Digital BW, The Print

> Dan,
> 
> Thanks for all the input on this. I am not sure I am taking it all in
> though. I need to sit down and play with it to get it clear in my
> head.
> 
> Martin

Maybe I should summarize:

Set your default working space to either 1.8 or 2.2 (either one is good, I
use 2.2)
Scan your negative into that working space or scan it and open it with no
conversion.
Once opened, assign that grayscale working space to the file if your default
settings don't do that already.
Adjust your file so that it looks good on the monitor.
When you are ready to print, choose Adobe RGB gamma x.x in the print space
drop down dialog ("Adobe gamma x.x" is the edited Adobe RGB working space
you created and saved as a profile).
Set your printer color sliders according to the workflow recommendations and
print.

That should be it. You need to create multiple versions of Adobe RGB with
different gammas and select the one which works best, but once you do that
you have a monitor-to-print calibration profile which takes you through RGB
and applies a gamma.  Note that I am not at all sure why you need to go
through RGB with the workflow, but since converting to RGB was a part of the
original workflow I just gave you a way to do apply a quick RGB calibration
curve to that process.  If I were using it I think I'd just skip the RGB
part, and in the RGB step above just apply a grayscale dot gain in the
printer space dialog instead and then set my sliders.  Which ever of the
standard dot gains worked best would be the one I'd select as standard from
then on.  Unless you need to significantly change the slider settings then
you would have to come up with a new dot gain for those settings.

PS -- I've found that it is very helpful to have a couple of fifths of
Absolut around when trying to figure out workflows and how to use them.

-- Dan Culbertson
so many years, so little time...