Digital BW, The Print

After Steve's last suggestion (thank you Steve!) that I check the 
monitor black on an i1 calibration, I started to think about that. 
What I stumbled on has, for the first time, produced a nearly perfect 
screen to print match--astonishingly useful and very simple.  The 
answer was: After monitor calibration, the contrast control on this 
Sony 19" LCD has to be turned down to 50% of whatever value was 
required for black point calibration with the i1.  I have no idea why 
this works, but when you get down to that 50% figure, the print 
literally snaps onto the screen in an incredibly convincing way.  The 
only thing that is not (of course) previewed is the hue of the paper 
white.  On the chance that this workflow would be useful to someone 
else (unlikely, I guess, given all the discussions on the forum), 
here it is.

1.  I1 monitor calibration to 65K and gamma 2.2.  After calibration, 
the monitor contrast is reduced to 50% of the level required during 
the calibration.  This 50% figure is a bit flexible, but not much on 
this monitor maybe + or - 2 %.  A calibration to 50K will also work 
but results in a very warm screen image after contrast reduction.

2. Letting Photoshop manage color through an ICC profile created with 
the i1 and the QTR Create ICC Profile (which includes BPC in my 
version).  (Thank you Roy and I will be sending money immediately.)  
Rendering is Perceptual and BPC is checked, though I don't think the 
latter matters with the version of QTR CICCP I am using. 

3.  A gamma 2.2 workspace.

4.  A Soft Proof view that uses the ICC profile, perceptual rendering 
and BPC and Simulate Paper color checked (though I don't think the 
BPC matters).  This Soft Proof provides a slight, but useful, 
improvement over the workspace view, pareticularly in the mid to high 
tones.

5.  Epson ABW driver settings of "Neutral," which is to say no tweaks 
to the driver at all.   I am printing on VFA and EEM for proofing and 
the two are virtually identical (except that the VFA has deeper and 
smoother blacks).  I have also done profiles for the "Neutral" + 
light (driver neutral is "darker") but the prints are identical done 
through their respective profiles, so I'm just sticking with the 
standard Epson settings.

Hey guys and gals, I'm thrilled!  After four months working with this 
printer, it all finally fell into place.  I hope someone else finds 
this useful.

Walt