B & W from Colour problem for photocopying.

Our Church has an Analogue photo copier for it’s newsletters etc. I have tried converting my colour digital photos to B&W using Grayscale, Colour
Channels, Channel Mixers & other experiments, but the result is always totally unacceptable when photocopied…

Before you go any farther: How are you printing the image? What kind of printer are you using?

You can get excellent results from a photocopier, if you are printing the image correctly; the way you print the image, and the kind of printer you use, is critical.

To get decent results from a photocopier, you should not use an inkjet printout, you should use a halftoned printout from a laser printer.

If you have a PostScript laser printer, set the laser printer to use an 85 line halftone (or less). If you have a laser printer that is not PostScript, you can get good results by using Image->Mode->Bitmap. In the Bitmap dialog, choose Output Resolution: 1200 dpi, Halftone, 85 lines per inch, Round dot.

To prepare the image before you do this, use the Curves command. In the Curves command, pull the midtone down about 10-15%, and pull the shadow end down so it is no more than 85% printing. the result will look washed-out on your computer screen, but will darken up again on the photocopier.

Then, print it with an 85-line halftone, or convert it to bitmap with an 85-line screen, and try that.

Printing to an inkjet printer will likely produce extremely poor results when photocopying, unless the photocopier has an "artwork" or "photograph" setting–typically found only on high-end photocopiers.

—
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(Mac Lynch) writes:

Kia Ora
Our Church has an Analogue photo copier for it’s newsletters etc. I have tried converting my colour digital photos to B&W using Grayscale, Colour Channels, Channel Mixers & other experiments, but the result is always totally unacceptable when photocopied, usually too dark even when lightened as much as possible.
On the other hand, some seemingly random colour photos straight copied come out reasonably well.
Is there a hue or contrast or other factor I might use to trick the photocopier to produce an acceptable result? I am not expecting magic!

OK, as I understand it, you are taking a color image file, converting to monochrome in the computer, printing, and copying the result. Could the problem really be an incompatibility between the printer and the copier? If the copier has some odd sort of spectral response, it’s possible that your printer (inkjet?) is using inks with spectral curves that are incompatible with the copier.

—
-Stephen H. Westin
Any information or opinions in this message are mine: they do not represent the position of Cornell University or any of its sponsors.

In article <c95pcp$pp6$ (Mac Lynch)
wrote:

Kia Ora
Our Church has an Analogue photo copier for it’s newsletters etc. I have tried converting my colour digital photos to B&W using Grayscale,

Colour

Channels, Channel Mixers & other experiments, but the result is always

totally

unacceptable when photocopied, usually too dark even when lightened as

much as

possible.

The problem is the photo scanner. It wants just two tonmes: black and something else (usuallly white). Your picture cannot change the behavior of a simple photocopier via the print you give it. You want proof? Scan the palm of your hand. It’s not really high-contrast B&W, but that’s what it will produce.

In article ,
(Tacit) wrote:

Our Church has an Analogue photo copier for it’s newsletters etc. I have tried converting my colour digital photos to B&W using Grayscale, Colour
Channels, Channel Mixers & other experiments, but the result is always

totally

unacceptable when photocopied…

Before you go any farther: How are you printing the image? What kind of

printer

are you using?

You can get excellent results from a photocopier, if you are printing

the image

correctly; the way you print the image, and the kind of printer you use, is critical.

You presume too much this time, Tacit. You have no idea what kind of photocopier he is using. My assumption is that is yet another stump-stupid high contrast copier. Nothing in the world can help such a machine.

You presume too much this time, Tacit. You have no idea what kind of photocopier he is using. My assumption is that is yet another stump-stupid high contrast copier. Nothing in the world can help such a machine.

I’ve actually achieved very good results from such a photocopier, provided the images are halftoned with a coarse (63-85) line screen. A halftoned image has only two tones–black and white–and you can, with some skill, get remarkably good results from a normal photocopier. Hell, I published small-press magazines that way for *years*! 🙂
—
Biohazard? Radiation hazard? SO last-century.
Nanohazard T-shirts now available! http://www.villaintees.com Art, literature, shareware, polyamory, kink, and more:
http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

Bits of truth abound in most of the replies you have so far. I would second the motion that copiers are not greytone devices. You have to half-tone your photos first. Someone suggested 85 lines per inch. That might be too many but give it a try. I think 75 might be better…maybe even 65 for older copiers.

If you have postscript in your printer halftoning is done there. Since we are just talking photos here I hope you have Photoshop. When you convert your greyscale image to bitmap you will have the option of halftoning there. Print that out and paste it on the sheets that have the data.

Now…this is comp.graphics.apps.photoshop…if it was comp.publish.prepress then we would be talking high-end layout programs like Indesign or Quark. There are others like MS Publisher for less advanced users. You should be using one of these so you can assemble everything before you print it out. You may find that printing it from a laser is simple and fast enough that you abandon the copier…and then your quality will go way up.

"Mac Lynch" wrote in message

Kia Ora
Our Church has an Analogue photo copier for it’s newsletters etc. I have tried converting my colour digital photos to B&W using Grayscale,

Colour

Channels, Channel Mixers & other experiments, but the result is always

totally

unacceptable when photocopied, usually too dark even when lightened as

much as

possible.
On the other hand, some seemingly random colour photos straight copied

come out

reasonably well.
Is there a hue or contrast or other factor I might use to trick the

photocopier

to produce an acceptable result? I am not expecting magic! Thanks
Mac

In article ,
(Tacit) wrote:

You presume too much this time, Tacit. You have no idea what kind of photocopier he is using. My assumption is that is yet another stump-stupid high contrast copier. Nothing in the world can help such a machine.

I’ve actually achieved very good results from such a photocopier, provided the images are halftoned

Ah HAH! Halftoned! I should have known you had the solution.

with a coarse (63-85) line screen. A halftoned image has only two tones–black and white–and you can, with some skill, get remarkably good results from a normal photocopier. Hell, I published small-press

magazines

that way for *years*! 🙂

Most appreciated! Thank you.

jjs

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In article <mdxtc.25427$4%>,
says…

Thanks for the wonderful response I have got to my project. I am trying several answers & think I am making real progress.
Your time & help is appreciated.
Mac