Digital BW, The Print

Paul Roark wrote:

>Keith,
>
>Very interesting.
>
>I hope the UT2 inkset is even more compatible with standard printing
>software.  Using densities that are close to the OEM inks might help.
>
>  
>

Ok, here's an update..

Over some extended testing I've found that the most useful setting for 
using these profiles as a Soft Proof is  by simply choosing "Perceptual" 
and  "Preserve Color Numbers" - I am tending to use "Paper White" and 
"Ink Black" clicked on, as it seems to bring me a more accurate overall 
ramp depiction.  However, some (those who don't often use soft proofing, 
especially) may find leaving "Paper White" checked makes images look too 
low in contrast or too grayish.

However, more importantly I find two helpful uses (actually differing 
workflows) for these profiles.

1)   Simply use them as you would any profile for both soft-proofing and 
printing..  Convert your  greyscale image to RGB (working in Adobe RGB 
as your default ColorSpace), then. select the profile as your soft proof 
AND as the printer space when printing.. You should be careful to also 
choose the Soft Proof Profile as your Source Space in the Print with 
Preview Dialog. In this workflow you can use BOTH or either, the 
Hue/Saturation adjuster and Paul's Curves to achieve nice split-toning 
while in the soft-proof mode. (for the color geeks out there: yes, 
basically the same effects can be had by just soft-proofing with the 
profile, establishing the source space as Adobe RGB, and leaving the 
print space as "same as source" - I prefer to use the profile as the 
source and printer space to keep the conversions consistent in my head - 
if we anyone really wants to discuss the color geek side of all this, 
I'd suggest the colortheory YAHOO! group as the best place to find the 
REAL experts, I just do what works for me) Obviously, this approach (as 
long as you keep the printer spaces set as I do) also works for 
soft-proofing the Roark Curves..

2)   More interesting to some may be the ability to, with these 
profiles, still use a pure Roark workflow and easily "soft proof" 
differing Roark Curves to choose the curve you want to use with a 
specific print. In this workflow you use the profile ONLY for the 
soft-proof, while leaving the printer color space in the "Print with 
Preview" dialogue set to "Same as Source"... (The source space in this 
case gets left at Adobe RGB)  This would basically be a pure Roark 
Workflow, but with the ability to soft profile..

Okay, now, why does this profiling work with Profile Prism and not some 
more expensive scanner based packages?  The other packages do more 
dithering, interpolation, and ramp smoothing, while at the same time 
generally using far fewer color patches in the Printer Target one prints 
to profile the inks (this higher level work by the other packages is 
part of why Profile Prism is often looked down upon by other vendors)..  
Profile Prism instead seems to just map many more discrete color points 
from it's test printer target without interpolation etc..  That 
interpolation and ramp smoothing, along with attention to rendering 
intent,  done by other products can  be very useful when preparing 
profiles for full color inksets where smooth tonal transitions in say  
skintones are important...  However, with the quad/hex B&W inksets, 
discrete 1 to 1 mapping, may have an advantage borne of its simplicity.

It'll be interesting to see how this all bears out with the UT v2 
inkset.. Guess I'll have to order more ink when MIS gets back in shop..

 
Keith Krebs

"Just some guy," caretaker of the Multiverse's largest EPSON printer 
User Community (highly recommended by Vogon Poets and MegaDodo 
Publications), at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EPSON_Printers/
and  the Multiverse's largest Canon printer User  Community at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Canon-printers
"For the rest of you out there, the secret is to bang the rocks together 
guys"