Digital BW, The Print

> From: Tom Baker [mailto:tbaker1328@...]
>
> IP uses 'standard' ICC profiles.  The profiles are done by
> Colorbyte, and are provided free to IP users.  One could spend
> the money to have custom profiles made, but I've only heard of
> one or two people that thought the custom profiles were better.

I've already spent the money on profiling software, so I want to make sure I
can use it with whatever RIP I get.

> The point I was trying to make is that while IP produces b&w
> prints that are dead on neutral with the gray files and gray ICC
> paper profiles, it can not, as is the case with Epson as well,
> produce a neutral b&w print from an RGB profile that has been
> converted to have all of the R, G, and B values equal.  In
> theory, this should be able to produce a neutral b&w print, but
> it doesn't happen.  Once the same file is converted to a gray
> file (Gamma 2.2 would be typical, I believe) and printed with a
> gray paper profile, all is well.

I'm really not getting what you're saying about equal R, G and B values.
What workflow are you saying doesn't work for B&W? Are you saying that you
can't create an RGB file with equal R, G and B in some abstract color space
like Adobe RGB, and get it to print neutral? Or are you saying that once
you've converted to the printer's color space (more precisely the RIP's
color space), you no longer have equal R, G and B?

Also, it sounds like you're saying that IP has some special kind of profile
designed only for B&W. Is that the case? If so, it's something I've never
heard of, but it sounds like it could be useful.

--

Ciao,               Paul D. DeRocco
Paul                mailto:pderocco@...