Digital BW, The Print

I'm exploring working with a print studio that doesn't linearize their Epson 9900 (yes, really) and I'd like to try calibrating my image file to their printer. (Why work with them at all? Great price and quality, other than the lack of linearization, and I haven't found any better alternatives for large format printing). 

I've measured with my PrintFix Pro a 21-step test strip printed on their 9900 and want to use the luminosity data to make an adjustment curve to correct for their printer. While I can use the data to eyeball how much to lighten my image (their printer prints too dark, significantly so in the shadows), my question is whether it's somehow possible to input the luminosity data directly into Photoshop to achieve something more accurate. 

Mark

Drop it into QTR's Create ICC-RGB and use the resulting ICC to soft proof
the files.

(I assume they are using ABW, which is not color managed.  Hopefully they
at least use consistent settings, which is a problem I had with a service
bureau -- must be consistent).

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

On Thu, Jun 6, 2013 at 10:22 AM, mccarvill <mccarvill@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> I'm exploring working with a print studio that doesn't linearize their
> Epson 9900 (yes, really) and I'd like to try calibrating my image file to
> their printer. (Why work with them at all? Great price and quality, other
> than the lack of linearization, and I haven't found any better alternatives
> for large format printing).
>
> I've measured with my PrintFix Pro a 21-step test strip printed on their
> 9900 and want to use the luminosity data to make an adjustment curve to
> correct for their printer. While I can use the data to eyeball how much to
> lighten my image (their printer prints too dark, significantly so in the
> shadows), my question is whether it's somehow possible to input the
> luminosity data directly into Photoshop to achieve something more accurate.
>
> Mark
>
>  
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks, Paul. I've done that, but I was thinking more about making a curve (like print transfer curves in older versions of Photoshop)  to alter the file based on the linearization data. I can do it manually but I thought maybe there was a way to just import the data somehow and do it automatically.

M

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Paul Roark <roark.paul@...> wrote:

>
> Drop it into QTR's Create ICC-RGB and use the resulting ICC to soft proof
> the files.
> 
> (I assume they are using ABW, which is not color managed.  Hopefully they
> at least use consistent settings, which is a problem I had with a service
> bureau -- must be consistent).
> 
> Paul
> www.PaulRoark.com
> 
> On Thu, Jun 6, 2013 at 10:22 AM, mccarvill <mccarvill@...> wrote:
> 
> > **
> >
> >
> > I'm exploring working with a print studio that doesn't linearize their
> > Epson 9900 (yes, really) and I'd like to try calibrating my image file to
> > their printer. (Why work with them at all? Great price and quality, other
> > than the lack of linearization, and I haven't found any better alternatives
> > for large format printing).
> >
> > I've measured with my PrintFix Pro a 21-step test strip printed on their
> > 9900 and want to use the luminosity data to make an adjustment curve to
> > correct for their printer. While I can use the data to eyeball how much to
> > lighten my image (their printer prints too dark, significantly so in the
> > shadows), my question is whether it's somehow possible to input the
> > luminosity data directly into Photoshop to achieve something more accurate.
> >
> > Mark
> >
> >  
> >
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

I don't know or an easy way to take the linearization data and make a PS
curve.  (I think that is what you're thinking of.)

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com



On Fri, Jun 7, 2013 at 6:30 AM, mccarvill <mccarvill@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> Thanks, Paul. I've done that, but I was thinking more about making a curve
> (like print transfer curves in older versions of Photoshop) to alter the
> file based on the linearization data. I can do it manually but I thought
> maybe there was a way to just import the data somehow and do it
> automatically.
>
> M
>
>
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Paul Roark
> <roark.paul@...> wrote:
> >
> > Drop it into QTR's Create ICC-RGB and use the resulting ICC to soft proof
> > the files.
> >
> > (I assume they are using ABW, which is not color managed. Hopefully they
> > at least use consistent settings, which is a problem I had with a service
> > bureau -- must be consistent).
> >
> > Paul
> > www.PaulRoark.com
> >
> > On Thu, Jun 6, 2013 at 10:22 AM, mccarvill <mccarvill@...> wrote:
> >
> > > **
>
> > >
> > >
> > > I'm exploring working with a print studio that doesn't linearize their
> > > Epson 9900 (yes, really) and I'd like to try calibrating my image file
> to
> > > their printer. (Why work with them at all? Great price and quality,
> other
> > > than the lack of linearization, and I haven't found any better
> alternatives
> > > for large format printing).
> > >
> > > I've measured with my PrintFix Pro a 21-step test strip printed on
> their
> > > 9900 and want to use the luminosity data to make an adjustment curve to
> > > correct for their printer. While I can use the data to eyeball how
> much to
> > > lighten my image (their printer prints too dark, significantly so in
> the
> > > shadows), my question is whether it's somehow possible to input the
> > > luminosity data directly into Photoshop to achieve something more
> accurate.
> > >
> > > Mark
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
>  
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

What I ended up doing was:

- Converting the luminosity values to K values by subtracting from 100
- Creating an adjustment curve where I substituted the `ideal' values for the actual ones (e.g. 85 becomes 77).

The ideal values came from Jon Cone's spreadsheet available here - http://www.piezography.com/PiezoPress/blog/piezography-k7-inks-and-curves/checking-your-linearization/

I just sent this corrected file to the print studio. I'll measure the corrected test strip and see how close I got.

Mark   
www.highparkphotography.ca 


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Paul Roark <roark.paul@...> wrote:

>
> I don't know or an easy way to take the linearization data and make a PS
> curve.  (I think that is what you're thinking of.)
> 
> Paul
> www.PaulRoark.com
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, Jun 7, 2013 at 6:30 AM, mccarvill <mccarvill@...> wrote:
> 
> > **
> >
> >
> > Thanks, Paul. I've done that, but I was thinking more about making a curve
> > (like print transfer curves in older versions of Photoshop) to alter the
> > file based on the linearization data. I can do it manually but I thought
> > maybe there was a way to just import the data somehow and do it
> > automatically.
> >
> > M
> >
> >
> > --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Paul Roark
> > <roark.paul@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Drop it into QTR's Create ICC-RGB and use the resulting ICC to soft proof
> > > the files.
> > >
> > > (I assume they are using ABW, which is not color managed. Hopefully they
> > > at least use consistent settings, which is a problem I had with a service
> > > bureau -- must be consistent).
> > >
> > > Paul
> > > www.PaulRoark.com
> > >
> > > On Thu, Jun 6, 2013 at 10:22 AM, mccarvill <mccarvill@> wrote:
> > >
> > > > **
> >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I'm exploring working with a print studio that doesn't linearize their
> > > > Epson 9900 (yes, really) and I'd like to try calibrating my image file
> > to
> > > > their printer. (Why work with them at all? Great price and quality,
> > other
> > > > than the lack of linearization, and I haven't found any better
> > alternatives
> > > > for large format printing).
> > > >
> > > > I've measured with my PrintFix Pro a 21-step test strip printed on
> > their
> > > > 9900 and want to use the luminosity data to make an adjustment curve to
> > > > correct for their printer. While I can use the data to eyeball how
> > much to
> > > > lighten my image (their printer prints too dark, significantly so in
> > the
> > > > shadows), my question is whether it's somehow possible to input the
> > > > luminosity data directly into Photoshop to achieve something more
> > accurate.
> > > >
> > > > Mark
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > >
> >
> >  
> >
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>