Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., CDTobie@a... wrote:
snip
> The problem is that, like a CMYK profile, a Gray profile is a device 
> description. If that device is using Small Gamut CMYK inks, then a
standard 
> RGB or CMYK profile can do a good job defining the device, depending
on what 
> profiling package is used. For devices running various neutral gray
inks, or 
> a few of those and one or two toned inks for tonal adjustments, the
current 
> methods of conversion to these colors is currently done by transfer
curves 
> and other non-ICC processes. The idea that simply creating an ICC  Gray 
> profile will somehow automatically address such systems is impractical, 
> unless the ICC process were to be moved forward to an n-channnel
system with 
> very sophistocated channel interactions.

Exactly. Right, of course, as usual. The advanced and most succesful
B&W inkjet printing methods use 4 gray inks, or 3 plus a toner, or
some variation. Most people on this list are using such a system.
Charaterization of the device can be enormously useful, but does not
provide for the kinds of conversions required to make the most of
these inksets.
Color management can have no idea of the ideal way these inksets
should be put down on paper to their best advantage. It can be useful
to help determine what a device will do when those kinds of
manipulations are done though.
An ICC workflow wants to correct color (to put it blandly and overly
simple), quad printing has a different end goal. Since color
management can help us with dot gain etc. with different papers, for
one thing, it can be very helpful. But it needs to know what the new
"ideal" is to make use of a profile and take things the rest of the
way there.
Tyler