Digital BW, The Print

>ABW is only non-ICC based in that Epson does not provide any ICC profiles.

Man, when did this paradigm shift???

Forever, I have been under the impression that ICC profiles had no bearing
on ABW printing whatsoever.

How many times did I read something to this affect in this forum and
elsewhere?

I am astonished that I could have been so misinformed for so long despite
reading the content of this forum every day for the past several years.

BUT...

I did prove it to myself. I made four test prints (using the Northlight
Images test file) last night on my favorite Innova Gloss F on my 3800:


   1. ABW with color management turned off
   2. ABW with a color ICC profile I created with PFP
   3. ABW with a QTR created ICC profile
   4. from QTR (w/o any ICC profile in the chain) using the Silver Rag
   curve

Differences in the four prints were obvious.

In my (happy) ignorance, I had always previously used method 2.  But this
produced the worst print insofar as linear grays were concerned -- this was
particularly apparent in the test print's "circular patch".

Color me suddenly lots more edumacated...

And it was pretty clear that the shadow detail was best from method 4 -- as
particularly evident in the portion of the test print of the ruins and the
cliff wall. Print 3 was a pretty close 2nd.

This enviably leads to more questions and my status as a "non-tinkerer
printer" may be at risk.

Now I wonder, since I always use Qimage to print, if I should print to
file using the QTR ICC profile (as opposed to none) and not select a curve
in QTR? If I do this how would I make a warm or cool toned print? Should I
skip the QTR ICC altogether and just use QTR curves?

Cripes... I'm on a slippery slope of getting too wrapped in the techy
stuff...

Dave.


-- 
Portfolio: www.david-keenan.com/portfolio
Web Site: www.david-keenan.com
2007 PAW: www.david-keenan.com/paw


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