Digital BW, The Print

The short answer is yes, we can see them. The issue is how good are we at 
visually distinguishing closely related tonal values. Segmented tonal ramps are 
easier to use, for this reason, than continuos ramps. A 256 segmented tonal 
ramp isn't particularly useful as a visual aid, but its easier measured with a 
densitometer or spectrophotometer. The familiar 21-step tonal ramp is useful.

What really matters is how much tonal information is necessary to produce 
beautiful artifact free prints. It depends on subject matter and print size, 
among other issues. The short answer: as much tonal information as possible, 
preferably in 16-bit.



Bill Kennedy
Associate Professor of Photocommunications
St. Edward's University
512/448-8680


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