Digital BW, The Print

Here I go, answering myself, as usual. Okay, after I wrote the stuff below I
happened two print two grayscales which overlapped, and sure enough, max
black was denser where the two overlapped. So I tried it on an image that
has some large black expanses - the one I used for the first piezo exchange
in fact. Yes, rather noticeable difference.

Ya hearin' me Jerry? BLACKER BLACKS! Perfect registration on my 1160 with
the paper guide set just snug.

It's all in the right mask. Where you allow the overprint to cut off, and
curtail spill-over into unwanted areas. I happen to like masks, but for
those who don't, but like good blacks, this might be reason enough to pull
that PS book off the shelf for review. ;-)

Todd


> Well, I got the feeling if the print were being back-lit the extra density
> would have made a difference, but once enough is put down to be opaque over
> the paper, the only way at that point to increase depth would be to add
> gloss, to change it's reflectivity. What was happening in my case was that
> the more tones of "black" I included in my image, the more they blocked up,
> and detail was lost, yet just hitting the true blacks with a second pass was
> too minimal to matter.
> 
> 
>> Todd, I've also noticed that SOME times you can indeed get a perfect
>> registration. I couldn't hardly believe it. It sure is odd you didn't
>> get any denser blacks with a second pass. Guess the ink was really black, no?
>> 
>> J
> 
>> 
>> Todd Flashner wrote:
>> 
>>> Regarding multiple passes of the same sheet on a press, I did try running a
>>> print through my 1160 twice to try to lay down a denser black. First I ran
>>> the print through as normal, then I made a mask which allowed for printing
>>> only of the lower values of the print. I wanted to leave the mid tones and
>>> highlights alone on the 2nd pass, but double up the blacks. Good news and
>>> bad. Good: perfect registration (if anyone is going to try this I recommend
>>> you do immediately successive passes on the same printer, so that the paper
>>> guide and everything is exactly as it was on the first pass. Bad: no visible
>>> density difference. Now if I did two passes over the entirety of the print
>>> it'd double the density, and the whole print would be (was) a stop darker,
>>> but by just doubling up the blacks *I* did not see the benefit.
>>> 
>>> Oh well...
>>> 
>>> Now, if you could/can get exact registration on two printers you could do
>>> some very interesting toning effects by printing colors over quads, for
>>> instance. Not that any one should want to, but it does make for some
>>> interesting possibilities.
>>> 
>>> Todd