Digital BW, The Print

Hello Djon43,

>You report using a lot of EEM to advance your expertise: a research
>("test") material. It's perfect for that, a universally accepted
>benchmark. But that's not "proofing" and the difference is more than
>semantic.

Ok, I guess there are differing definitions for this and we should
clarify what we mean.   My understanding of the term, adopted from how
I've perceived it's use here in this forum, is that proofs are test
prints created during the process of working up an image in PS to it's
final state.  Once the image is "done", all the proofs go in the trash
and any subsequent prints that you actually show to people, of
whatever size and for whatever purpose, are done on the final paper.  

This meaning for the term in digital printing seems to be reinforced
by the "Soft Proof" feature in PS (meaning a software proof).  This is
a tool for previsualizing what an image will look like when printed. 
In this sense, a proof is a temporary image (paper or software) used
during the workup process.

There really is no counterpart for this in the darkroom world.  A
contact sheet is not the same thing, and initial workup of a negative
under the enlarger by necessity had to be on the same paper as the
final prints.  So it seems the term has been adapted and given new
meaning in the digital world.


>Photographic old timers, including our custom printers, always 
>relied on the intended final paper for proofs (not like contact 
>sheets etc)...

If I was ever providing small sample prints to a potential customer in
hopes of making a sale I would certainly print them on the final paper
in order to look their best.  So in this sense I would agree that EEM
is not the best choice.  

So we really do have quite different meanings for the word.  Unless I
have misunderstood it's use here, the term in the digital world means
temporary or "test" prints, as you say.  People say "proof
print" or "proofs" pretty regularly in that context, and refer to
"proof paper", as distinctly different from the paper used for prints
that you show to people or sell.  I'm not suggesting that either one
is right or wrong.  I've just adapted to what I perceived as current
usage (and I have many years darkroom background, some of it in the
portrait world, so I'm quite familiar with that usage).

If "proof" is synonymous with "test" in the digital world, then I
guess you need to decide whether to join or fight.  If that's not the
case, then...I don't know what happens.  All I know is that until now,
over the past 5+ years I don't recall there ever being a
misunderstanding, or a discussion, of it in this forum. Lots of
things, concepts and terminology, are different in the digital world.
But perhaps I've been mistaken all along.  Anyone else want to weigh
in on this?


Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm