Digital BW, The Print

Martin,

some "reflections" on your post:


> In reading reflective density of inkjet prints there is the issue that the paper is 
not completely opaque.

With my 810 I find that on EAM I get the same readings whether I back it with 
black or leave it alone. However, backing it with a second sheet raises the 
paper white from 0.06 to 0.04. By the time you get to 15-20% of a grayscale 
the difference is about 0.01 which is lost in the "noise" of the instrument. For 
practical purposes, I always read EAM and Hahnemuhle without backing. 

Consistency matters, but I can also see the argument that backing it with white 
matches a matted print better. In any case, worth disclosing when we compare 
notes on highlight densities.

Insterestingly, the DTP41 (XRite's strip reading spectrophotometer) has a 
block under the sensor that can be moved to either white or black. The 
instructions for PrintOpen, Heidelberg's profile-making software, asks that you 
slide it over to expose the _white_  patch under the sensor.




> The 811 has two transmission modes, one for E-6 and one for C-41. Which 
would be the best for standard developed B&W film? 


Visual, marked as T VIS for transmissive ( R VIS for paper).


Which mode would be best for yellow/green stained pyro developed B&W 
film?

Essentially none, but probably whichever gives you better separation of 
values. These densitometers separate the spectrum into the 3 primaries 
based on the peak frequency of the photographic color process dyes for 
which their "status" is intended. Outside of that, their color readings are 
meaningless as far as any standard reference goes and only useful as 
"relative" values (perfectly functional for your purposes).

Antonis