Monochrome Printing with Entry-Level Inkjets

You don’t need to pay top dollars for a printer that can make black and white (B&W) prints. It’s easy to make acceptable monochrome prints from a low-priced printer – as long as you understand how the printer driver works. By ‘acceptable’ we don’t mean ‘exceptional’. Exceptional monochrome prints require an advanced driver and three levels of black ink density. Such printers cost more than $1000. But even a $100 photo printer can make B&W prints that look better than many prints from photolabs if you go about it the right way.

1. Start with the right data: Most photo printers work in the sRGB colour space so it makes sense to start with images captured in sRGB (which is the default colour space of all digital still cameras). Some printers include an Adobe RGB colour space setting and these models can be used to make B&W prints with almost the same workflow as sRGB printers. Because the Adobe RGB colour space is larger than sRGB, the adjustments you make to image files will apply in the Adobe RGB setting and this setting will work best for images that were originally shot in Adobe RGB. But make sure you DON’T send Adobe RGB data to the sRGB settings in the printer driver. (The colour gamut will be clipped if you do!)
2. Print from the right software: It’s essential to print from software that is ‘colour aware’; in other words, software that supports colour space selection. Recommended programs include Adobe’s Photoshop Elements and Photoshop (from V6.0 on).

Print from software that is ‘colour aware’, such as Adobe’s Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

Select ‘Let Printer Determine Colours’ in the Colour Handling box.

3. Convert colour images to B&W using editing software: Use whatever method you prefer and make your conversion in the software, rather than the printer driver. A simple conversion process is to open the colour adjustment control and select Adjust Hue/Saturation then move the Saturation slider back to -100. Then save the file with its own file name.

Convert colour images to B&W using editing software.

4. Use the most suitable media: The system outlined here will only work with Epson printers using Epson inks and papers. For printers from other manufacturers, some experimentation will be required. Don’t use third-party inks or papers as results will be unpredictable.
Testing shows the best results come from printing on semi-gloss and matte papers. Glossy paper produces very varied results. Results will also vary from one ink set to another (we don’t recommend using this system with Epson’s 1270, 1290, 870 and 890 printers). More recent printers with newer ink sets should produce good B&W prints with genuine media from the manufacturer.

5. Use the correct printer driver settings. The screen grabs belowshow the driver settings that will yield the best results. Do NOT select ‘Grayscale’ in the ‘Print Options’ menu and don’t adjust your image using the slider controls in the Colour Mode panel.

Use the Basic menu to select Photo quality and make sure the paper type matches the paper you are printing on. Then click on the Advanced tab.

In the Colour Management box, check Colour Controls then select EPSON Standard from the drop-down menu. Note: This system will work with sRGB images only.

If the image was captured in the Adobe RGB colour space and your printer driver provides that option, you can select Adobe RGB as the Colour Mode. Note: This system will work with Adobe RGB and sRGB data.

The colour balance of your B&W print can be fine-tuned by selecting PhotoEnhance in the Colour Management box. The Tone drop-down menu allows you to choose from Sepia, Neutral Grey, Warm Grey and Cool Grey. Note: This system will work with sRGB images only.

6. Allow prints to stabilise. Leave each print for at least 20 minutes to allow the colours to stabilise. (Don’t be surprised by a strong red cast in prints emerging from the printer; it will disappear with time.) Covering the print with a sheet of plain office paper will help to absorb the vapours given off by the print.

Tips
The information provided in this article gives you a starting point for making acceptable monochrome prints on affordably-priced inkjet printers. You will probably need to experiment with your own printer to find a workflow that delivers the end result you want. The following tips will help you to achieve that objective without wasting inks, papers – and your valuable time.

1. Start with a good colour image. Images that need editing should be edited in your editing software before they are converted to monochrome. Don’t use the slider adjustments in the printer driver to fine-tune brightness, contrast and colour.

Make use of ICC colour space settings and ‘canned’ profiles.

2. Make test strips. Print a section of your picture on a sheet of the paper you plan to use and see how well your printer driver settings work. With care, you should be able to fit six to eight test strips on each A4 sheet of paper.

3. Save your printer driver settings using the Custom Settings box in the printer driver. This allows you to call them up again whenever you want to make another monochrome print.

Thanks to Philip Brown, Derek Mobbs and Matt O’Donnell of Epson Australia for sharing the results of their research with Photo Review readers.