b&w printer profiles

[noah b]

Hey all, just wondering which printer profiles you guys use for b&w images in photoshop? I've tried a few but the gradations always have a hint of other colors in them as opposed to true grays. Fiddled with different printer profiles but can't seem to track one down that is appropriate.

 

[Bob Michaels]

For black & white work, I use Gray Gamma 2.2 as a working color space in Photoshop. Although you can also use Dot Gain 20%. Either will insure you have no color casts in your Photoshop files because they are a grayscale color space (no colors).

Now how you get your printer to print a pure grayscale with no color cast is a function of which printer it is. It is a challenge for many printers to accurately mix R, G, B, & K to get a true neutral gray, although the newer ones are pretty good at it.

Bottom line: what printer are you talking about?

 

[amateriat]

From my POV, the best (perhaps only, but I won't quite say that) way to get proper black-and-white tonality via inkjet is with a printer which allows use of at least three black/grey inks, and only those inks. Any introduction of other colors in the workflow, IMO, is simply asking for it, and I don't care how tortured a workflow or how fancy a RIP one uses. (The exception is using a RIP to control an all-black/grey multichanel workflow with third-party inks á la Jon Cone or Paul Roark)

Many of Epson's printers utilize three black/grey inks, and allow use of only those three for b/w printing. The HP printer I use (8750) does the same.


- Barrett

 

[Bob Michaels]

Many of Epson's printers utilize three black/grey inks, and allow use of only those three for b/w printing. The HP printer I use (8750) does the same.
- Barrett

I know the Epson 2400 (and I believe the 3800) uses small amounts of color (mostly LC & LM) to make the three dilutions of K come out to be neutral, even in the AWB mode. Without that all Pigment K tend to be a bit on the warm side.

 

[benmacphoto]

I always select the type of paper for the profile in the beginning. Most of the time its enhanced matte. Then I go into the print options and select advanced black and white, which is available on newer epson printers. From what I understand by selecting advanced black and white it doesn't matter what profile you select because it "throws it out" and has its own settings.

Advanced black and white is a great feature through photoshop because you can go through and adjust/make custom tones.

 

[mgd711]

I could never get satisfactory B&W prints so I eventually bought a print profiler. The ColorMunki has the advantage that it also profiles my display.

As Bob say's most printers mix in a little colour ink even when using various manufacturers advanced B&W modes.

 

[colyn]

I just select "grayscale" in the printer dialog box when I go to print (to a Canon PIXMA Pro9000).

I have an HP Photosmart D7160 which prints brown when I select gray scale..

I have tried several methods to get true B&W but as yet have failed..

 

[noah b]

The printer I'm printing from is a little hp 6988. I'm only doing some work prints from it but I have access to an epson that can print up to 13x19, which I think will turn out to be the better bet.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

If you're wanting truly neutral black and white prints, you simply must buy a RIP software package like Colorbyte Imageprint, or replace your color inks with all grey inks like the Piezography system. Or buy a printer like the Epson R2400 that has a built in black and white optimization mode. I've done all three. I prefer the R2400 with its BW mode now, but previously used Imageprint on an Epson 2200. Using these systems you can tone your BW output if you want; with grey inks you have to switch inksets to tone.

Profiles just don't work. good custom profiles get you very close, but you'll find the prints are not truly neutral and worse the color cast changes as you progress from the lightest greys to the darkest. Profiles are great for color, and having your printer/ink/paper combination custom profiled really will improve your prints.

 

[benmacphoto]

I'm not a huge fan of Imageprint. I have had that program freeze on me while printing a 60x60" image half way. Photoshop has never quit prints on me. And you can adjust tones in the advanced black and white section of the print option in photoshop, even more precise than Imageprint.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I'm not a huge fan of Imageprint. I have had that program freeze on me while printing a 60x60" image half way. Photoshop has never quit prints on me. And you can adjust tones in the advanced black and white section of the print option in photoshop, even more precise than Imageprint.

There is no advanced black and white option in photoshop. That from your printer driver and only a few printers offer that. My Epson R2400 does, and I agree its as good as imageprint as far as print quality, which is why I didn't buy Imageprint for the R2400. I did get it for the 2200 because the 2200 does NOT have a black and white mode; so I was kind of stuck. I think IP is disgustingly overpriced, but it does work and for many printers it is the only option if the best quality is your goal. Many newer printers don't need it.

Photoshop doesn't actually print anything. It hands the file off to the printer driver after converting its colors to the profile you select in the print dialogue box. The printer manufacturer's driver does the rest, so you can actually close photoshop in the middle of a print, no problem!

 

[benmacphoto]

There is no advanced black and white option in photoshop. That from your printer driver and only a few printers offer that. My Epson R2400 does, and I agree its as good as imageprint as far as print quality, which is why I didn't buy Imageprint for the R2400. I did get it for the 2200 because the 2200 does NOT have a black and white mode; so I was kind of stuck. I think IP is disgustingly overpriced, but it does work and for many printers it is the only option if the best quality is your goal. Many newer printers don't need it.

Photoshop doesn't actually print anything. It hands the file off to the printer driver after converting its colors to the profile you select in the print dialogue box. The printer manufacturer's driver does the rest, so you can actually close photoshop in the middle of a print, no problem!

See I thought it was a default printer option since I've only used epson printers. I agree that IP is over priced, and it depends on your printer model too. I think its around 5k for the epson 11880. When it works it works well, but once it quit in the middle of my 60x60" print I was done using it.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

See I thought it was a default printer option since I've only used epson printers. I agree that IP is over priced, and it depends on your printer model too. I think its around 5k for the epson 11880. When it works it works well, but once it quit in the middle of my 60x60" print I was done using it.

Yeah the advanced BW mode is an epson thing, and only on newer models. My old 2200 did not have it and unfortunately was incapable of doing good, neutral BW prints without a RIP. I'm pleased Epson finally incorporated this into their drivers, it saved me a lot of money that I can't afford now when I had to replace my 2200 at the beginning of this year after it finally died for good.

IP never crashed on me, thankfully, but I was doing 11x14 and smaller prints too.

 

[sojournerphoto]

For neutral the best approach is to use black/grey inks only. A lot of print drivers allow this now.

I use an HP Z3100 that allows this or will build colour profiles for any paper. Printing on Ilford Gold Fibre silk I've done side by side prints using black only mode and colour mode with a recent good profile that are indistinguishable.

Since I often like to warm the print tone I tend to use the full colour set now.

Your approach and results will depend on the printer, paper and profiling capcity you have.

Mike

 

[mgd711]

Yeah the advanced BW mode is an epson thing, and only on newer models..

AWB is an Epson thing but other manufacturers have a similar feature. As I'm not at home now and can't check, I forget what its called on the iPF5100's driver but its there in the options.

I've never had anything other than totally neutral B&W prints, either using the Canon's own B&W mode or the profiles I made for the paper.