Digital BW, The Print

Clayton-- Thanks.  I'm going to mull this over.  Walt


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Clayton Jones" 
<cj@c...> wrote:
> Martin and Walt,
> 
> >>>>>
> >I have found that, if I set my color setting (PS CS) working 
> >spaces "grey," to Gamma 2.2 and my ABW prints, either warm or 
> >neutral to a fine adjustment of "dark," I get a pretty good 
> >match to my screen.   I do not know if this is unversal, but 
> >it does work for me.
> >>>>>
> 
> >>>>>
> I am also using the ABW driver with "light" (smoother step wedge)
> and "neutral" settings. I have not reduced the ink limit. Do you
> have any correspondence between screen and print (i.e. something 
like
> a soft proof) and if so, what are you using for screen view
> (workspace, monitor calibration, etc.)? I am using a workspace of
> gamma 2.2 and a monitor calibrated to 5K and 2.2. The screen view is
> much darker than the print and the shadow compression is somewhat
> different between the two; so I use a PS curve for viewing to fairly
> closely match the print. But I thought you might be doing something
> better than this.
> >>>>>
> 
> I'll try to explain what I'm doing, but first please understand that
> these various settings push and pull an image at both ends, so there
> are various combinations that can end up with virtually the same
> results.  This explanation is in no way suggesting that it is 
superior
> or that I'm suggesting others should do the same.   It's just what
> works well for me.
> 
> This method originates with the BO technique, which uses "Same As
> Source" as the printer profile setting (I use PS CS, I think in CS2
> this is called "No Color Management").  This means that the front 
end
> (image) profile does not affect the print, it only affects how the
> image looks on screen (for a full explanation of how this works 
please
> see my article #4 at the link below).
> 
> Since the Epson BO driver puts out a fairly light print, the image
> itself has to be a bit darker to get the proper density.  Because 
the
> image is darker it looks darker on screen, so in order to get good
> WYSIWYG (make the screen image match the print), I use a front end
> profile of Dot Gain 18 or 20%, which makes the image look
> lighter on screen than GG2.2.  
> 
> This has proven to be a very reliable and consistent approach.  I 
have
> set the PS default gray space to use a custom DG18 curve, so every 
new
> grayscale image gets this to start with.  Depending on the image, I
> may change this to match the first test print, anywhere from DG15 to
> DG20.  This gives me excellent WYSIWYG all through the entire 
process.
> 
> I use EEM for proofing.  When it's time for a final print on some
> other paper, I usually have to tack on an adjustment curve to tweak
> the contrast and/or density to match the proof.  I save this curve
> with the image, usually naming it with the paper name.
> 
> Suppose now I open an existing image to print to the 2400.  Since 
the
> image is darker, I've found that setting ABW/Tone to Lighter and
> reducing the ink limit by 5% produces a print of nearly identical
> density to the BO version (which probably means I'm using less ink 
as
> well).  All that's required is an adjustment curve to tweak the
> contrast to match the proof, depending on what paper and ABW color
> settings are used - essentially the same workflow as I've been using
> all along.
> 
> Having this consistency is paying off, because I can work up an 
image
> using BO on the R200 (which saves a lot of expensive K3 ink) using 
my
> tried and true methods.  If I decide the final image will look 
better
> as a K3 print, I can then send it to the 2400 using those saved 
driver
> settings and be right in the ball park first time, only needing 
minor
> tweaks on the paper curve .
> 
> This was put to the test last week when I made a formal portrait of
> some friends at church.  I worked up the proof in BO and then sent 
it
> to the 2400.  No base adjustments were needed to the image, just the
> usual curve tacked on to make the final image match the proof.
> 
> I was real worried that my entire workflow would have to change with
> this printer, so needless to say I was VERY happy to find I can
> continue to work this way and don't have to change any of my 
existing
> images.
> 
> If you have been using "Same As Source" for the back end and GG2.2 
for
> the front end, then your images are probably lighter and setting 
Tone
> to Lighter and/or Ink Limit to -5% may not be a good thing.  But 
there
> are many possible combinations of these things, so you just have to
> find what works best for you.  But at least maybe this will shed 
some
> light on it.
> 
> 
> Regards,
> Clayton
> 
> 
> Info on black and white digital printing at    
> http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm