Printer Black and White point Adjustment
- Instructions -

File Type:  Adobe Photoshop^® Curves adjustment

File Extension:  *.acv
Purpose:  Applies the printing environment's black and white points to an image.

---

Download the File

Click the Download button.  Follow your web browser's instructions for saving this file onto your computer.  Make sure you remember where you save it.  The file name is tz-curves-black-white-point.acv.  When you rename the file, do not change the extension.  Leave it .acv.  Photoshop does not require you to save this file in its directory in order to use it.

After downloading, if prompted to Open the file or Close the download dialog box, close the dialog box.
 

Apply the Adjustment

To apply the black and white point adjustment to an image.

1. Create a Curves adjustment layer by clicking Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves.  Or, click the Create new adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette.
2. Name the adjustment layer and click OK.  Any name can be used, but the name Black-White Point may be useful.
3. Click the Load button on the Curves dialog box.
4. Browse till you find the file.  The default name is tz-curves-black-white-point.acv.
5. Highlight the file and click Load.  The Curves dialog box should look something like Figure 1.
6. Ctrl + Tab (Command + Tab) until tone marker 0 is highlighted.  It is circled in black in Figure 1.
7. Type the black point value in the Output box.
8. Ctrl + Tab (Command + Tab) until tone marker 255 is highlighted.  It is circled in white in Figure 1.
9. If necessary, change the white point value in the Output box.  Today's inkjet printers rarely, if ever, need the white point changed.
10. Click the Save button. 
11. Name the file so that it represents the printer-paper-ink combination the adjustment is for.
12. Click Save.
13. Click OK to close the Curves dialog box and apply the adjustment.
14. Change the layer's blending mode to Luminosity in order to constrain the adjustment to tone, and not color.  See Figure 2.