Digital BW, The Print

Hello, 

I am looking for a publication that you might consider to be the bible 
of Black and white digital ink-jet printing. I am specifically 
interested in techniques to control tonal separation along the 
reproduction curve with black only,  3K, and full colour B&W printing. 
It would be a plus if the book in question covered targeting techniques 
which use numbers to densities directly as well as techniques which try 
to correlate monitor display to proofs. 

Thank you 

Eugene Appert

Eugene,
The theoretical and practical knowledge you're looking for requires a
thorough understanding of A) color management and device calibration
and then a B) review of current hardware and software options. Any
book that covers these topics in a strictly by-the-numbers,
step-by-step tutorial style would have a shelf life of maybe 3 months,
until the next solution is supplied by vendors. So there is not likely
to be one. I would recommend Bruce fraser's Color Management title for
a thorough background on color management. You'll get to see how the
color side of the digital industry works and have a good sense of what
we b/w photographers need. In my book I try to give an overview of the
evollution of "grayscale management" as well as an idea of some of the
general appooraches taken to managing densities by StudioPrint,
PrintFix Pro, and  QTR among others. For step-by-step tutorials,
you're going to be better off researching forums like this one or
reading through product manuals.

On 5/27/07, eappert <appert@...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hello,
>
>  I am looking for a publication that you might consider to be the bible
>  of Black and white digital ink-jet printing. I am specifically
>  interested in techniques to control tonal separation along the
>  reproduction curve with black only, 3K, and full colour B&W printing.
>  It would be a plus if the book in question covered targeting techniques
>  which use numbers to densities directly as well as techniques which try
>  to correlate monitor display to proofs.
>
-- 
amadou diallo
Author, Mastering Digital Black and White
www.masteringdigitalbwbook.com

Eugene,

 

Get Amadou's book.  It's the best, most thorough overview of B&W printing
I've come across.  After you've read Amadou's book, then tackle Bruce
Fraiser's book.  Bruce is much more detailed into all aspects of color
management and you'll probably get lost if you don't know at least what's in
Amadou's book, especially since your interest is specifically B&W.

 

 

Regards,

 

Bob Marsolais

Marsolais Design Services

 

bob@...

760-724-2341

 



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

Thank you for your book recommendations. 

I am familiar with Color Management (Fraser, Murphy Bunting) and this 
book is of course crucial for colour management, and therefore a 
valuable reference for printing B&W inside the colour management 
system. Techniques of which Bruce Fraser actually outlines in Real 
World Photoshop in far greater detail. These include targeting 
techniques that use soft proofing to see how the profile and the 
conversion settings are going to compress the data along the curve.  
The disadvantages I find with using colour management are not knowing 
precisely when your monitor is actually compressing dark shadow 
values it itself cant reproduce,  and most of us cant make are own 
grey profiles or black-only profiles so we rely on RIP software like 
Image print which cant be soft proofed in Photoshop. I am looking for 
reference material on Same as Source or  Black-only work flows 
outside of colour management. Or even direct data to density 
techniques that correlate printer control signals with measured 
densities.  Techniques which allow absolutely precise control of tone 
contrast such that a lightness separation appears on the screen (or 
can be interpreted though numbers) exactly as it will print out. 

Regards

Eugene Appert

This is going back a few years but you can print a 0-100% gradient
(with input values marked) and create a custom dot gain in PS where
you adjust the curve values until the monitor matches your actual
print densities. Nobody's idea of fun at all, but that's what a bunch
of us did in the dark ages.
-- 
amadou diallo
Author, Mastering Digital Black and White
www.masteringdigitalbwbook.com

Yikes! Flashback. Don't do that, freaky!
Mark

On May 30, 2007, at 9:44 AM, amadou diallo wrote:

> Nobody's idea of fun at all, but that's what a bunch
> of us did in the dark ages.



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

Imageprint 6.1 or 7.0 with PTAPP does allow softproofing in Photoshop. It is an extra $200. but well worth it to me.



Richard (Brooklyn)



The disadvantages I find with using colour management are not knowing 
recisely when your monitor is actually compressing dark shadow 
alues it itself cant reproduce,  and most of us cant make are own 
rey profiles or black-only profiles so we rely on RIP software like 
mage print which cant be soft proofed in Photoshop.

-----Original Message-----
From: eappert <appert@paullowry.com>
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, 30 May 2007 8:57 am
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] book




Thank you for your book recommendations. 
I am familiar with Color Management (Fraser, Murphy Bunting) and this 
ook is of course crucial for colour management, and therefore a 
aluable reference for printing B&W inside the colour management 
ystem. Techniques of which Bruce Fraser actually outlines in Real 
orld Photoshop in far greater detail. These include targeting 
echniques that use soft proofing to see how the profile and the 
onversion settings are going to compress the data along the curve.  
he disadvantages I find with using colour management are not knowing 
recisely when your monitor is actually compressing dark shadow 
alues it itself cant reproduce,  and most of us cant make are own 
rey profiles or black-only profiles so we rely on RIP software like 
mage print which cant be soft proofed in Photoshop. I am looking for 
eference material on Same as Source or  Black-only work flows 
utside of colour management. Or even direct data to density 
echniques that correlate printer control signals with measured 
ensities.  Techniques which allow absolutely precise control of tone 
ontrast such that a lightness separation appears on the screen (or 
an be interpreted though numbers) exactly as it will print out. 
Regards
Eugene Appert




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

Just to clarify,  are we saying then that, the reference book you are 
recommending does provide information on how to use soft-proofing ( or 
perhaps other tools or techniques within the colour management work 
flow that I am not aware of ) to maintain such stringent controls over 
tonal separation through out the chain of data conversions, or are we 
saying such precision is no longer important to you?  Am I 
understanding  you correctly by assuming that this reference you are 
recommending does not cover "same as source" workflows and black ink 
printing? 

thanks again for your help

Eugene