Datacolor User to User Support Group.

In the Spyder3Print instructions there is section called "manufacturer's inks, manufacturer's color driver". It states 

"This is an ideal method for black and white printing using the latest two-gray printers" there is then a list of printers but it goes on to say "the HP B9180 is not a two-gray printer, so do not qualify for the category described above; their B&W mode is fixed, single tone, neutrality defined by the paper involved. So these models offer no tintability, without using color mode. Their color mode creates its light grays from Light Cyan, Light Magenta, and Yellow, as earlier Epson models did. This is why have have not been included in the list above. Spyder3Print .... only offers gallery quality black and white for "two gray" printers, or printers fitted with special black and white inksets."

I'm puzzled by this. I've just bought the Spyder3Studio and a HP9180 but the 9180 clearly has 3 inks: a photo black; matte black and light gray. Surely that makes it at least a "two-gray" printer.Are the instructions incorrect? 

Am I right in assuming that the best quality B&W prints on my printer/Spyder3 will be achieved by using a Spyder generated colour profile which has been supplemented with the extended gray measurement chart, then using the application to apply that profile?  Am I also right in assuming that the extended gray chart is not itself a means of producing a black & white only icc profile? It seems from the instructions that Spyder3Print profiles are either color profiles made by reading only the colour patches; or colour profiles that will make a better job of B&W, created by reading the colour patches AND the extended gray chart.

That's specificly why I was obliged to create the rather awkward term  
"two gray" printer; as HP has taken advantage of the term "three  
black" printer to obscure the fact that this model does not have two  
grays, and does not work in a manner similar to printers which do. Two  
blacks, to fracture a phrase, do not a gray make... The 9180 isn't bad  
at B&W in it's grayscale mode, though without tonality control, but it  
does not offer the same results in color mode as a true two gray  
printer.

The extended grays may map the densities in more detail with the 9180,  
but they can't adjust the color tint in it's B&W mode, and it's color  
mode is not a two gray system, so they can't work quite the same magic  
as on a true two gray system.

C. D. Tobie
Global Product Technology Mngr.
Digital Imaging & Home Theater
Datacolor.com
CDTobie@...

On Mar 29, 2009, at 5:13 PM, "capesamblue"  
<martin@...> wrote:

> In the Spyder3Print instructions there is section called  
> "manufacturer's inks, manufacturer's color driver". It states
>
> "This is an ideal method for black and white printing using the  
> latest two-gray printers" there is then a list of printers but it  
> goes on to say "the HP B9180 is not a two-gray printer, so do not  
> qualify for the category described above; their B&W mode is fixed,  
> single tone, neutrality defined by the paper involved. So these  
> models offer no tintability, without using color mode. Their color  
> mode creates its light grays from Light Cyan, Light Magenta, and  
> Yellow, as earlier Epson models did. This is why have have not been  
> included in the list above. Spyder3Print .... only offers gallery  
> quality black and white for "two gray" printers, or printers fitted  
> with special black and white inksets."
>
> I'm puzzled by this. I've just bought the Spyder3Studio and a HP9180  
> but the 9180 clearly has 3 inks: a photo black; matte black and  
> light gray. Surely that makes it at least a "two-gray" printer.Are  
> the instructions incorrect?
>
> Am I right in assuming that the best quality B&W prints on my  
> printer/Spyder3 will be achieved by using a Spyder generated colour  
> profile which has been supplemented with the extended gray  
> measurement chart, then using the application to apply that  
> profile?  Am I also right in assuming that the extended gray chart  
> is not itself a means of producing a black & white only icc profile?  
> It seems from the instructions that Spyder3Print profiles are either  
> color profiles made by reading only the colour patches; or colour  
> profiles that will make a better job of B&W, created by reading the  
> colour patches AND the extended gray chart.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
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>
>
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