Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Martin Wesley" 
<mwesley250@e...> wrote:

One of my major concerns is controlling colorcast. Of the three ink 
> sets I have seen, Piezo, MIS VM and Spectratone none is quite to my 
> taste. Hopefully with the MIS VM I will be able to dial in a tone 
> that suits. I was thinking that the full-blown RGB profile would 
> allow me to adjust the color cast on screen.

OK, here is where I am being a bit theoretical about this and will have to 
respect Dan's far more practical experience: I think you can separate color 
from density in this case. Once you settle on the color you like, you don't have 
to deal with it again. This may be a simplified use of the VT possibilities 
(deliberate selective toning of tonal regions etc), but it's a start. Then you deal 
with spreading out the inks over the print densities using just densitometry.


> 
> So if you are just measuring density then the workflow would be to 
> print and measure a test wedge, make an adjustment curve using the 
> measured values to push tones in the proper direction, apply the 
> curve as a final step prior to printing, print and repeat until you 
> have an accurately printed step wedge that divides the range evenly 
> from Dmax to Dmin?

On this procedure I'd definitely defer to our local gurus. I will not second guess 
Paul or Dan. My own experience assumes that you have access to 4 
individual "plates" and can write separation actions. I have not, muself, done 
this through an RGB driver nor with 6 inks. I am still thinking that I would rather 
have a large format Epson with a RIP that I can talk postscript to, than anything 
with an RGB driver and a black box of internal separations. But that's another 
story...

....
> What if you jump from the $900 BW densitometer to the $1400 
> spectrophotometer? Well I guess if you are just measuring density you 
> don't gain anything.

You have to add the cost of the software to make the 1,400 investment 
worthwhile. Of course, if the argument is that the spectro can do double duty 
and that you can buy the software as needed later, then, sure, why not. Just 
keep in mind that the $1400 doesn't buy you a transmission unit (whereas the 
$900 does) - just in case you were going to read your negs too and calibrate 
your processing or those digital negs you are looking to buy !......  <g>

That's a loooong way to go to avoid the warming of piezo. And even then, 
aren't Paul's curves for the VT inks pretty much a done deal out of the box? (at 
least the ones completed).

Antonis