Digital BW, The Print

I've put a tutorial on my website on how to make ICCs using Roy's "Create
ICC" program and a flatbed scanner.  

 

See  http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/Making_B-W_ICCs.htm

 

Of course, a spectrophotometer is better, but I can't tell the difference in
the ICCs I've made so far.

 

My tutorial is aimed at the R220 and UT-R2 inks, but any B&W workflow that
prints from a grayscale file and through Photoshop or Elements could use
this system to linearize new papers or compensate for the paper and ink
batch differences.  I suspect all those using UT-FS & FSN with monotone
curves could use this approach as a substitute for the curves.  

 

There are so many different types of scanners out there that I'll be curious
what variations people run into. 

 

Paul

www.PaulRoark.com <http://www.paulroark.com/>  

 



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

I've had several contacts from people with other than the R220 printer who
want to use this scanner ICC procedure.  The problem is to find a middle
gray reference.  The alternative to the r220 test strip is to use the
standard Kodak Gray Card for the middle gray calibration point.  My old gray
card reads Lab L=50.  I think that opens the procedure up to most.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Paul
> Roark
> Sent: Sunday, November 27, 2005 7:51 AM
> To: DigitalB&WPrint
> Subject: [Digital BW] Make ICCs with a Scanner
> 
> I've put a tutorial on my website on how to make ICCs using Roy's "Create
> ICC" program and a flatbed scanner.
> 
> 
> 
> See  http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/Making_B-W_ICCs.htm
> 
> 
> 
> Of course, a spectrophotometer is better, but I can't tell the difference
> in
> the ICCs I've made so far.
> 
> 
> 
> My tutorial is aimed at the R220 and UT-R2 inks, but any B&W workflow that
> prints from a grayscale file and through Photoshop or Elements could use
> this system to linearize new papers or compensate for the paper and ink
> batch differences.  I suspect all those using UT-FS & FSN with monotone
> curves could use this approach as a substitute for the curves.
> 
> 
> 
> There are so many different types of scanners out there that I'll be
> curious
> what variations people run into.
> 
> 
> 
> Paul
> 
> www.PaulRoark.com <http://www.paulroark.com/>
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> 
> 
> 
> 
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First let me admit that I haven't read through your procedure yet. 
That said, it would probably be best to always compare the printed 
patches to some kind of "standard", just like you do when making a 
scanner based color ICC profile. Those use an IT8 target scanned 
along with the printed target. Since the IT8 target has a standard 
layout (until you get into the extended IT8 formats), would it make 
sense to find a value(s) on the chart to set the scanner too? Those 
also have the advantage of having "known" values that you can use to 
compare the printed target too. Maybe it's time to make and measure a 
bunch of 21 step patches to use as a reference, just not sure what 
paper should be used.

Greg,

Excellent idea, thanks.  

> ... it would probably be best to always compare the printed
> patches to some kind of "standard",

Yes, finding the standard is the current issue.  This scanner procedure
started from my setting up an R220 workflow, but it clearly has wider appeal
and is evolving.

As a practical matter, I've been assuming, in part to make things easier,
that if we set the end points and the gamma, based on some known midtone,
we'd be close enough.  That seems to be the case with my Epson 1600, at
least.  The end points are relatively easy, but the midtone point for
setting the gamma is a bit more difficult.  The Kodak gray card just
occurred to me last night as one rather common standard many would have.

> ... just like you do when making a scanner based color ICC profile. 
> Those use an IT8 target scanned along with the printed target.

Frankly, since my efforts at the scanner-based color profiles was not
particularly memorable, I'd forgotten about this target.  But, I suspect
many that have a scanner also received with it one of these targets.  So,
this may be an excellent reference target.

> Since the IT8 target has a standard
> layout (until you get into the extended IT8 formats), would it make
> sense to find a value(s) on the chart to set the scanner too?

Yes, it makes a lot of sense, and I'll do it.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

Hi Paul.

You can also get and use a very inexpensive calibrated step scale from
Stauffer to calibrate the scanner or an only slightly more expensive
one from Kodak. That is what I used to evaluate QTR before getting
around this summer to unpacking a densitometer I had left in storage
for a while after a move to smaller quarters. The scanner did well in
developing curves and linearising paper,ink and printer for a half
dozen different papers to use with QTR.

Kudos to you for posting a procedure for doing this with Roy's ICC
program. You have a gift for detailing workflows that work for
beginners and those who wish to be less involved with process and more
with outcomes. Your generosity in sharing this information is much
appreciated.

Regards
Duane


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Roark"
<paul.roark@v...> wrote:
>
> I've had several contacts from people with other than the R220
printer who
> want to use this scanner ICC procedure.  The problem is to find a middle
> gray reference.  The alternative to the r220 test strip is to use the
> standard Kodak Gray Card for the middle gray calibration point.  My
old gray

> card reads Lab L=50.  I think that opens the procedure up to most.
> 
> Paul
> www.PaulRoark.com 
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@...m