RE: RE: New SNAP Standard (GCR instead of UCR)
RE: RE: New SNAP Standard (GCR instead of UCR)
- Subject: RE: RE: New SNAP Standard (GCR instead of UCR)
- From: Roger <email@hidden>
- Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2009 09:13:19 -0400
Eric,
> Assuming newspaper conditions are similar, this profile works very
> well in my experience. The caveat, as has been mentioned on this list
> before, in order to get the correct TAC value of 240%, RGB to CMYK
> conversions must be executed using perceptual intent with Black Point
> Compensation switched off. Otherwise you get a lower value around 212%.
That is still a mystery to me. And the appearance of the color in Photoshop,
once separated, too. I still have not gotten over that. Almost as bad as
Egypt's pyramids...
> In passing, I have found that in this age of digital photography, when
> processing images for newspapers it is always advisable to open up the
> shadow range.
Ah! Very good advice, Eric. Especially with newsprint. Some people have a
tendency of trusting their monitors too much. I know the resulted "dumb
down" images may look washed out on the screen but, on press, the details
will be there, well preserved. One job I just seen ran on newsprint last
week, had all mechanical black graphics made up of 400% ink! Someone
instructed the poor designer to make all black graphic elements (not text --
thank god!), like the background of some dropped white titles, not "Black"
but "Registration". And the poor printer is blamed because those elements
turned "red" or "blue" on press. Some clients have too much power on
printers...
> All digital photography, with the possible exception of
> still life studio, has a tendency to close the shadows down. The
> detail is there in the file, and can be seen in the histogram, but is
> compressed and giving it a little room to breath does wonders for the
> printed result.
Would you venture to say that this approach has applications too for
commercial work? On web printing coated paper?
> The look up tables were loaded into the cabinet on 8 inch floppy discs!
Wow, 8 inches floppy disks? You guys were true pioneers!
> ... I am particularly
> gratified, and a even a little smug, remembering the resistance, that
> GCR is a vital component in standardised printing, and for those that
> go further than the levels in the standard profiles, in optimised
> printing. The fact that it is possible to greatly reduce ink levels
> and still retain colour fidelity and accuracy with modern colour
> science is stunning- but the press crews must be aware of the change
> of importance when switching from a UCR style skeleton black, to a
> full range GCR separation. A traditional black tends to be used and
> abused, and the black unit might well be the Cinderella of the press,
> but with full GCR it is the Belle of the Ball!
>
> Eric
If you had the choice, would you go medium GCR for all commercial work
today?
The only problem I have with GCR, in general, and you may disagree with me,
is that, most often, printing presses are a little off (I'm generous) from
where they should be, in terms of calibration, be it TVI or Gray behavior.
Most often, for example, the magenta ink is way too saturated in its a*
component (76 vs 70), or too negative in its b* component (-7 vs -3),
compared to, say, GRACoL or SWOP. Worse, when those same magenta ink are
screened, say, down to 50%, their b* component can increase negatively to b*
= -11 (typical, believe me). So, what happens with those skin tones where
the b* for magenta is built, at separations time, for b*=-4? The skin looks
overly bluish, and I've seen that, regularly, on paper having b* close to
zero! That's why, I feel, for many actual work, UCR offers the advantage of
"more room to manoeuvre" on press than GCR. I don't dispute all the
advantages for GCR, like, in neutrality, for jewelry and silverware work,
and so on. But, in terms of "helping" the typical press achieve a
satisfactory match to the proof, I see UCR still playing a vital function.
Not for the right reasons, mind you, but still.
What do you think?
Roger
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