Digital BW, The Print

I think I have the final formula for this inkset, but I'll continue to test
all week.

 

On EEM, grayscale files print 0.02 units warm with the driver on the default
"Color Controls," "Automatic," and the paper setting at HWM.  

 

With the driver Color Controls on Vivid, and sliders set at Cyan +7, Magenta
-5, the print is neutral ("selenium" tone, with the magenta elevated 0.01).
The Cyan ink is very cool.  This position was chosen for the cool ink so
that the cyan colored marker by the slider would help people remember which
ink is cold.  The magenta and light magenta positions contain raw carbon
inks.  

 

With the sliders set to Y +25, M +10, C -15, the print is medium warm (Y - C
= 0.05).  The Yellow position ink is very warm.  The yellow marker by that
slider should help people remember this position.  

 

Here's an extra trick that gives some nice control.  Because the Yellow
position (warm ink) is used sparingly in the midtones by the Epson driver
and then relatively more heavily in the shadows, one can control the
relative shadow tone with the Yellow slider.  So, when just the C & M
sliders are used to get a neutral print, as above, the shadows are
relatively neutral.  When the Y slider is pulled down to, for example, -15
(with the C cool inks set to +8) the shadows turn cooler than the neutral
midtone.  This is actually more typical of the true selenium-toned silver
prints.

 

So, the sliders can not only control the overall tone, within the cool to
medium-warm range, but they can also alter the shadow tones relative to the
midtones.

 

With RGB curves, the full range of sepia (0.25 warm) to carbon only (.11
warm) and the other tones are also available.  Power users may still prefer
the full control that these curves give, but there is now substantial
control just with the much more accessible sliders.

 

Paul

www.PaulRoark.com <http://www.paulroark.com/>  



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