Digital BW, The Print

In a message dated 11/24/06 1:43:16 AM, paul.roark@... writes:


> > ... it is also possible to profile the MIS UT3D inksets with
> > PrintFIX PRO 2 right through the OEM driver ...
> > full control of the UT3D gamut, with live preview of
> > the adjustments in Photoshop, so that you can create any tint
> > or cross-tint within the inkset's gamut visually, on screen,
> > then print this same result with the UT3D inks and paper
> > that the profile was created for...
> 
> I downloaded the 2.0b5 beta and gave this a try on the 220.  It does,
> indeed, seem to work.  I used the 225 target without the special B&W target.
> It produced a good "neutral" print with tones that went from the paper white
> to the black tone. 
> 
Yes, thats an appropriate target choice for this use; and it should result in 
a good paper white to ink black ramp as the base profile...


> The soft proofing seemed to work also. 
> 
Yes, I've seen problems with softproofing gray inksets before, since the 
softproofing tools expectations are very different from the inksets results, but 
here is seems to be close enough to printed results to show you the tints you 
are defining, and to show you where gamut limits are reached; if you try to 
tweak towards colors that the inkset does not contain, the softproof stops 
changing, or stops changing in the section of the ramp where you've run out of 
gamut, which is just as it shoud be...
> 
> I haven't experimented with this very much, but it looks like, for example,
> on Premier Art's rather cool Matte BW paper it's easy to get a cool tone
> with a Lab b of -5, or a medium warm print with Lab b a bit over 3 in the
> midtones just by adjusting the color balance of the RGB file.  Split tones
> ought to be very easy.
> 
Yes, as long as the ink/paper gamut contains all the tones in the ramp, you 
can cross to your heart's content, and see just about what you'll get right in 
the Photoshop softproof.
> 
> Limiting factors appear to be the small gamut of the inkset and distortion
> of the ramp if the color balance sliders are pushed too far.
> 
Precisely; the color sliders in PFP that can be used to define tints in color 
inksets are not the right way to do this with gray inksets, they would have 
to be pused too far before the effect was achieved, and pushing them too far 
can cause undesired effects, so my recommended way to tint UT3D prints is via 
Photoshop adjustments with the PS softproof on. You can save your adjustments in 
Photoshop and apply to other images.


>   The soft proof
> give visual feedback as to when the ramp is getting distorted.
> 
Yes, the softproof pretty well indicates when you are reaching "out of 
bounds" conditions for the inks gamut.
> 
> If one wants a neutral print, it appears a grayscale file can also be
> printed with the profile.
> 
Identical results from a grayscale file or a neutral RGB file.
> 
> While this approach does not seem to be able to reach the limits of the
> inkset the way manual profiling can, it looks like anyone with the program
> will be able to profile papers and achieve very useful tones and split tones
> with ease.
> 
It might well be able to nudge out into the corners of the UT3D inkset's 
rather unusual gamut if you use just the right Photoshop tools to get there, but 
frankly I don't have much use for distinctly blue, or distinctly red prints 
anyways. I'm most interested in flexible ramping in the carbon to cool range, and 
thats exactly where these inks are most comfortable: good neutrals, a range 
of carbon to sepia tones, plus slight cools.
> 
> Congratulations David.
> 
> Thanks, Paul. We both know this capability has been a long time in the works; 
its too bad it has to finally appear quite so late in the PrintFIX PRO 2.0 
development cycle. But B&W printing fans will be very pleased to see that the 
range of options for previewable, ICC-based B&W printing options is growing as 
we go along. I would expect to see them become even more flexible and 
broadbased as we move forward.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
ColorVision Business Division
DataColor Inc.
CDTobie@...
www.colorvision.com



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