what is the best way to print black and white images

[ashwini singh]

Hi ,
we plan to print a black and white calender from images i clicked from my visit to the everest base camp. Thne thing is that last time i tried to print a black and white calender/sepia the depth and color was not staisfactory.
How do i make sepration in order to print black and white the best possible way, i have heard using 2 different blacks and a grey or one black and one gray pantone etc etc.
how do you suggest i can approach this printing in the best possible way from pre-press to print.
I am sure there are authorities on the color subject and their feedback would be very helpful

 

[gordo]

Hi ,
we plan to print a black and white calender from images i clicked from my visit to the everest base camp. Thne thing is that last time i tried to print a black and white calender/sepia the depth and color was not staisfactory.
How do i make sepration in order to print black and white the best possible way, i have heard using 2 different blacks and a grey or one black and one gray pantone etc etc.
how do you suggest i can approach this printing in the best possible way from pre-press to print.

You could start with the duotone curves that come with PShop. My preference is black and grey duotone. Do some variations with images and tone scales. Then run a press test to verify the look you're after.

gordon p

 

[DavidMa]

same here, black for the deep shadows and the grey will give you the mids and still keep your highlights

 

[TerryWyse]

Another option would be a "rich black" separation using process colors. "Rich black" separation is basically a full-scale black printer with just enough CMY to build up to the proper Dmax. You can also use this for creating "toned" B&W separations. Neutral stability on press is very good since black is dominate.
If you need help creating a "rich black" separation profile, feel free to contact me.

Terry

 

[tmiller_iluvprinting]

I like to use a double black, or as Terry mentioned a 4 color black & white created with heavy GCR and max black generation.

Regards,
Todd

 

[ashwini singh]

Thanks
how do i create a true/rich black though! do i mix inks to make it darker or is it supposed to be done in pre-press.
Because if i make cmyk all 100 then it is pretty much a 100% 4 color job . Also the inks are too heavy and take time drying as well as registration problems etc.

 

[almaink]

If the pictures have good tonal balance, printing with just black ink on a good grade paper should be all thats required.

 

[gordo]

Thanks
how do i create a true/rich black though! do i mix inks to make it darker or is it supposed to be done in pre-press.
Because if i make cmyk all 100 then it is pretty much a 100% 4 color job . Also the inks are too heavy and take time drying as well as registration problems etc.

The simplest way (not always the best) to do a 4/C B&W would be to take your greyscale image in PShop and simply do a mode change to CMYK (make sure that GCR with heavy black generation is selected for the separation method). Or you could use a custom heavy GCR based CMYK profile.

@almaink; The reason that K alone won't give you an optimum B&W reproduction is that black ink, because it is transparent, at full density is only equivalent to about a 70%-80% tone. Adding another black or grey provides the extra density to expand the tonal range including deep blacks. A very good example is a magazine called LensWork ( http://www.lenswork.com/ ) which is available at most large magazine retailers. Compare those duotone reproductions to any single color B&W images in any other magazine and you'll see the difference. Some of the paper suppliers will also have demonstration pieces that show B&W printed 1, 2, and 4/C.

best, gordon p

 

[meddington]

We've done a few high end books with a bump/double black that are so much more striking than black only, or even 4/c rich blacks. Check out the mountaineering book Voices From the Summit if its available at a local book store.

BTW, I haven't been a big fan of creating 4/c rich blacks via ICC profiles (converting from grayscale into 4/c). Even with heavy GCR there is often quite a bit of CMY in the lighter tones unless you carefully build the black generation in the ICC profile. We usually go the route of a quadtone where control over where CMY is introduced is more absolute.

 

[tschroe]

Yes - as others say - duotone (or tritone with two additional PMS colors to give the images more depth) is the way to go. Play around with the duotone curves in PS - I find it best to keep the black flat and adjust the other one or two curves to suit the image density I am going for. With this method (duotoning) you can create a warm (think sepia) or cool (think selenium) toning - or anything in between. It's wonderful.

 

[Luc St-Pierre]

Double bump of black, 30 degrees difference in angles. Try with using L channel of a LAB photoshop file instead of converting to any grayscale, specially if you start with a color image.

 

[bprint_tampabay]

All of the above suggestions are good - but don't you need to establish how many colors the job is going to print in in the first place?

A duotone, tritone, or anything besides a straight up greyscale image is no longer a "Black & White" job.

You can do a lot of great stuff with a big budget. Check out some Ansel Adams "Black & White" images sometime.

 

[gordo]

All of the above suggestions are good - but don't you need to establish how many colors the job is going to print in in the first place?

No. The original post question explains why. In this case the goal determines how many colors are going to print.

best, gordon p

 

[bprint_tampabay]

Gordo-
I understand what you are saying and I get that - but who determines that and who is planning to pay for it?

I don't know, in my world budgets are tight...

 

[gordo]

Gordo-
I understand what you are saying and I get that - but who determines that and who is planning to pay for it?

I don't know, in my world budgets are tight...

Well, in this particular case it appears that the customer is the printer so the costing would be different than that of an outside job.

If this was a commercial job, and I was the printer quoting on it, then I would try to set the customer's expectation for a black only reproduction (again in this case the customer already knows the limitation of black only) vs a duotone using samples of each. Quote it both ways and let the customer decide whether the reproduction fidelity is worth the extra cost. Perhaps even suggest other areas to trim costs (paper choice, page size, etc.) to help reduce the cost of "doing it right."
I think that one of the responsibilities a printer has to their customer is to identify potential issues in the RFQ and offer options to resolve those issues (in addition to quoting it as specified).
It doesn't matter if budgets are tight. What matters is that expectations for performance at given price points and reproduction options are clearly communicated. Then the print buyer can make an informed value vs cost decision. If the customer decides that the job only warrants a one color treatment - that's their call.

best, gordon p

 

[roel78]

I prefer to make a duotone with Black and a gray PMS, but this means a fifth colour if it's a CMYK-job. If there isn't any budget for it, then I think a quad-tone is a good option. I'm want to make a wetproof to see the results of some different settings. Has anyone done this test before?
If, for example, the CMY-curve is a straight line from 0 to 40% and the K-curve is a straight line from 0 to 100%, would that give me a perfect neutral image? Or should I treat the channels differtly?
Thanks in advise, Roel