Digital BW, The Print

Has anyone experimented with quadtone inks and the PS quadtone
settings?  I recently tried setting the four inks to web colors that
approximate black, 75%, 50% and 25%. The result wasn't bad on my 3000
(MIS FSN inks, Somerset Velvet). The monitor actually matched the
result. Before reinventing the wheel, I'd love to hear fron anyone who
has tried this.
— Jan B.

Jan --

Yes. That's how I do it. By printing and viewing a 24-step step wedge and 
0-256-level gradient I'm able to make critical adjustments to the curves 
for each of the four colors. This results in an excellent translation of 
the full range of image tones to the full range of values available with 
the inks and paper I use. My calibrated monitor is a good match to the 
final print as long as I stay in gray scale mode. When I convert to 
quad-tone the image looks light but prints perfectly.

In spite of my success with this method, I know that the Epson driver 
accepts only RGB information which it converts to CMYK. This means that 
however well my empirical adjustments work, my quad-tone curves don't 
accurately represent the actual ink delivered to the nozzles. Ultimately, 
however, this doesn't matter since the feedback I get from the step wedges 
and gradients provide all the information necessary to produce useful curves.

Printer: Epson 1160
Inks: MIS Eboni black with MIS original 25%, 50%, 75% gray
Paper: Epson Enhanced Matte


At 06:57 PM 5/9/2004, you wrote:
>Has anyone experimented with quadtone inks and the PS quadtone 
>settings?  I recently tried setting the four inks to web colors that 
>approximate black, 75%, 50% and 25%. The result wasn't bad on my 3000 (MIS 
>FSN inks, Somerset Velvet). The monitor actually matched the result. 
>Before reinventing the wheel, I'd love to hear fron anyone who has tried 
>this. — Jan B.


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

Victor,

Good to know this works for someone.  I haven't tested with step wedges but=
 that sounds 
like a logical next step.  

I was getting some dots in the highlights, but then took care of them by pl=
ugging in one 
of Cone's new profiles for matte paper in the "Print space" area of "Print =
with preview."  
Color management was turned off.  From what you are saying, it sounds like =
I might be 
able to do the same thing by adjusting the individual curves for each of th=
e inks.  Do you 
apply the Pantone grays or switch to web colors?  — Jan B.



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Victor Landweber <vict=
or@l...> 
wrote:
> Jan --
> 
> Yes. That's how I do it. By printing and viewing a 24-step step wedge and=
 
> 0-256-level gradient I'm able to make critical adjustments to the curves =

> for each of the four colors. This results in an excellent translation of =

> the full range of image tones to the full range of values available with =

> the inks and paper I use. My calibrated monitor is a good match to the 
> final print as long as I stay in gray scale mode. When I convert to 
> quad-tone the image looks light but prints perfectly.
> 
> In spite of my success with this method, I know that the Epson driver 
> accepts only RGB information which it converts to CMYK. This means that 
> however well my empirical adjustments work, my quad-tone curves don't 
> accurately represent the actual ink delivered to the nozzles. Ultimately,=
 
> however, this doesn't matter since the feedback I get from the step wedge=
s 
> and gradients provide all the information necessary to produce useful cur=
ves.
> 
> Printer: Epson 1160
> Inks: MIS Eboni black with MIS original 25%, 50%, 75% gray
> Paper: Epson Enhanced Matte
> 
> 
> At 06:57 PM 5/9/2004, you wrote:
> >Has anyone experimented with quadtone inks and the PS quadtone 
> >settings?  I recently tried setting the four inks to web colors that 
> >approximate black, 75%, 50% and 25%. The result wasn't bad on my 3000 (M=
IS 

> >FSN inks, Somerset Velvet). The monitor actually matched the result. 
> >Before reinventing the wheel, I'd love to hear fron anyone who has tried=
 
> >this. — Jan B.
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]