On Jan 5, 2018, at 10:52 AM, forums@walkerblackwell.com wrote:
I guess my question is, has anyone found a scientifically consistent way to get around this “appearance” match and simply set the output conditions for linear?
"Linear" by what measure? Ink coverage? Total reflectivity? L*? And what do you expect to happen to out-of-gamut samples -- colors your monitor can create that your printer can't? What's your viewing environment like? If you set the print in that splash of sunlight coming through the window, will you be upset that even the black patch of the print is brighter than the monitor's white? Typically, linearization is something done before profiling, and as a means of improving the consistency and applicability of profiles. As in, linearize printer serial number #3141 and profile BrandName Premiere Photo Matte paper, and the profile should be equally valid for any printer of the same model with that paper paper after it's also been linearized. The measure for linearization doesn't matter so long as it's consistent, doesn't have inversions / discontinuities, and so on. I imagine most manufacturers that implement this feature use total reflectivity. ArgyllCMS has a function I've never personally needed to do something similar with printers that don't support in-printer or in-driver linearization. It would probably also be useful to ask _why_ you want "linear" output. The most common closely-related scenario I can think of would be to send "raw" data to the printer as the first step in creating a profile. "Print without color management" would be the typical phrase...and it can be a real bear, sometimes, to make that happen. The least unreliable and most universal approach is the so-called "null transform" hack: assign the image to a particular profile (doesn't matter) and use that exact same profile for the printer profile. Worst case, if the CMS is even remotely sane, you might get some floating-point rounding going on, but simply breathing on the print will change the color appearance by more than that rounding will. Cheers, b&