Digital BW, The Print

> > ... I can not accurately measure an ink  
> > because it is more dense than the current stuff will 
> > measure with any degree of accuracy. ... LAB L of 1, ...
> > somewhere around a density of 3.0D ...
> > this stuff is pretty much a black hole.

> You are asking either the impossible, or the very expensive, ...

Some of us were also getting 3.0+ density readings with the coating workflows that we experimented with -- particularly running the glossy prints through the printer a second time to apply an overcoat of glop.  I think the affordable spectros' inability to measure accurately at those levels correlates well with our eyes' inability to see any difference from about dmax 2.5 to 3 -- particularly in typical display situations where reflections block our ability to see into the deep blacks on glossy paper.  I'd keep an eye on the pizza wheel marks and whether they are exacerbated by whatever you're doing to reach those numbers.  I found the post-printing glop application made the problem worse, for example.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com