One of the goals of almost every photographer is to produce a print with the darkest black point and lightest white point as possible.  I get questions about this all the time so I will try to answer with the technical facts without making this document unreadable.  Too much technical jargon makes everyone€™s head spin but on a subject such as ICC profiling it is simply impossible to lay out the facts without a fair amount of technical detail.

ICC profiles are all based on CIE Lab color.  CIE lab is a measurement of color based on human perception.  If a color does not exist in CIE lab, technically it does not exist.  Think of the old philosophical argument, If a tree falls in the woods and no one can hear it does the sound exist?  The same is true for color, If a color can not be seen with the human eye it is not within the CIE lab space, and to humans, does not exist.
Now, just because a human eye can perceive a color can it be reproduced?  Unfortunately the answer is no.   CIE Lab is composed of three parts, Lightness, A axis chromatic, and B axis chromatics.  For the Lightness component, pure black is represented by 0 L and pure white is represented as 100 L.   Here is where it gets interesting.   O L and 100 L are colors that cannot be reproduced on earth.  The only place where 0 L conceptually can exist is inside of a black hole.  But, even though they do not exist on earth, theoretically, they can be perceived by humans so they do exist in CIE lab.

Okay, that is the technical part and should outline the problem,  Photographers are working in Color Spaces that contain colors that do not exist.  So before you get started printing know that there are certain things that are not possible.  That being said, there certainly is a way to optimize how dark of a black you can achieve.   The same is true for white point.  Your paper color is your white point.
1:  If your only goal is black then dye inks produce prints with a better black point.  Unfortunately dye inks are made from vegetables and not only fade quickly but also change color appearance dramatically.  Pigmented inks are the preferred choice for anyone who needs a lasting print and most new inkjet printers are pigment based.

2:  Photo Papers produce a much better black point than fine art papers.  They hold more ink and since the blackest black you can get is a combination of CMYK generally the more ink a paper can hold the blacker black you can get.

3. Printer models all have different formulations of CMYK inksets and some can get blacker than others.  It of course depends on the paper used but some printers get to a better black point than others.  Test out a few at your local dealer before purchasing one.

4:  Papers with optical brighteners usually have a darker black point and a whiter white point.  Some photographers dislike papers with optical brighteners as the brightener may yellow with age.  Keep in mind though,  it is generally a very long time (at least 20 years) before this can happen even on cheaper papers.  The dirty little secret in the industry is that almost all papers have some type of optical brightener applied.  Paper is made from wood and cotton, neither of which is bright white.  If a paper is white, chances are that it has optical brighteners and if you haven€™t noticed problems by know you probably won€™t.

These tips should help you get the most out of your photogrhy in conjuctions with our Software RIP

How to properly apply an ICC profile has long been a subject of much conjecture. Should you apply your profile in an application ? Should you apply it in the print driver ? Is my profile really getting used ? Ask 5 different people and you will probably get five different answers since Photographers are using different applications to print with. Things can also differ because of operating systems.

Below is a rock solid method to properly color manage on Mac OSX regardless of what application you are using or what Mac OS you are using. In this method if you application has an option for PRINTER MANAGES COLOR, that is what setting you should use. If your application does not have an option, that is what is happening by default so you do not need to do anything (Apple Preview would be a good example of this).

Step one: Open the ColorSync Utility. It can be found in applications/utilities (of course it is a lot easier just to spotlight it)

Step two: Select the Devices icon at the top of the window and then expand the profile view for the printer you wish to configure ICC Profiles for

Software RIP ImageNest

Step Three: Select the paper that you wish to assign a custom profile for. Some manufacturers use abbreviations for their paper types. In this example Pro38 PLPP is selected. This is an abbreviation for Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Premium Luster Photo Paper. Remember, profiles are always made for a specific printer and paper combination

Step 4: On the right side you will see the Current Profile. Click on the Down arrow and you will be able to change this profile to whatever custom profile you wish.

Mac RIP

Step 5: Navigate to the folder that contains the profile you wish to use. Generally, when you create a custom profile it is saved to the ColorSync folder but it can be in any folder you wish.

OSX RIP

Step 6: Now your default profile for the Epson 3800 has been changed so every time you choose Premium Luster Photo Paper the custom profile that you set will be used.  In addition to being able to use your custom ICC profile with ImageNest Printing Software