Digital BW, The Print

Roy wrote, in part:

> > > QTR-Create-ICC-RGB now supports the incorporation 
> > > of Photoshop .acv curves.
> > > This allows usage of RGB Epson driver where ink 
> > > partitioning is done with PS curves,
> > > including the linearization of the grayscale output.  
> > > This greatly simplies the workflow...


> The new ACV capability is for printing with the Epson 
> driver directly through PS.

> This is the Paul Roark (and others) workflow where 
> you take grayscale, convert
> to RGB, apply some ACV adj curves and then print.

I strongly recommend this workflow.  

I am converting my personal work to it, and *all* of my older curves and
workflows appear to be easily modified to take advantages of this.  Being
able to linearize the system easily for ink and paper batch differences, not
to mention for brand new papers, having the monitor match the print without
the need for a custom dot gain curve, and printing from a grayscale file
without an RGB conversion and application of a curve all make for a superior
workflow.

What I've found is that the old curves that have flat spots in them need to
be modified by having the flat spots converted into barely-sloped curves.
All that I've tried so far then work.

Of course, the current system will not profile the tones for the
variable-tone inksets, but usually the problems people have are issues of
linearization.  

Combining "Create ICC" with the scanner method of making the ICCs (see
http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/Making_B-W_ICCs.htm) results in a workflow
that should give most people much better control of their systems for very
little money.

I have some information about the use of the system in my notes on the R220
at http://home1.gte.net/res09aij/R220_R2_Readme.htm, which is the first
system I worked on after Create ICC was available.  However, the notes there
relate only to the linearization of the output, not the incorporation of RGB
curves.  I'll be covering that in the next inkset -- the UT-3D -- which is
running on the R220, 2200 and 4000 in beta version. 

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com