Digital BW, The Print

In a message dated 11/7/06 3:48:36 PM, amadiallo2001@... writes:


> I do want to point out that Roy Harrington
> deserves a lot of credit for developing QTR and the create ICC app in 
> particular.This really
> is an invaluable step along the road to grayscale management.
> 
Yes, and sort of... that is to say, QTR has certainly brought specialty black 
and white down to a new price point. And CreateICC is a good tool for QTR. 
But it has caused a fair amount of confusion, in that CreateICC profiles are not 
  actual ICC profiles, not in the usual meaning of the term. They are curve 
sets sandwiched around a null profile core, as a convenient way to apply 
curves, and a clever way to preview images. I point this out as users are now 
confused about the ICC profiles that PrintFIX PRO 2.0 creates, which are entirely 
different from the CreateICC ones. PrintFIX PRO proiles are actual color ICC 
profiles, with full data in the color look up tables, that have been augmented in 
the gray and near gray zones with large amounts of data, to make them more 
precise for printing black and white and near black and white images.

> So now the big boys are poised to bring neutral bw and color controlto OEM 
> solutions.
> 
I don't think of ColorVision as being amoung the big boys, so I'll assume you 
mean the printer companies. Haven't seen much sign of them offering ICC 
process for B&W, though printing B&W through the HP Z 3100 custom internal profiles 
offers the closest thing to an OEM solution for that which I've seen to date.

>  In
> my view that can only mean more and better options for all of us.
> 
Thats certainly true...

>  It will be very hard to
> give up third party quads and sevens if it comes to that, but it feels like 
> that train is about
> to leave the station.
> 
As I noted some time ago, I don't expect the Tyler Boley's of the world to 
stop using the systems they have mastered, I'm just looking to add alternatives 
that are more direct, flexible, and transparent for the more typical user. It 
will be interesting to see where it all leads. But yes, the year of ICC for B&
W will definately be 2007.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
ColorVision Business Unit
Datacolor Inc.
CDTobie@...
www.colorvision.com


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