Digital BW, The Print

Hi Frank.
--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Frank Jay
<frankjay02@...> wrote:
>
> With all the talk about Dmax I am wondering is this dmax  actually
measured by most users with a densiometer or is it perceptual Dmax as
experienced by how the prints actually look framed, matterd , hung and
viewed at a normal viewing distance. Normal being a few feet away as
oposed to abnormal with someone's nose stuck to the glass and pixel
peeping. 
>    

I think you will find that it is a broad sweep of both. However those
with actual instrument data usually post it. There have been threads
arguing the effectiveness of either method of observation. Some quite
heated. For instance, anyone who has ever observed a glossy print held
at the wrong angle to the light can tell you that it has a very poor
d'max from that perspective. On the other hand, measured with an
instrument that does not account for specularly reflected light, it
will read a terrific d'max and will look like it as well if viewed
from the correct(as regards lighting) perspective. There have been
many observations that framing and glazing reduce the apparent
difference between matt and gloss papers to the eye.


>   I have read a few articles by Caponigro and he mentions often
about the amount of ink that is being put down by certain drivers and
printers and how that affects Dmax. If a paper has let's say a Dmax of
3, (just for an arbitrary number) and your printer is not laying down
enough ink to get the the 3 , then you will never experience the full
potential of a high Dmax paper being your printer can't achieve it. Or
will you?
>    

It sounds reasonable but the devil is in the details. The Epson
drivers have different paper selections within the drivers and these
change the amount of ink laid down in many cases. These amount to
crude ink limit controls. Wrong choice selection gives more or less
ink than needed and that impacts apon d'max. If a full RIP is used one
can adjust the limits to optimize for the best the paper can do. That
might also mean using less ink than the machine is capable of because
it is possible in many cases to flood the paper with too much ink and
that can actually reduce d'max.

>
Is it the printer, or the printer settngs as to the amount of ink
being laid down, or is it actually the Dmax itself or is it perceptual
and personal preferences
>    

It's most likely all of the above;)


>    I have also seen posts where one poster like the Dmax of paper A,
another poster with the same  printer does not like it and has to use
paper B to get the blacks they want. Should or should not both the
same printers, using the same inks should acheive the same Dmax, or
again..is it the individual characteristics of each printer and/or the
personal preferences of the viewers. 
>    

Yes and yes. And workflow being used.

>   I am reading this posts very closely because I am about to make a
few hundred dollar purchase of papers, and being a lot of companies
don't make sample packs of all their papers, I do not want to make
mistakes and waste a lot of  money on papers that don't produce the
results I want. 
>    

IMHO. If you take the direct comparisons between a variety of papers
tested on the same machine by the same person using "whatever"
workflow, you can get a crude feel of how they "might" be ranked. Then
from the upper tier of your choices solicit more input from others and
search the group for any data relevant to any given paper and your
particular circumstances and machine. You will then have done the best
you can. From there on it's all your workflow and experience or lack
of it, and whatever helpful info you garnered on the way. Join the
crowd :)

Regards
Duane



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