Printing B&W with RIP (CMYK Profile)

[aaronchan]

Dear all,

I'm trying to profile my P6080 with Ergosoft.
I do my prints with RGB driver but this is more like a lesson for myself
since I want to learn more about CMYK profile on inkjet printer.

I have linearized the printer properly and generated a profile with i1Profiler.
The setting on the seperation bascially I went by default.
The final print looks good compare to my RGB print. Just a little bit different specially on the green and red on my test image.

The B&W image looks very identical when I viewed in my GTI lightbooth.
But when I move the prints under a "bad light" such as fluorescent, the B&W image on the test print has a huge color shift.
When I was in Collage, my mentor, Tom Ashe, explained to me that is because of how much color ink will invovle into the black and white image in the CMYK printing process.
To solve this problem is to change the setting in the black separation section.

But since I have no experiance in it,
will there be any print master / color consultant in this forum could provide me some hints or suggestions of where should I start to change?

Thank you very much.
Aaron

[yann.bouckaert@pandora.be]

Hi, use full black separation in i1Profiler. This will get you nice neutral B&W.

Regards,
Yann

[daicehawk]

Dear all,

I'm trying to profile my P6080 with Ergosoft.
I do my prints with RGB driver but this is more like a lesson for myself
since I want to learn more about CMYK profile on inkjet printer.

I have linearized the printer properly and generated a profile with i1Profiler.
The setting on the seperation bascially I went by default.
The final print looks good compare to my RGB print. Just a little bit different specially on the green and red on my test image.

The B&W image looks very identical when I viewed in my GTI lightbooth.
But when I move the prints under a "bad light" such as fluorescent, the B&W image on the test print has a huge color shift.
When I was in Collage, my mentor, Tom Ashe, explained to me that is because of how much color ink will invovle into the black and white image in the CMYK printing process.
To solve this problem is to change the setting in the black separation section.

But since I have no experiance in it,
will there be any print master / color consultant in this forum could provide me some hints or suggestions of where should I start to change?

Thank you very much.
Aaron

No sense to use CMY for B&W IMO.

[aaronchan]

Hi, use full black separation in i1Profiler. This will get you nice neutral B&W.

Regards,
Yann

Hi Yann

Thank you for your quick response!
I just made a new test print and the B&W image looks neutral under different light source.
But now I hit a new problem.
I have a 100% black to 100% white gradient scale in my test image.
In the shadow side (RGB value 70,70,70) start to introduce some grain and it stops at near black area.
Compare to my RGB print, it does have some difference.
The RGB print is much more smoother and grainless.
Why would that happen in this case?
I would like to know more about why rather than just do it since I'll be doing prints in RGB print driver anyway.
Like what I said, this is a study for myself.

Thanks
Aaron

[aaronchan]

No sense to use CMY for B&W IMO.

Hi,

Epson K, LK, LLK inks are not 100% neutral.
It needs color ink to balance hue for monochrome image.
Even the ABW mode in the Epson print driver,
you can see color ink on your B&W print under a loupe

Aaron