Epson with Advanced Black and White option?

[spersky]

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Hello,

 

I have an Epson R2400 that includes the Advanced Black and White output option.

 

This option will actually convert a color print to output in black and white.

 

I personally prefer to convert the color image in photoshop first then print the image.

 

What is the best way to print a black and white image with the Epson. Do I output as black only, or color, or Advanced Black and White?

 

My old way was to use black ink only because I did not like the tonal shifts when I said it was a color print. That was before I got the R2400. any suggestions?

 

thanks

[dpattinson]

I think you may have a misconception about Epson's Advanced B&W.

 

I don't believe it is intended for automatically converting a colour image into B&W. Instead it is intended to give a finer degree of control when printing a B&W image.

 

According to my Epson printing book, it allows control of tone, contrast and other things as well as instructing the printer to only use an appropriate subset of inks.

 

So my understanding is that you convert to B&W as normal, and then choose the Advanced B&W to provide some extra quality in the printing.

 

Unfortunately my printer doesn't support it, but hopefully the next one will

 

David.

[stunsworth]

I use the advanced black and white option to print images that are already black and white on my Epson 3800. The results are wonderfully neutral, and to these eyes at least excellent. Although you can use the advanced black and white option to print black and white versions of colour images, I don't think that is the primary reason for its existence.

 

To answer your question, use the advanced black and white setting when you are printing black and white photographs.

 

One other thing, if you want to print already toned versions of black and white photographs, don't use the advanced black and white option as you'll get a black and white print rather than a toned one.

[adan]

As said, Advanced B&W can print a color image as B&W, but it generally assumes your are printing a monochrome image to begin with. Getting the exact results you want will be tricky if you are looking at a color image on your screen and trying to predict mentally how the printer will handle it in grays.

 

You need to at least make your image monochrome (it can still be an RGB file, doesn't have to be gray scale - but needs full desaturation to look B&W on screen, by whatever technique flavour you prefer, so that you can rationally adjust contrast and curves and dodging and burning and such IN B&W).

 

Then, with PhotoShop, in the print preview window - turn OFF Photoshop Color management. If your picture is true grayscale image, Photoshop will do this automatically. I.E. let the "Printer handle color management"

 

Then you can, in the final "Print" dialogue box, turn on printer color management and select "advanced B&W".

 

Personally, I don't use it, because I've found out the Epson K3 inks will print dead neutral B&Ws even if I print a monochrome RGB image via the same method as I print full-color RGB images, with Photoshop controlling the color management via a paper profile (e.g Epson Luster or whatever).

 

Prints I've made via RGB-monochrome-Photoshop color managed, and via grayscale-monochrome-advanced B&W are indistinguishable.

 

BTW - the "Advanced B&W" printing method still uses color inks as well as the gray/black inks to produce the image. In fact in Advanced B&W one has the option of tinting the grayscale image brown/sepia or blue or other colors in the Epson printer color controls.

 

But regardless of whether one uses Advanced B&W, or just the regular Photoshop-color-managed paper-profiled workflow, Epson's profiles and ink laydown are extremely neutral in K3 ink printers (unless one specifies otherwise), compared to their previous printers.

[lorenzda]

I 'm very pleased with the results obtained with Epson 3800. I print on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Pearl and set the printer not in "advanced b/n" but in handling color: Photoshop, using specific Hahnemuhle profil icc. The results are better than those obtained with "advanced b/n". imho.

Kind regards

Lorenzo

[spersky]

Thanks I will try both methods.

[kalina]

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My Epson R1900 produces beautiful black and white prints on Ultra Premium Photo Luster paper. I'm intrigued by the additional black the 2400 has, though, but the prints out of my R1900 are so fantastic that I'm using them for my art gallery (my opening reception is tomorrow... I'm excited!) and so far everyone tells me they love the print quality.

[spersky]

As said, Advanced B&W can print a color image as B&W, but it generally assumes your are printing a monochrome image to begin with. Getting the exact results you want will be tricky if you are looking at a color image on your screen and trying to predict mentally how the printer will handle it in grays.

 

You need to at least make your image monochrome (it can still be an RGB file, doesn't have to be gray scale - but needs full desaturation to look B&W on screen, by whatever technique flavour you prefer, so that you can rationally adjust contrast and curves and dodging and burning and such IN B&W).

 

Then, with PhotoShop, in the print preview window - turn OFF Photoshop Color management. If your picture is true grayscale image, Photoshop will do this automatically. I.E. let the "Printer handle color management"

 

Then you can, in the final "Print" dialogue box, turn on printer color management and select "advanced B&W".

 

Personally, I don't use it, because I've found out the Epson K3 inks will print dead neutral B&Ws even if I print a monochrome RGB image via the same method as I print full-color RGB images, with Photoshop controlling the color management via a paper profile (e.g Epson Luster or whatever).

 

Prints I've made via RGB-monochrome-Photoshop color managed, and via grayscale-monochrome-advanced B&W are indistinguishable.

 

BTW - the "Advanced B&W" printing method still uses color inks as well as the gray/black inks to produce the image. In fact in Advanced B&W one has the option of tinting the grayscale image brown/sepia or blue or other colors in the Epson printer color controls.

 

But regardless of whether one uses Advanced B&W, or just the regular Photoshop-color-managed paper-profiled workflow, Epson's profiles and ink laydown are extremely neutral in K3 ink printers (unless one specifies otherwise), compared to their previous printers.

 

I used to get horrible greenish casts when I printed with older printers. The new printers seem pretty neutral even when printing RBG monchrome images. If you want a toned image. You will need to print with full color workflow anyway.

[adan]

My previous Epsosn (1800, I think? - anyway, dye printer, not pigment - 13x19) would print greenish on Epson papers and purplish on Ilford Galerie papers using "black ink only." I went with the Ilford by preference since it looked about like a heavily-selenium-toned print.

 

But the K3 ink printers on Harman (the real English Ilford) Fiber Gloss are a whole new ball game - not only the best digital B&W prints I've ever mde, but better than most of what I'd printed on silver (mostly RC) since the 70's. The Harman paper even SMELLS like it just came out of the hypo-clearing-agent.