Digital BW, The Print

Hi David,

>...  These printers really don't need special inksets 
>(which would limit them to B&W only), 
> nor do they need special drivers or RIPs 

>(they have the clever gray generation functions for 
> low metamerism B&W already built into the RGB drivers) ...

Just looking at the K3 printers, the ABW workflow appears to use much more
LLK in the highlights than does the RGB workflow.  On the other hand, even
the ABW workflow uses more color inks than are necessary to neutralize the
carbon, and that -- the use of as little color ink as possible -- would seem
to be the goal for the best B&W printing, if not all printing.

The more color inks that are in the image, the more those images will still
have many of the problems, though in lesser amounts, that we have objected
to in color-ink-based B&W from the outset, including metamerism,
cross-overs, differential fading, and more rapid fading.

So, while advances in the ability to accurately profile these printers will
be a most welcomed step, what I think is needed is the reduction of the
amount of color inks in the B&W images.  

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I think that as long as a workflow uses
the OEM driver and OEM inkset, the amount of color ink injected is strictly
within the OEM drivers' control, and not an issue that any ICC or other
profile can deal with.  

A RIP that controls the individual jets, of course, can avoid the problem of
too much color.  Likewise, a dedicated B&W inkset can deal with the problem
even with the OEM driver being used with an "RGB" workflow.  However, short
of these approaches, aren't we stuck with the excess color inks as long as
we use the OEM inkset and OEM driver? 

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com