probs printing Black n White - DPChallenge Forums

03/09/2007 12:18:58 PM · #1

Hi, I hope someone out there can help.
I'm having problems printing out black n white photos. They never look as they do on my screen they always seem to look green. My colour printing seems to be fine tho'. I'm not sure if what I'm seeing on my screen is right or if what prints out is right which means I'm a bit unsure about putting any of my black n white pics in my portfolio.

I hope someone can offer some advice

Thanks
ziggy

SaraR

Sony Alpha a7R III

Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM

03/09/2007 12:20:24 PM · #2

Are you setting your printer settings to grayscale?

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

03/09/2007 12:24:00 PM · #3

Yes I did but for some reason the photo was very grainy

shanelighter

Canon EOS-500D Rebel T1i

03/09/2007 12:31:36 PM · #4

I find most inkjet printers tend to give a colour cast when printing black and white, except for the really high end stuff. I'd say your best bet for quality is sending them to a lab that can print it for you.

Mpix.com offers Ilford b&w prints from digital, and as far as I know it's true b&w paper, so obviously no colour cast. Even RA-4 prints can do a decent job if the machine is properly calibrated. Shouldn't cost much more (if not cheaper) than printing at home, especially if you're making multiple copies while perfecting the output.

Hope that helps.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/09/2007 12:39:04 PM · #5

Thanks for your help, I think that may be the answer. It's a shame tho' coz sometimes you just want to print on the spur of the moment

Artifacts

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

03/09/2007 12:58:30 PM · #6

Color casting of BW images with Epson printers is a well known problem. I can't remember off the top what it is, but there is a trick you can apply to correct that. If you have an Epson printer then do a Google search to see if you can find out what that is then be sure to tell the rest of us. ;)

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

03/09/2007 01:02:59 PM · #7

I have a dell printer. I have just tried re-printing the same pic setting the printer to black n white and although the colour is better there is no depth to the print. it's so exasperatint!! I'm just a novice who is trying so hard to get a half decent result. At this rate I'll have to go back to darning sox!

sabphoto

Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+

03/09/2007 01:09:25 PM · #8

ok stupid question here, when you say you are setting the printer to b/w are you telling it to use only black ink or just telling to print b/w. Usually it is better to tell it to only use black ink. Otherwise it blends all colors to get black and is hardly ever true black. Check your printer preferences and you should see an option for using color ink or only black.

good luck

Message edited by author 2007-03-09 13:10:06.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

03/09/2007 01:17:20 PM · #9

The green throw, especially noticeable in some Epsons, is "metamorphism": google for explanation.

In general, standard inkjets cannot produce really rich B/W prints. Some of the newer, high-end Epsons have multiple-black cartridges that produce outstanding B/W tonalities. I believe other manufacturers do also, but I'm not as familiar with them.

B/W print quality is EXTREMELY paper-dependent also; as a rule, the glossier the paper the richer the print will look. B/W inkjet prints on matte paper, at least with old-school inks, are a disaster.

R.

mpeters

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

03/09/2007 01:24:52 PM · #10

FWIW i've seen the same color cast on BW prints from Longs or other similar outlets.

Re: what Robert said... Try some metallic paper if you really want to see the BW print pop!

cpanaioti

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

03/09/2007 01:25:12 PM · #11

Also, some of the higher end printers have more than one black cartridge so will print better black and whites. The new Canon iP9500 has three black ink cartridges and apparently will produce B/W prints very nicely without the colour cast. This remains to be seen.

shanelighter

Canon EOS-500D Rebel T1i

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

03/09/2007 01:25:47 PM · #12

As Bear said, paper is important. I used to us Ilford's Pearl finish inkjet paper on a high-end Epson and got decent results (especially in colour), but the paper alone was 2 dollars per sheet.

I think the biggest problem is that true b&w paper has silver in it, and that look is really hard to duplicate with inkjet. As for depth, the difference between RC (resin-coated) and fiber based papers was noticeable (fiber based papers produce more depth).

I would also guess that most "black" inks would inherently have some kind of colour cast to them, especially from less experienced imaging manufacturers, ie. Dell.