Digital BW, The Print

Hello All,

I have an image, a still life, worked up to my satisfaction in PS
using EEM proof paper. The background is solid black, RGB 0 all over.
Can't get any blacker than that.  When I print this (BO with Eboni)
on PR I get what you'd expect - a very deep intense black background.

Now I'm testing a new paper and with the same image the background
looks considerably weaker, so I conclude that this paper has poorer
Dmax than PR.  Just to experiment, I add a curve layer and give it a
bit of a contrast boost to see what happens.  This is a typical
S-curve where the black and white anchor points are not moved.  So all
0 pixels in the background are still zero.  Theoretically nothing in
the background has changed (the rest of the image _has_ changed, of
course).

Now when I print this, the background Dmax has increased considerably,
enough to where I'd think it was a different paper.  What has happened
here?  How can more ink have been put down in an area that was already
solid black?  Of course the other part of the pic is too contrasty -
you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  But I'd sure like to
understand better what's happening.  Anybody know? 

Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm