Digital BW, The Print

Tyler wrote:
"Dan, here is a "new" solution some people are pursuing-
You need a RIP that will let you have a multi part K, just as you 
have multi part C and M, and now that we have the K3 inks, the RIP 
needs to be able to have multi part colors in more than two parts. I 
know StudioPrint does it, not sure of the others. So, you have, in 
the newest Epsons, a 3 part k as well as your colors."

Hi Tyler,

Not so "new" (you tongue-in-cheek ole devil you).  I had a free RIP 
for the Mac that did that for the Cc Mm inks a long while back.  But 
the newer printers do make it more palatable with those multiple 
Ks.  Looks like I'm going to have to investigate StudioPrint too.  
I'll probably also wait for the x800 printers and the 800 version of 
StudioPrint since that tritone K is what will surely wean me from 
the quadtone approach.  Though I may investigate it on the 2200 -- 
but with its measely 2 grays I will probably not be all that 
enamoured.

More Tyler:
"All you need (along with your spiffy RIP) is a really good max K 
gen CMYK profile. All neutrals will automatically be replaced with 
your nicely partitioned K inks, and very minimal color inks will be 
used, only for neutralizing hue, or tinting if you like. Your hue 
will show nicely in soft proof, and your entire workflow can be RGB 
letting the RIP convert on the fly. I know it already works for the 
standard UCs, with only a 2 part K, and am waiting for the x800s to 
come out, and StudioPrint support, to do it with 3 parts."

That sounds about right, let the RIP do the multitone partition and 
balance neutrals then let Photoshop (and the person opeating it) do 
the tinting/toning with real-time previewable tweaks to curves in RGB
(?) mode. Much simpler for the user.  But why would you want to use 
RGB mode and then convert to CMYK during flight?  Seems like a 
Photoshop grayscale to CMYK conversion with tweaking of the CMY ink 
curves directly would be more ideal (leaving the Kkk, Cc, Mm, 
partions to the RIP of course since who would want to mess with 
them).  When you use RGB mode then convert to CMYK on the fly you 
never actually see the curves for the individual inks (the color is 
just monitor color and the channels for that are, to me, rather 
abstract concepts in RGB).  I'd rather see and work with 
the "plates." (gad I'm old...)

Tyler again:
" ...the Roland/ErgoSoft Davinci system is already out there and 
working."

Gasp-- but it isn't an *Epson* !!  

"Too bad something like PressReady for current printers isn't out 
there for us."

Yep - PressReady was a jewel for as long as it lasted.  Too many new 
printers released too fast probably is what killed it!  

Dan