Black and White photography CMYK or Greyscale?

[Mr Wonderstuff]

Hello all

My first post, so be gentle.

I'm currently creating a brochure for a client which will be printed CMYK. I have used black and white photography (converted in CS3 PS from their RGB originals) and want the best reproduction of the images. Should I convert the photos to cmyk to get denser and richer blacks or will a greyscale suffice (ie using only the black plate).

Thanks

[Jam]

Speak to your printer - they may be able to help you and even provide a proof

[Mr Wonderstuff]

Yea I've just sent off an email but thought I'd get some feedback in the meantime. Thanks.

[Jam]

I know there was a thread a week or so ago that asked if people had their own theories on this subject do a search on CMYK black, I am sure you'll find something.

[PrintDriver]

I always do them 4 color black whenever possible. It gives a much richer image.
Black plate only can be boring, especially if you are already running 4 plates.
But ask your printer. They may provide you with a profile to use on your images to get them coming out looking their best.

[jimking]

My opinion is if it's going to print CMYK offset, and the end result is for the b/w photos to be just b/w I'd make them grayscale. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a particular effect such as a duotone or sepia effect or even b/w but with some slight color hi-lights then you'd create a 4/c image.

[HappyFriday]

Should I convert the photos to cmyk to get denser and richer blacks or will a greyscale suffice (ie using only the black plate).

TBH, I never find B/W images printed 4C any more attractive than grayscale or just black plate. If anything I find the "denser and richer blacks" distracting.

If you are aiming to get more tonal range out of your images, do consider creating duo/tri/quadtone.

[PrintDriver]

It really depends on the material you are printing on.

[Cooper]

Ive seen some black and white photography go horrible wrong when reproduced in CMYK; it occasionally ends up with a noticeable colour cast. I guess it would be a result if bad colour management - if your monitor isnt reproducing the colours reasonably accurately and you tinker with the image you might not notice the cast until its too late. Or maybe the stuff I saw was just printed by a rubbish press who messed the job up.

The safe route would be to just go with outputing the photographs exclusively in the black channel. If you don't feel they will come out rich enough, do them cmyk but note your concerns with the press and arrange for colour proofs (calibrated digital proofs from the press should suffice - does anybody ever do scatter proofs anymore?).

[budafist]

Ive seen some black and white photography go horrible wrong when reproduced in CMYK; it occasionally ends up with a noticeable colour cast.

It happens!

I generally keep b/w photos as black only in offset, but our digital copy centre prefer CMYK build up.

[PrintDriver]

Like I said, ask your printer. :D

[SpugNothuson]

In the past I've used full colour black (CMY&K) to make a greyscale image. But the CMY channels were at less than 50% their usual strength, thereby reducing the capacity to create a colour cast and keeping the entire depth of the image in K channel.

This was only possible because I worked at the printers and worked hand-in-hand with one of them to do this. It's a slippery slope so makesure you find someone that knows the ropes.

[HappyFriday]

Our production had our prep-house color corrected 100~ grayscale images (saved in RGB) > to print in 4C... comes back looking great to that person.

To my eyes, knowing these images were originally b/w prints... I see the color cast, I think Ansel Adams or any purest photographers would cringy seeing their b/w images printed in 4C!

[PrintDriver]

A purist photographer would probably cringe if their images were done in any process other than photographic film from the original negative.

There's a difference between printing art prints and printing a brochure.

There may or may not be a color cast but if you are tight with your printer, that may work to your advantage in keeping the black&white images in the 'tone' of the rest of the brochure.