95-98% is dropping out
The customer is supplying 16bit greyscale Imacom scans- do you reckon I should convert to RGB b4 sending to print?
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I'm using the advanced B&W mode of the driver. If you have access to a separate densitometer of spectrometer I would recommend to get QTR and use the B&W profile creation application that is included in that program.
After you have calibrated the paper on the Z3100 you can print the QTR targets for B&W profiling (or the targets I made) on the Z3100, measure them and create the profile. The printer profiles can be used in Photoshop or Qimage. The different printer profiles created that way will make a perceptually correct tone range between paper white and Dmax for the specific papers. This allows you to keep the smaller sized B&W image formats and get faster processing, in this case with a profiled B&W workflow. The B&W image can have 2.2 Gamma embedded or the QTR B&W profile that is slightly better with the perceptual curve.
Using the Advanced B&W method + the profiling above is a hybrid between the old B&W darkroom and modern profiling, maybe a more precise digital answer to the multigrade papers of the past. It keeps the memory use low and speed high, the file can be archived as a neutral B&W image suitable for all papers as the profiling will do the job in adaption to the paper's tone range. The color tone sliders add the desired color shift. It suits Qimage's extrapolation + intelligent print sharpening as that also allows you to use one file for several sizes etc without changing the file itself. The only disadvantage with Qimage is that it will internally change the file to a neutral RGB one but the AdvB&W driver will do its job.
It would be nice if the Z3100 could print and measure similar B&W targets for the Advanced B&W driver mode. They can use my target designs if they like to do that.
I could add some improvements to the method if needed, for example a method to average the profile if color toning is used. I have mentioned the possibility to one of the HP developers on the Photokina. The Advanced B&W printer mode could get color profiling instead of what I mention above but I have seen that for example the Fine Art paper> 250 grams gives better Dmax than the wider gamut Litho paper setting so I use a different paper setting for Color and B&W.
www.quadtonerip.com[a href=\"http://www.pigment-print.com/Quad%20QTR/Index.html]http://www.pigment-print.com/Quad%20QTR/Index.html[/url]
Ernst Dinkla
www.pigment-print.com