Digital BW, The Print

Paul Roark wrote:

>
>
>The range Steve measured is, I assume, from a LCD.  He gets about 6+ stops.
>Using the same techniques, I get about 4+ stops with my CRT.  I've been told
>LCDs can be about 50% brighter than CRTs.  Oddly, part of this difference in
>my case is due to the calibration procedure (Spyder2Pro), which resulted in
>me setting the brightness at just above 80%.
>
>If I have the lights off and wear a black shirt, the CRT range approaches
>what Steve measured.  But the reflections wipe out that black point
>advantage when I use the computer in my normal fashion.
>
>As noted, the range Steve measured is more than the matte papers we use but
>less than the glossy papers -- but only under ideal lighting such as used by
>the densitometers/spectrophotometers.  Using the spot meter on prints in
>typical office or home viewing conditions, I get closer to a 4+ stop range
>for both matte and glossy (glass framing would reduce that).  So, my CRT is
>really not that far off in terms of its display of the dynamic range of what
>we see in practice.
>
>Paul
>www.PaulRoark.com 
>  
>
Some of us will have nice pro monitors with shades at the sides to 
reduce the reflections. I do have two IIyama Vision Master Pros that 
come without shades. I have made shades for them with plastic sheets and 
black paper on the inside. Probably the cheapest addition that I made to 
improve the quality of the softproof but it really helps. The SpectroCam 
+ Prove It do the rest. 5000K + 2.2 gamma. For color work and QTR B&W 
now. Using the appropriate ICC profiles for monitor etc. Ambient light 
is reduced when it gets critical. I wouldn't know how to improve on that 
without making the solution less universal. I never wear white or black 
shirts but that has little to do with the work :-)

In the end the print will  be judged, an old hair dryer (helmet type) on 
a box with large holes at the sides is a good investment too. Soft 
proofing will speed up the printing process but like Bruce says do not 
expect too much of it so speeding up the real proof is a good thing too.

BTW, this must be the thread with the most text ever. Very few practical 
solutions.

Ernst
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