Digital BW, The Print

An edit below to clear up Daniela's point:


> From: Steve Kale <stevekale@...>
> Reply-To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 14:39:01 +0000
> To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Conversation: [Digital BW] ABW and QTR Create ICC
> Subject: Re: [Digital BW] ABW and QTR Create ICC
> 
> Hi Juraj
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> From: jurajlipscher <juraj@...>
> 
>> 
>> I have done an extensive search of this list regarding printing on a
>> 4800 using ABW. Many thanks from my side to all contributors - there
>> is a huge wealth of data in there!! I have learned from several posts
>> that you could (and should) use QTR Create ICC in the ABW workflow.
> 
> You don't have to but if you have the equipment to do so it makes sense for
> two reasons:
> 1.  you get an ICC profile that accurately soft proofs your Adv B&W
> settings, both hue and luminance management
> 2.  you get a more sensible management of the luminance compression from
> image file (typically running from perfect black to perfect white) to the
> print space (imperfect black and imperfect white).
> 
> Think of it as doing the same thing we do for colour but with just one
> intent, perceptual.  So we measure what the printer produces in response to
> various stimulus and use those observations to create a profile of the
> printer's performance.
>> 
>> In Message 67818 Steve writes:
>> 
>> "...QTR Create ICC is a much more sensible approach:  measure and
>> profile the stimulus-response behaviour of the printer IN ABW MODE and
>> have PS use that profile to adjust image file data prior to it being
>> sent to the printer. .."
>> 
>> So just to make sure I get this idea correctly: I prepare an ICC Curve
>> using QTR following the instructions and printing through the ABW
>> driver. This would be a QTR Profile for a particular paper and ink
>> combination and also particular settings in ABW. Then I take an image
>> file (in my default workspace G = 2,2) convert this file in PS to the
>> QTR Profile just prepared and send this file to ABW using 'same es
>> source' in 'Print with Preview'.
> 
> You first print a test target with No Color Management (CS2 speak -as you
> would for a colour profile).  Say a 51 step wedge with your favourite ABW
> settings.  (I just did 4 profiles for my warm settings, horiz/vertical 10-10
> 10-15 10-20 15-20 20-20.) I just leave all the settings at their default and
> adjust the hue picker.
> 
> You then measure the target with your EyeOne or other spectrophotometer or
> densitometer (the latter only gives you luminance management and not hue
> soft proofing).
> 
> Then feed this data (drag and drop if from an EyeOne) into QTR Create ICC.
> Out pops your ICC profile.
> 
> When you come to printing images, you select Let Photoshop Determine Colors
> so that PS is used to convert your document profile on the fly from, say GG
> 2.2, to the output profile you made above using the Perceptual Intent and
> Black Point Compensation.

Then in the Advanced B&W driver settings you need to make sure they are the
same settings for which you made the ICC profile (obviously, because the
profile profiled the printer output with those settings).  So the hue etc
must be set consistent with the profile.

Epson Adv B&W does not colour manage anything.  It's just a set of driver
settings.  The bit that is missing from Epson Adv B&W is profiling the
output of each set of settings and using this for luminance management and
soft proofing.  It is exactly this gap that is plugged by QTR Create ICC.
The output part of the ICC profile does not manage colour - only luminance.
This is how it differs from a colour profile prepared by a normal profiling
package.  The input (soft proofing) part of the profile has colour and
luminance information so that you see both the hue of the print in the
soft-proof as well as the effect of the luminance management.


> 
> You set up PS soft proofs in the normal fashion.
> 
> Hope this helps
> 
> Steve