Digital BW, The Print

In a message dated 1/14/2004 6:36:30 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com writes:
Quick question:   Is anyone on the list using the Epson driver with Bill 
Atkinson's profiles to print B+W photographs on the 7600 or 9600?   If so, 
how 
would you characterize the results?   Is it a viable option?   

Sanders McNew
www.mcnew.net

Yep. Use them with RC papers. Dead neutral. Print color and B&W nest to each 
other for portrait and wedding work. Quads on rag for personal work or PREMIUM 
priced client work.

Claude


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

my experience with both EEM and ESM is that the Atkinson profiles exhibit classic 
metemerism, even though they are pretty darn good otherwise. Hence the need for 
QTR

mjs

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, claudej1@a... wrote:

> In a message dated 1/14/2004 6:36:30 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
> DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com writes:
> Quick question:   Is anyone on the list using the Epson driver with Bill 
> Atkinson's profiles to print B+W photographs on the 7600 or 9600?   If so, 
> how 
> would you characterize the results?   Is it a viable option?   
> 
> Sanders McNew
> www.mcnew.net
> 
> Yep. Use them with RC papers. Dead neutral. Print color and B&W nest to each 
> other for portrait and wedding work. Quads on rag for personal work or PREMIUM 
> priced client work.
> 
> Claude
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

QTRIP Calibrating Density with Photoshop

As I do not own nor have access to a densitometer, I am trying to 
perform the Ink Density calibration for QTRIP v2.0 beta8 using 
Photoshop 7 and my old Epson Perfection 1200 scanner. This is for an 
Epson 1270 using MIS VM inks with Ebony black.

After doing the Hardware Ink Limitation Calibration(which I settled 
on 90), I printed out the QuadtoneRIP Ink Pattern Page in Calibration 
mode (with BOOST_K disabled). I then scanned the resulting image into 
PS using Silverfast Ai 6. I disabled all calibration and color 
correction in Silverfast and scanned in RGB mode converting to 
grayscale in PS.

The problem is that my 100 Black is only 85%in PS (38 RGB). I assume 
that I should be getting a reading of 100% or something close to it. 
Although I can correct this in Silverfast or PS I would think that 
this would defeat the whole purpose of the calibration process.

What have I done wrong and how can I correct this ?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Tim Goodwin

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Tim,

I've been doing this by eye as well, but without the scanner idea as my scanner can 
not differentiate the lighter tones at all, and it seemed pointless.

What I do is to:

1. print out the test page with the ink levels at 100.

2. For each ink I set the ink limits individually based upon using my eyes to make 
sure there is signifcant seperation in the darkest patches. IOW I choose the darkest 
patch that seems to have a uniform step up to the next one and set the ink limit for 
that ink using that patch.

3. I print out a new calibration chart with the new ink limits and cut the grey step 
wedges into strips. Then by eye I place the lighter strip on top of the next darker strip 
to calculate the ink% for curve making.

4. I set the overlap, or what ever it's called to about 20% and make a curve and print 
out a step wedge using the new curve.

5. by eye, through some trial and error I adjust the overall gamma or the shadow or 
hightlight gamma to match my screen with a step wedge displayed at gamma 2.2


This seems to get me very very very close. If I had a densitometer, I could then run 
the "linearize" option and make a perfected curve, but I don't.

I will say that I can find no bumps in the gradient though. I'm very impressed.

-bruce

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Tim Goodwin <tgvoz@p...> 
wrote:

> QTRIP Calibrating Density with Photoshop
> 
> As I do not own nor have access to a densitometer, I am trying to 
> perform the Ink Density calibration for QTRIP v2.0 beta8 using 
> Photoshop 7 and my old Epson Perfection 1200 scanner. This is for an 
> Epson 1270 using MIS VM inks with Ebony black.
> 
> After doing the Hardware Ink Limitation Calibration(which I settled 
> on 90), I printed out the QuadtoneRIP Ink Pattern Page in Calibration 
> mode (with BOOST_K disabled). I then scanned the resulting image into 
> PS using Silverfast Ai 6. I disabled all calibration and color 
> correction in Silverfast and scanned in RGB mode converting to 
> grayscale in PS.
> 
> The problem is that my 100 Black is only 85%in PS (38 RGB). I assume 
> that I should be getting a reading of 100% or something close to it. 
> Although I can correct this in Silverfast or PS I would think that 
> this would defeat the whole purpose of the calibration process.
> 
> What have I done wrong and how can I correct this ?
> 
> Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks
> Tim Goodwin
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Tim,

When I started with QTR I did not have a densitometer too. I had great
results with my old Umax powerlook II scanner and Vuescan. Nice about
Vuescan <http://www.hamrick.com> is that it can be used for density
readings. It uses the raw output of the CCD for that. Optical density
readings are measured as log (max_colour from CCD/raw_colour from CCD.

These density readings can be accessed in Vuescan when moving the
pointer over the scanned image while holding ctrl.

When I remeasured inkseparation points with my second hand XRite the
fell on exactly the same spots. Linearisation worked fine too.

Hope this helps

> QTRIP Calibrating Density with Photoshop
> 
> As I do not own nor have access to a densitometer, I am trying to 
> perform the Ink Density calibration for QTRIP v2.0 beta8 using 
> Photoshop 7 and my old Epson Perfection 1200 scanner. This is for an 
> Epson 1270 using MIS VM inks with Ebony black.
> 
> After doing the Hardware Ink Limitation Calibration(which I settled 
> on 90), I printed out the QuadtoneRIP Ink Pattern Page in Calibration 
> mode (with BOOST_K disabled). I then scanned the resulting image into 
> PS using Silverfast Ai 6. I disabled all calibration and color 
> correction in Silverfast and scanned in RGB mode converting to 
> grayscale in PS.
> 
> The problem is that my 100 Black is only 85%in PS (38 RGB). I assume 
> that I should be getting a reading of 100% or something close to it. 
> Although I can correct this in Silverfast or PS I would think that 
> this would defeat the whole purpose of the calibration process.
> 
> What have I done wrong and how can I correct this ?
> 
> Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks
> Tim Goodwin
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Kees Brandenburg" 
<ctb@z...> wrote:
> Tim,
> 
> When I started with QTR I did not have a densitometer too. I had great
> results with my old Umax powerlook II scanner and Vuescan. Nice about
> Vuescan <http://www.hamrick.com> is that it can be used for density
> readings. It uses the raw output of the CCD for that. Optical density
> readings are measured as log (max_colour from CCD/raw_colour from CCD.
> 
> These density readings can be accessed in Vuescan when moving the
> pointer over the scanned image while holding ctrl.
> 
> When I remeasured inkseparation points with my second hand XRite the
> fell on exactly the same spots. Linearisation worked fine too.
> 
> Hope this helps

Thanks Kees,

I do you vuescan for scanning (only scanning software that works in system X) with 
my old microtek V600 and my UMAX Astra 1200s. Unfortunately, I find the neither of 
these scanners can differentiate the 5% patch from the 0% patch or even the 10% 
patch. 

Thanks for the info about holding the ctrl in vuescan. I just may try again.

-bruce

On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 15:20:45 -0000, "smthopr2000"
<bagreene@...> wrote:

>Thanks Kees,
>
>I do you vuescan for scanning (only scanning software that works in system X) with 
>my old microtek V600 and my UMAX Astra 1200s. Unfortunately, I find the neither of 
>these scanners can differentiate the 5% patch from the 0% patch or even the 10% 
>patch. 
>
>Thanks for the info about holding the ctrl in vuescan. I just may try again.
>
>-bruce
>
>
You may find you can do a little better with the scanner if you cut
the calibration strips from the printed page, and scan them with black
paper behind them rather than white, to reduce the amount of reflected
light. bouncing around inside the scanner. You may need to do a
Vuescan 'calibration' scan first, with white paper.
Mike Finley, http://www.efikim.co.uk