.

John


> John,
> 
> My old friend wrote me that he discussed it with sales of the printing 
> company he works for and that supplies to Blurb. He thinks that the HP 
> Indigo's can actually make a better quality, even in their present 
> configuration, but they are strictly bound to Blurb standards that 
> should guarantee equal quality for Blurb photobooks in any country.
> Any change at the print plants would require a change at Blurb and that 
> is not likely to happen as it aims at the biggest market share and not 
> at a smaller niche market with a better quality.
> Whether other companies can do better is the question but many use 
> Indigo's so there is a limit on quality with existing toner sets. There 
> are however improved paper qualities like the reintroduced Felix 
> Schoeller Silver photo paper for Indigo. I think that the only possible 
> competition to Blurb must be a better quality, both in Color and B&W. It 
> is hard to imagine that a lower price/quality could do it.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst Dinkla
> 
> http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
> December 2012: 500+ inkjet media paper white spectral plots.
>