Digital BW, The Print

Ok.  If i scan an image at 8 bits and before I print in on OPM I convert it to 16 
bits in PS7 and save the file,  will the resulting 16 bit image look better than if I had 
saved it at 8 bits and then printed it?

I'm confused.

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Roy Harrington" <roy@h...> 
wrote:
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, 
> "johngeyles" <jge@c...> wrote:
> > 
> > > 8 bit  to 16 bit conversion is so straightforward it's hard to
> > > imagine why it would be better to do it before sending data to
> > > OPM.   
> > 
> > I am purely speculating here ... but one can imagine an 
> 8bit->16bit
> > conversion that is not quite as straightforward and might create
> > a better image.  The idea would be to make the hi-byte of the 
> 16bit
> > value equal to the 8bit value, and then put a random value into
> > the low-byte.   This has the effect of reducing "mock bands" at 
> the
> > transitions between the 256 values; it is frequently used in 
> > computer image generation systems.  However, I'd be very 
> surprised
> > if Photoshop does this when you convert "mode" from 8bit to 
> 16bit,
> > in which case this wouldn't explain the supposed improvement 
> from
> > OPM when you give it 16bit images,
> > 
> > John
> 
> Yes, adding noise to the bottom byte could be done.  But
> Photoshop doesn't . It actually takes the 8bit number and
> multiplies by 257 -- puts same value in each half of the
> 16bit value, that way 0 ==> 0 and 255 ==> 65535.
> 
> Roy