Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "johnglodge" 
<john.lodge@s...> wrote:
> You original question said "printer" not driver. To get the answer 
> to this you need to be precise and remember what you asked.
> 
> It is quite difficult for a printer to represent 255 shades of grey 
> let alone anything more. Most cannot get to 255 shades of grey. 
> Hence 8 bit at the printer is fine and what is usual.
> 
> However because of all the layers of software in a driver or a RIP 
> (that might include a CMM and serious ICC transforms) there is 
> reason to use more than 255 so that the first limitation that 
occurs 
> is that of the printer itself and other rounding errors in the 
> software do not dominate.
> 
> As I recall the Windows driver and the Mac driver too are (or were) 
> limited to 8 bits. This is potentially a limitation whereas 8bits 
at 
> the printer is not.
> 
> ...John 

OK, I think I understand.  Thanks and sorry for not being more 
precise.

Tom