Digital BW, The Print

>Paul Roark wrote:
> > 
> > I printed a 21-step test file with the icc that was created with this
> > system, and the ramp is relatively dark with very compressed 90% - 100%
> > steps.  It's not what I'd like to see as a final density distribution.


Steve wrote:

> ...  Remember the colour
> management at work in showing the image on your display (no soft proof or
> anything) is doing an identical thing.  ...
> Adobe CMM is mapping the file black to your monitor's black point, 
> most likely with relative colormetric intent and
> black point compensation (so there is no clipping).  
> So this is exactly the
> same thing as what the printer ICC profile is doing 
> only the printer black is even worse.  
> So the point to remember is that you have been looking at
> this sort of scaling all the time for years.

It is about the same as what the monitor does, if not "corrected" with a
custom dot gain curve.  However, looking at if from the perspective of what
makes the best print, we are wasting precious grayscale.  If in 8 bit, our
256 steps is reduced to about 218 effective steps.  I'm not sure that is a
wise compromise at all. 

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com