Digital BW, The Print

This post is for those on the list who were interested in the exchange ("the times, they aren't a-changing") that Tyler Boley kicked-off. If you want to read his original post, use this link:
 http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/message/81068





Tyler sent me two prints, roughly 6.5 x 9 inches on a coated matt fine art paper (looks like PhotoRag, but don't know for sure). Same file, printed at 1440 ppi; one was printed through the OEM driver, the other through Tyler's Rip set-up. The OEM print was made with UltraChrome K3 inks, the other with Tyler's quadtone inks. The prints are not annotated. I had no indication which print was made from which print workflow. Tyler simply asked me to look at them and render an opinion.
 
 I put both in my viewing booth. To my eyes, there really is no comparison between the two prints. One is smoother, looks sharper, and has better image detail. The overall impression is dramatically more three-dimensional. When I looked at the prints using a 4x lupe, the differences were even more dramatic. The OEM print fell apart. I passed my conclusion to Tyler and he confirmed that the better print was made with the quadtone/Rip workflow.
 
 I don't have a horse in this race. I'm a firm believer in choice (as I mentioned in one of my posts on this thread) and don't feel any need to push one approach above another. I subscribe to the notion of "appropriate" means and I personally believe in the innate value of craftsmanship. I love well seen, well made prints. I like this exercise because it's real world in every important dimension related to inkjet printing: a careful worker created and pushed the same image file through two printing workflows, each optimized to it's practical limit, and the results were judged by eye.
 
 In the spirit of full disclosure, I'd also mention that it didn't surprise me to learn that the better print was made with a dedicated grayscale inkset, processed through a calibrated and profiled Rip printing workflow. It confirms the results we've been getting at K2 Press. I have yet to see an OEM print driver out-perform a properly used professional Rip.
 
 One last note of clarification. The big difference between these two prints is the calibrated/profiled Rip printing workflow, not the inks. Apply the same workflow to UC2 or UC3 inks, and you'll get a demonstrably better print compared to using the OEM driver. The inks make an aesthetic difference.
 
 Bill Kennedy
 K2 Press
 Author of "The Photographer's Guide to the Digital Darkroom"
 
 
 
 
  
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