Digital BW, The Print

Hello,

I'm using an epson 1400 with Hot press natural paper and eboni 6 inks.

I have problems with soft proofing under photoshop :

I have installed Paul's profiles for that printer/paper, and I now have two choices :
a "NCA" profile, and a "cc22" profile as described in the zip file NCA for No Color Adjustment in driver settings and cc22 for Color Controls with gamma set to 2.2

if I try to soft proof with NCA profile, my photography turns dark grey on screen, and when using the cc22 profile, I manage to get something on screen but it seems there's a problem with the black's dynamic range : black turns dark grey and even with a level curve I can't manage to get real blacks ...

I am confused because I don't know wich profile is correct for soft proofing under ps (I would like to print under qtr and don't get the relation with nca and cc22 which are options more related to the epson driver I think)

For soft proofing I'm using these options : Preserve numbers unchecked / Perceptual / black point compensation checked / Simulate paper color 

Note : my screen is calibrated

any thoughts ?

Thanks 
Benoit

"benoit.lantoine" <benoit.lantoine@...> wrote:


> ... 1400 with Hot press natural paper and eboni 6 inks.
> 
> I have problems with soft proofing under photoshop :

The curve in the ICC that uses No Color Adjustment (and that's all you'll probably be able to use with an ICC in CS5), does not have a curve in it that has a positive slope from beginning to end.  This is one of the requirements for an ICC to be able to soft proof.

You can probably curve this by making an ICC that uses a slightly modified curve.  If you open the *.avc curve for Epson HP, modify the blue curve so that it has a very low but positive slope from 30 to 100.  (You'll want to put the curve in the Light as opposed to Pigment mode.)  Then use this curve to print a 21-step test strip and make an ICC.  Hopefully you won't have to change other parts of the curve.  (I don't have Eb6 loaded at the moment.)

Note that I don't soft proof, so many if not most of my ICCs are more concerned with making the best prints than with soft proofing.


 
> ... when using the cc22 profile, I manage to get something on screen but it seems there's a problem with the black's dynamic range : black turns dark grey and even with a level curve I can't manage to get real blacks ...

The "CC22" version is probably based on just a straight (no curve) print of a 21-step file.  The soft proof I got from it seems to have a good black on my monitor.  The print should have the same dmax as the other ICC. These do not affect the 100% black point.

> I am confused because I don't know wich profile is correct for soft proofing under ps

The cc22 ICC will be a bit warmer in the midtones than the NCA ICC that has the curve in it.

> (I would like to print under qtr and don't get the relation with nca and cc22 which are options more related to the epson driver I think)


The ICCs are for the Epson driver, which works very well with Eboni-6.  

If you use QTR you can print a 21-step and make an ICC for soft proofing that will match that output.  The ICCs in the Zip file are not for QTR printing.

Hope this helps.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

Hello Paul, thanks for the explanations

I still have a problem with getting good blacks as mentionned above :


> The "CC22" version is probably based on just a straight (no curve) print of a 21-step file.  The soft proof I got from it seems to have a good black on my monitor.  The print should have the same dmax as the other ICC. These do not affect the 100% black point.


I have done some screenshots available here in order to explain my dynamic range problem. get the jpg pointed here : http://blantoine.eu/images/softproofing.jpg

- Image at the left is the original picture
- In the midle, softproofing preview with no "simulate paper color" 
- At the right, softproofing preview with "simulate paper color"

Hope you can see what I mean : the problem seems to come from the "simulate paper color" option.

Should I use this option or not ?

Thanks.

"benoit.lantoine" <benoit.lantoine@...> wrote:
>
>... 
> 
> I have done some screenshots available here in order to explain my dynamic range problem. get the jpg pointed here : http://blantoine.eu/images/softproofing.jpg
> 
> - Image at the left is the original picture
> - In the midle, softproofing preview with no "simulate paper color" 
> - At the right, softproofing preview with "simulate paper color"
> 
> Hope you can see what I mean : the problem seems to come from the "simulate paper color" option.
> 

I'm getting the same effect with that profile as well as other matte paper profiles.  I'm not an expert in soft proofing, but it appears to me that the "simulate paper colors" does so with both the white and black end of the scale.  So, while I don't see the lower dmax with a glossy profile, I do see it with the matte paper profiles.

I might add that the only time I soft proof in B&W is with my sepia printing.  For sepia I use MIS LLK, LK and PK on Museo Silver Rag.  With it's high dmax, I don't notice the change in the blacks.

Whether you check the box or not does not affect the actual print numbers or values.  So, you can judge from actual prints whether the soft proof on the monitor is more useful with or without the box being checked.  

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com