Digital BW, The Print

Bill,

I do find that my 4800 ABW settings (linearity, inking etc.) for Epson
papers are great, Epson have clearly worked hard on this.
If you combine ABW+Epson Papers + QTR Create ICC you do have a very usable,
repeatable workflow that produces fantastic results on VFA and USFA.

I would agree that you have to work harder with non Epson papers that don't
hold as much ink, to make ABW work effectively, but its doable. I often find
that Textured Fine Art is the setting that works best for a lot of non-Epson
papers. It has a lighter ink load than other paper settings.

Mike


On 06/08/07, BKPhoto@... <BKPhoto@...> wrote:
>
>
> Steve-
>
> You've question leads to a core issue in printing on the OEM path. You
> have an excellent printer, inks, and you're working with excellent papers.
> And, while ABW is pretty nifty, it is part of the "black box" that is the
> print driver software. This means you are printing through a embedded
> profile locked in the box; this, combined with the fact that Epson print
> drivers habitually lay down too much ink, can easily result in loss of tonal
> definition. In your case, the inability to replicate image code values into
> print tonality accurately.
>
> If you want to stay on the OEM path, there are two options you can
> explore. First, make adjustments in the Printer Color Management panel; try
> using Normal or Light in the Tone menu. You can also experiment with the
> other controls in this panel, but I'd suggest making small moves, printing,
> trying again, until you get something usable. If you do find something
> usable, be sure to save the settings through the Presets menu. You'll have
> to do this for each paper in turn. Sorry.
>
> Also, you can experiment with the Color Density slider found in the Paper
> Configuration panel. Again, make small changes, print, try again.
>
> What you'll be doing, essentially, is twiddling with the knobs and
> switches attached to the black box. While this will allow you to stay on the
> OEM path, it will never produce the accurate print that a properly ink
> limited, linearized, and profiled system is capable of. Understand, I'm not
> advocating that you stray off the path. You may be able to tweak your
> workflow enough to solve the problem. You'll certainly learn a lot about the
> behavior of the print driver this way.
>
> Bill Kennedy
> K2 Press
> Austin, Texas
> Author of "The Photographer's Guide to the Digital Darkroom", Allworth
> Press.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: SteveZ <blizzie12@... <blizzie12%40yahoo.com>>
> To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com<DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 10:23 am
> Subject: [Digital BW] Dark skies and Dmax
>
> I need some advise on printing images with dark skies and/or skies that
>
> have a distinct transition gradient from dark to lighter tones
>
> Unlike most of you, I'm relatively new to digital b&W printing
>
> and, as such, technically challenged when it comes to measuring dmax,
>
> creating profiles, etc.
>
> I'm using a 3800 with k3 inks with matte papers that include VFA, HPR
>
> and MPR. For b&w I normally use the the ABW driver but even when using
>
> the RGB driver/media profiles the results invariably are the same.
>
> I've also made test prints with all of the above papers with similar
>
> outcomes: solid black skies with no detail.
>
> Without getting too technical,
>
> can anybody shed some light?
>
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>
> 
>


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