Digital BW, The Print

Austin,

Okay, full circle now, why do you believe that Piezo prints have a greater
dynamic range than silver prints? Is this a just a sense, a hunch based on
theory, or something you've observed through controlled tests?

IOW, lets say you were comparing each process using a 200 step wedge, which
I imagine would challenge our eyes ability to discriminate between the
steps, are you of the mind a piezo print can handle it better than a
properly exposed and developed contact print on a good silver paper? If so,
why?

Todd

> 
> Hi Todd,
> 
>> So back to the step wedges... At each end of the scale either process
>> (inkjet vs silver) will give you it's paper white for dmin, and max black
>> for dmax, and the range between those two will define their
>> "density range".
>> 
>> Then, once the ends are taken into account, what may mitigate either
>> processes ability to discern intermediate tones (dynamic range - which
>> includes the endpoints as well) will be noise, which in the case of inkjet
>> might be poor profiles/separation curves, toothiness of paper, nozzle
>> alignment, etc,
> 
> Sounds good to me...but I've never explored specifically what is the source
> of "noise" in the digital printing system.  It may be other than noise BTW
> that limits dynamic range.  It may be the dithering algorithm...it may be
> the accuracy with which ink can be laid down, or the accuracy of the print
> heads...the tonal variations of the inks with in the same color, the
> temperature, humidity....
> 
>> and in the case of silver prints might be lens aberration,
>> flare, dust on the negative, improper development, etc?
> 
> Well, I believe it's mostly limited by the paper, as well as exposure and
> development.  Again, I have personally not explored the reasons for this.
> I'd suggest seeing if AA's book "The Print" has some information on this.
> 
>> Thus you can have a situation where one process has a greater
>> density range
>> but a lower dynamic range, and vice versa?
> 
> Yes.
> 
>>> BTW, this stuff is just so important to a deeper understanding
>> of quite a
>>> lot of stuff in photography, much less other things in life.
>> At least in my
>>> opinion.
>> 
>> For example?
> 
> ...most any sensory information or things having to do with perception.
> Video, audio...hell, even taste, thought (how's your thinking when you have
> a head cold...low signal to noise ratio ;-) if you want to get really
> esoteric about it.
> 
> Austin
> 
> 
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