Keith Cooper wrote:
An interesting discussion that likely relates to an issue I've seen in printing B&W photos.
This from a qualitative POV...
In using either B&W print modes (ABW or Canon) or icc profiles there is frequently a tendency to crunch deep shadow detail in varying amounts for images on a wide range of papers.
The normal explanation for this using ICC profiles, is using a colorimetric intent with an idealized source colorspace (i.e. sRGB, AdobeRGB, ProPhoto), since then all input values below the black point of the printer will be clipped. Typical fixes are BPC or a correctly gamut mapped output profile using perceptual intent, or the equivalent device link workflow. Whether this explanation is applicable to your situation is something you will have to explain, since it very much depends on technical details of your workflow. Graeme Gill.