Digital BW, The Print

Daniel wrote:

>> What about images where they are fully
>> B&W but for a tiny detail in colour.  ...

>iProof PowerRIP allows you to print combinations of color
>and BW without metamerism in the same image since it uses
>the same printing mode for BW and color.

This is the option the Epson driver should have had.  It's where we'll be
eventually -- clearly the way to go.  We should not have to choose between
either exclusively B&W or color.  One machine and driver should be able to
do it all.  But, for now, it might be cheaper to just have 2 printers.

>I would say the dots in the highlights are slightly
>more visible,

I suspect that Epson opted for smoothness over neutrality on their
UltraChrome driver because the printer is really designed as a color
printer.  The B&W niche is still not big enough for them to care much.  The
new HP printer may change that.

When the Epson 2200 driver is used for a B&W print the highlights appear to
be made up of only the color inks.  Even the midtones of their "B&W" images
have large amounts of color pigments in them.

IP went the other direction and runs the light black all the way up into the
highlights.  They then add just enough cyan and magenta to cool down the
native warm black (some carbon but more "Proprietary dyes and pigments" [see
Material Safety Data Sheets]) pigments.  The cost is dots that some find
objectionable.  (I don't.)

Basically, the way IP and the "quad" inksets avoid metamerism and color
tints is to use no yellow and as little color as possible to tone the warm
carbon (or proprietary) black/gray pigments.  For longevity also, the less
color pigments the better.

I suspect Epson will go with a more completely black pigment solution only
when they get a light gray ink in the mix.  I wish they had that as an
option on the 4000 instead of the photo K.  It'll be interesting to see what
the RIP makers do with that machine.  If we had control of each jet, we
could dump the PK and go with a light gray from the UT inkset, for example.

>They have a free evaluation on their website that
>prints watermarked images:
>http://www.iproofsystems.com/epson/demoepson.htm

It sounds like an interesting system.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com