Printing True Grayscale

[Reaction GFX]

Why does it seem nearly impossible to print true grayscale on my large-format printer? I struggled with this a lot with my old GS6000 and Onyx X10. Now I have a brand new S40600 and I'm just using the GamaPrint Pro RIP that came with it. (I realize GamaPrint Pro is stripped down and has minimal features, but it works just fine for 99% of what I print, so I see no reason to shell out the $2500 for a new full version of Onyx.) Print quality is fantastic overall, except I'm still struggling with grayscale images. They either lean blue (cold) or red (warm), not true grayscale. I convert my files to grayscale in Photoshop, save as PSD, and still it's not true grayscale. The only way I have ever been able to get what appears to be true grayscale in the past was to turn all ICC profiles off, but then the images look grainy, lose definition, and/or the contrast is just too high. Is there a simple way to get half-way decent grayscale quality or any tips/tricks anyone can share? This is really only an issue for ONE of my customers. It's a gallery and they often have exhibits of old B/W photos and I make them a header panel with the name of the exhibit and they want the photo on the header panel to closely match the photos. I don't usually see the photos, so I'm kind of shooting blind and we haven't had a lot of luck in the past. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[MikePro]

when saving your image file, convert to output custom cmyk profile with Max GCR selected. allows you to print your image with profiles on but all the greys are rendered with a heavier black value as opposed to the CMYgreys that usually disappoint.

 

[Reaction GFX]

when saving your image file, convert to output custom cmyk profile with Max GCR selected. allows you to print your image with profiles on but all the greys are rendered with a heavier black value as opposed to the CMYgreys that usually disappoint.

Not sure I'm following. Should I still convert my image to grayscale in Photoshop first? And where do I find these "convert to profile advanced" options? Photoshop is not my strong suit, I'm an Illustrator guy, but can hobble around and accomplish most basic tasks in Photoshop.

 

[ColorCrest]

It’s partly the machine model having only a single black as opposed to having more varieties such as light black and light light black, and the basic color calibration along with the accuracy of the ICC output profile. Having varieties of black provide smoother prints throughout the range from black through to white.

Because you mentioned you’ve struggled with your GS6000 tells me you might use some more knowledge about calibration, as calibration is targeted to produce neutral grays. If a machine does not print neutral grays with all profiles turned off, it is not considered truly calibrated.

Is there a simple way to get half-way decent grayscale quality or any tips/tricks anyone can share

A well made ICC output profile will oftentimes correct a surprisingly misbehaved machine to produce a satisfactory grayscale. Creating a new, valid ICC output profile is usually the quickest fix.

They either lean blue (cold) or red (warm), not true grayscale.

This is unusual and points to a workflow issue.

The SureColor S80600 has a light black, Canon and Epson aqueous machines have even more blacks with driver options for superior b&w printing.

 

[Reaction GFX]

Thanks for all the info. I've attempted to create custom profiles before when I was running X10 without much luck. Most of what I do isn't super color-critical. Making custom profiles with GamaPrint Pro seems like it might be even more challenging than with X10. My first print on the S40600 was pretty good, but just a tad blue. After digging around in Photoshop, I found the options to save as a custom CMYK profile with GCR Black Generation set to maximum and the results were definitely better. I think it should be passable for this one. It's definitely less blue than the first print. Still always open to more info if anyone cares to share.