Digital BW, The Print

You might want to go back to my post that started this thread last 
night. I am using a monitor calibrated with a ColorVision Spyder 
hardware calibrator, and my printer is profiled with ColorVision's 
ProfilerPLUS software.

Tweaking the Roark curves to make them match the screen is 
putting the cart before the horse. The monitor can reproduce a 
larger gamut of colors and a wider luminance range. You will 
never get a print to match the monitor. Instead, you should 
"dumb down" the monitor to match the very best of what's 
possible on a print. That's what softproofing does - by using a 
printer profile, it tells the monitor to show what the image will 
look like on paper. I adjusted the Roark curves not to make the 
print match the monitor, but to make the print look as good as it 
possibly could. I tried to get both a pleasing image and a smooth 
21-step grayscale. The curve tweaking yielded a good print. The 
printer profiling and use of softproofing in Photoshop yielded a 
monitor display that closely matched the print.

Jacques Cornell
> I guess the best way to get this calibration better would be to 
apply 
> a RGB curve to Paul's curves.  What is everyone else doing 
and does 
> anyone want to share their's so I have a better starting point?  I 
am 
> using VM medium warm and neutral curves, PC, 1160 and 
Archival matte.
> 
> thanks,
> 
> mark
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "tzinzunzan2000" <
ldmr@c...> 
> wrote:
> > Up to a point, I tend to agree with you. Since you are working 
with 
> a 
> > luminous screen on the one hand and non-luminous paper 
on the other, 
> > you will need to visualize just how much the luminescence of 
the 
> > screen will be diminished or not shown in the print. However, 
you 
> > should be able to calibrate your monitor to your paper to get a 
very 
> > close correspondence between the two with regard to 
relative tonal 
> > relationships. 
> > 
> > Chris Hargens
> > 
> >  --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "markhahn2000" 
> > <markhahn2000@y...> wrote:
> > > As a real newbee to quadtone printing who has just 
installed the 
> > MIS 
> > > VM CFS and trying to use the Roark curves I am just 
wondering how 
> > > anyone can actually match the luminous screen to actual 
printed 
> > > output?  After quite a bit of fiddling, I realized that there is 
> no 
> > > way to have your monitor white match your paper white or 
get your 
> > > monitor black to match 100% ink black on the paper... then 
it gets 
> > > into the lustre of the paper etc... seems pretty hopeless.  I 
was 
> > > starting to think that the real trick is to get to know your 
> system 
> > > and develop a mental "transfer function" when interpreting 
your 
> > screen 
> > > image for printing, is this not the case?
> > > 
> > > Thanks for any insight,
> > > 
> > > Mark
> > > 
> > > PS  Thanks again to Paul for his devotion to developing 
curves and 
> > > supporting the VM inkset, I am very impressed so far and 
love the 
> > > ability to dial in any tone I wish.
> > > 
> > > --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "jacques10040" 
> > > <jacques10040@y...> wrote:
> > > ...I tweaked the Roark curve (softproofing on) to yield a 
good 
> > > > onscreen 21-step grayscale, and am getting prints that 
are a 
> very 
> > > > close match....