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[Digital BW] Info Box as it relates to Roark Curves

[Digital BW] Info Box as it relates to Roark Curves

2002-09-15 by Paul Roark

Cleavis,

>[Is] there a reliable relationship between the
>info box (Photoshop) and the output tone once the curve is applied?

>If you have a K only sampler, will that indicate a percentage tone
>laid down by the ink?

I hope so.

The simple answer is that when the eyedropper in Photoshop reads a patch as
0% -- pure white -- the printer is supposed to put zero ink there, and if
the eyedropper reads a patch as "100%" -- "pure black" -- the printer should
be laying down as much black ink as possible.

However, there is a question as to how one measures the print densities and
what a "linear" output should be.  That is, between those obvious end
points, what should the "gamma" or slope of the curve be?  How dense should
the 50% patch should be?

If you print the grayscale ramp with many printers, the 50% patch might be
lighter or darker than the 50% patch that results from one of the vm curves
or from the Piezo driver.  And, what the "50%" patch on a test strip will
read on a desktop scanner is a function of how the scanner gamma is set.

I called Epson to see if there was any way to get my scanner to be "linear."
There isn't.  They don't claim that any particular setting will give any
particular slope to the curve.  It's all just relative.

The densitometers are a more reliable way to see what the densities are.
The average 50% patch on the old PiezoBW test strips I've made and seen is
about 0.61 - 0.62, and 0.61 is what I use for the vm curves.  This is
clearly not half way between the paper white -- about 0.04 -- and the VM-K
100% patch density of about 1.65 (depending on printer and paper type
setting).

So, the only simple answer relates to the end points.  After that, one has
an open question as to what the "50%" patch should read.  The three test
strips that are in my fader had 50% patch readings as follows: 2200 - 0.57,
MIS Archival color - 0.60, and PiezoTone-S - 0.69.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com

GS Midpoint Density/Brightness was Info Box as it relates to Roark Curves

2002-09-16 by Jeff Randall

Paul: 

I wouldn't expect the density (= log(1/reflectance) to be linear or 
that the 50% grayscale patch to have a density midway between approx. 
0 and 1.6 using the MIS inksets -- it should perceptually be midway 
between the two extreams.   The often used 18% gray card has a 
reflected density of about 0.74 (log(1/0.18)).  However the two 
questions I haven't found real answers to are: 18% is the middle of 
what range and is perceived under what conditions?  If 18% 
reflectance is the perceptual middle of the 0 to approx. 2.0 range 
shown in the Kodak Q-13 card, then the middle of the range for 
quad/hex inkjet prints with a range of 0 to approx. 1.6 range should 
be a little lighter (nearer to your approx. 0.6). Or is 18% the 
middle of a broader range like 0 to 2.5 or......

Other than the middle of what range, the other variable, is the 
viewing conditions, at least the intensity of the viewing lightsource 
and maybe even the spectral composition.  The *uncontrolled* 
experiments that I have conducted of viewing the Q-13 wedge (and 
wedges I've printed using the MIS FS and FSE inksets) under indirect 
sunlight, full sun light, Ott-light, and incandesant light all 
perceptually give me slighly different mid points.  Also varying the 
background (light or dark) also changes my perception.

The short of it is that I am now convinced that there is no single 
*correct* answer to what density should the 50% grayscale patch be. 
The eye is just too adaptive.  There is some discussion of the 18% 
gray card in the Accurate Image Manipulation website, www.aim-dtp.net.

BTW, now that I have a Swatchbook (thanks for convincing me) and can 
accurately measure densities, I find that the 1160 curves I developed 
yield a 50% grayscale = approx. 0.6.

Jeff Randall 

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Paul Roark" 
<paul.roark@v...> wrote:
> Cleavis,
> 
> >[Is] there a reliable relationship between the
> >info box (Photoshop) and the output tone once the curve is applied?
> 
> >If you have a K only sampler, will that indicate a percentage tone
> >laid down by the ink?
> 
> I hope so.
> 
> The simple answer is that when the eyedropper in Photoshop reads a 
patch as
> 0% -- pure white -- the printer is supposed to put zero ink there, 
and if
> the eyedropper reads a patch as "100%" -- "pure black" -- the 
printer should
> be laying down as much black ink as possible.
> 
> However, there is a question as to how one measures the print 
densities and
> what a "linear" output should be.  That is, between those obvious 
end
> points, what should the "gamma" or slope of the curve be?  How 
dense should
> the 50% patch should be?
> 
> If you print the grayscale ramp with many printers, the 50% patch 
might be
> lighter or darker than the 50% patch that results from one of the 
vm curves
> or from the Piezo driver.  And, what the "50%" patch on a test 
strip will
> read on a desktop scanner is a function of how the scanner gamma is 
set.
> 
> I called Epson to see if there was any way to get my scanner to 
be "linear."
> There isn't.  They don't claim that any particular setting will 
give any
> particular slope to the curve.  It's all just relative.
> 
> The densitometers are a more reliable way to see what the densities 
are.
> The average 50% patch on the old PiezoBW test strips I've made and 
seen is
> about 0.61 - 0.62, and 0.61 is what I use for the vm curves.  This 
is
> clearly not half way between the paper white -- about 0.04 -- and 
the VM-K
> 100% patch density of about 1.65 (depending on printer and paper 
type
> setting).
> 
> So, the only simple answer relates to the end points.  After that, 
one has
> an open question as to what the "50%" patch should read.  The three 
test
> strips that are in my fader had 50% patch readings as follows: 
2200 - 0.57,
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> MIS Archival color - 0.60, and PiezoTone-S - 0.69.
> 
> Paul
> http://www.PaulRoark.com

RE: [Digital BW] GS Midpoint Density/Brightness was Info Box as it relates to Roark Curves

2002-09-16 by Paul Roark

Jeff,

I agree with your conclusion:  "I am now convinced that there is no single
*correct* answer to what density should the 50% grayscale patch be."

For me, the practical answer was actually very simple.  I was printing
Piezo -- and still want to be able to -- with the same files that I was
using the Epson driver to print.  So, consistency with the Piezo driver was
controlling as to where I put the 50% point for the curves I wrote -- or
will write in the future.

Paul
____________________________
Show quoted textHide quoted text
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Jeff Randall [mailto:jrandall@...]
  Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2002 4:59 PM
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
  Subject: [Digital BW] GS Midpoint Density/Brightness was Info Box as it
relates to Roark Curves


  Paul:

  I wouldn't expect the density (= log(1/reflectance) to be linear or
  that the 50% grayscale patch to have a density midway between approx.
  0 and 1.6 using the MIS inksets -- it should perceptually be midway
  between the two extreams.   The often used 18% gray card has a
  reflected density of about 0.74 (log(1/0.18)).  However the two
  questions I haven't found real answers to are: 18% is the middle of
  what range and is perceived under what conditions?  If 18%
  reflectance is the perceptual middle of the 0 to approx. 2.0 range
  shown in the Kodak Q-13 card, then the middle of the range for
  quad/hex inkjet prints with a range of 0 to approx. 1.6 range should
  be a little lighter (nearer to your approx. 0.6). Or is 18% the
  middle of a broader range like 0 to 2.5 or......

  Other than the middle of what range, the other variable, is the
  viewing conditions, at least the intensity of the viewing lightsource
  and maybe even the spectral composition.  The *uncontrolled*
  experiments that I have conducted of viewing the Q-13 wedge (and
  wedges I've printed using the MIS FS and FSE inksets) under indirect
  sunlight, full sun light, Ott-light, and incandesant light all
  perceptually give me slighly different mid points.  Also varying the
  background (light or dark) also changes my perception.

  The short of it is that I am now convinced that there is no single
  *correct* answer to what density should the 50% grayscale patch be.
  The eye is just too adaptive.  There is some discussion of the 18%
  gray card in the Accurate Image Manipulation website, www.aim-dtp.net.

  BTW, now that I have a Swatchbook (thanks for convincing me) and can
  accurately measure densities, I find that the 1160 curves I developed
  yield a 50% grayscale = approx. 0.6.

  Jeff Randall

  --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Paul Roark"
  <paul.roark@v...> wrote:
  > Cleavis,
  >
  > >[Is] there a reliable relationship between the
  > >info box (Photoshop) and the output tone once the curve is applied?
  >
  > >If you have a K only sampler, will that indicate a percentage tone
  > >laid down by the ink?
  >
  > I hope so.
  >
  > The simple answer is that when the eyedropper in Photoshop reads a
  patch as
  > 0% -- pure white -- the printer is supposed to put zero ink there,
  and if
  > the eyedropper reads a patch as "100%" -- "pure black" -- the
  printer should
  > be laying down as much black ink as possible.
  >
  > However, there is a question as to how one measures the print
  densities and
  > what a "linear" output should be.  That is, between those obvious
  end
  > points, what should the "gamma" or slope of the curve be?  How
  dense should
  > the 50% patch should be?
  >
  > If you print the grayscale ramp with many printers, the 50% patch
  might be
  > lighter or darker than the 50% patch that results from one of the
  vm curves
  > or from the Piezo driver.  And, what the "50%" patch on a test
  strip will
  > read on a desktop scanner is a function of how the scanner gamma is
  set.
  >
  > I called Epson to see if there was any way to get my scanner to
  be "linear."
  > There isn't.  They don't claim that any particular setting will
  give any
  > particular slope to the curve.  It's all just relative.
  >
  > The densitometers are a more reliable way to see what the densities
  are.
  > The average 50% patch on the old PiezoBW test strips I've made and
  seen is
  > about 0.61 - 0.62, and 0.61 is what I use for the vm curves.  This
  is
  > clearly not half way between the paper white -- about 0.04 -- and
  the VM-K
  > 100% patch density of about 1.65 (depending on printer and paper
  type
  > setting).
  >
  > So, the only simple answer relates to the end points.  After that,
  one has
  > an open question as to what the "50%" patch should read.  The three
  test
  > strips that are in my fader had 50% patch readings as follows:
  2200 - 0.57,
  > MIS Archival color - 0.60, and PiezoTone-S - 0.69.
  >
  > Paul
  > http://www.PaulRoark.com


  Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, Polls and
other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:

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

Re: [Digital BW] GS Midpoint Density/Brightness was Info Box as it relates to Roark Curves

2002-09-16 by Julian Thomas

Jeff, I've been using your curves on an 1160 with MIS FS and I have to say i
think they are spot on. Shadow speration is better than with the piezo
driver. The only criticism I would have is that the 'scalloped' edges of the
wedge are more 3d in piezo. But anyone thinking of trying inkjet printing
could go a long way with FS and your curves.

Julian
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Randall" <jrandall@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 2:59 AM
Subject: [Digital BW] GS Midpoint Density/Brightness was Info Box as it
relates to Roark Curves


> Paul:
>
> I wouldn't expect the density (= log(1/reflectance) to be linear or
> that the 50% grayscale patch to have a density midway between approx.
> 0 and 1.6 using the MIS inksets -- it should perceptually be midway
> between the two extreams.   The often used 18% gray card has a
> reflected density of about 0.74 (log(1/0.18)).  However the two
> questions I haven't found real answers to are: 18% is the middle of
> what range and is perceived under what conditions?  If 18%
> reflectance is the perceptual middle of the 0 to approx. 2.0 range
> shown in the Kodak Q-13 card, then the middle of the range for
> quad/hex inkjet prints with a range of 0 to approx. 1.6 range should
> be a little lighter (nearer to your approx. 0.6). Or is 18% the
> middle of a broader range like 0 to 2.5 or......
>
> Other than the middle of what range, the other variable, is the
> viewing conditions, at least the intensity of the viewing lightsource
> and maybe even the spectral composition.  The *uncontrolled*
> experiments that I have conducted of viewing the Q-13 wedge (and
> wedges I've printed using the MIS FS and FSE inksets) under indirect
> sunlight, full sun light, Ott-light, and incandesant light all
> perceptually give me slighly different mid points.  Also varying the
> background (light or dark) also changes my perception.
>
> The short of it is that I am now convinced that there is no single
> *correct* answer to what density should the 50% grayscale patch be.
> The eye is just too adaptive.  There is some discussion of the 18%
> gray card in the Accurate Image Manipulation website, www.aim-dtp.net.
>
> BTW, now that I have a Swatchbook (thanks for convincing me) and can
> accurately measure densities, I find that the 1160 curves I developed
> yield a 50% grayscale = approx. 0.6.
>
> Jeff Randall
>
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Paul Roark"
> <paul.roark@v...> wrote:
> > Cleavis,
> >
> > >[Is] there a reliable relationship between the
> > >info box (Photoshop) and the output tone once the curve is applied?
> >
> > >If you have a K only sampler, will that indicate a percentage tone
> > >laid down by the ink?
> >
> > I hope so.
> >
> > The simple answer is that when the eyedropper in Photoshop reads a
> patch as
> > 0% -- pure white -- the printer is supposed to put zero ink there,
> and if
> > the eyedropper reads a patch as "100%" -- "pure black" -- the
> printer should
> > be laying down as much black ink as possible.
> >
> > However, there is a question as to how one measures the print
> densities and
> > what a "linear" output should be.  That is, between those obvious
> end
> > points, what should the "gamma" or slope of the curve be?  How
> dense should
> > the 50% patch should be?
> >
> > If you print the grayscale ramp with many printers, the 50% patch
> might be
> > lighter or darker than the 50% patch that results from one of the
> vm curves
> > or from the Piezo driver.  And, what the "50%" patch on a test
> strip will
> > read on a desktop scanner is a function of how the scanner gamma is
> set.
> >
> > I called Epson to see if there was any way to get my scanner to
> be "linear."
> > There isn't.  They don't claim that any particular setting will
> give any
> > particular slope to the curve.  It's all just relative.
> >
> > The densitometers are a more reliable way to see what the densities
> are.
> > The average 50% patch on the old PiezoBW test strips I've made and
> seen is
> > about 0.61 - 0.62, and 0.61 is what I use for the vm curves.  This
> is
> > clearly not half way between the paper white -- about 0.04 -- and
> the VM-K
> > 100% patch density of about 1.65 (depending on printer and paper
> type
> > setting).
> >
> > So, the only simple answer relates to the end points.  After that,
> one has
> > an open question as to what the "50%" patch should read.  The three
> test
> > strips that are in my fader had 50% patch readings as follows:
> 2200 - 0.57,
> > MIS Archival color - 0.60, and PiezoTone-S - 0.69.
> >
> > Paul
> > http://www.PaulRoark.com
>
>
>
> Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, Polls and
other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint
>
> If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you wish to
unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting this same
page.
>
> Please follow these basic guidelines:
> - Include your full name with your message.
> - Include the address of your website, if you have one.
> - As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to keep
them short.
> - As the topic of a thread changes remember to change the subject header.
> - Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or
&amp;amp;quot;flames.&amp;amp;quot;
> - Complete your Yahoo profile.
> - Before posting a question, search the message archives and the various
resources on the homepage.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>

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