Digital BW, The Print

Thanks very much Bruce for the informative reply. Say, is that book Light Science and 
Magic woth a read for printer types?
> 
> > There has been a lot of discussion over extended periods on the group 
> > regarding matte and glossy dmax. Is it true that light SCATTERED at 
> > the paper surface is what gives a matte surface its look, and that 
> > very same scattering is what reduces dmax? And with a glossy paper 
> > less light is scattered, more is REFLECTED, dmax is greater, and you 
> > have the glossyness to deal with. In other words isn't it true that 
> > you can't have a matte surface with a truely large dmax? Aren't paper 
> > surface/glossiness and dmax directly related in a way we wish they 
> > weren't? Is it physically possible to separate the two? Any thoughts?
> >
> > Dave
> >
> >
> Yes to all. This is explained pretty well in the book /Light Science & 
> Magic/ by Hunter and Fuqua IIRC. In the early chapters they cover how 
> objects reflect light. I can't find the book right off, so I'll have to 
> broadly paraphrase.
> 
> Basically, matte object give a diffuse reflection, while glossy objects 
> give off direct reflection. If you are looking at a matte print on axis, 
> light coming from anywhere in front of the print is reflected difusely - 
> that is, light coming in at a 10 degree angle is reflected back fairly 
> equally across a 180 degree hemisphere. Some of this light reflects to 
> your eyes.
> 
> If you try that with a glossy print, the light coming in at a 10 degree 
> angle is reflected back off the print at 170 degrees. Almost none of it 
> will reflect back into your eyes.
> 
> What it all comes down to is, glossy surfaces reflect less light into 
> your eyes. It's the essence of being glossy. And it's the reason that 
> glossy surfaces exhibit greater Dmax.
> --
> Bruce Watson