So it looks like Leopard will support 16-bit printing.

From the Apple website:
Mac OS X Leopard Features



Looks like MacWorld has confirmed this as well here:
MacWorld: Creative Notes: Leopard Features for Creative pros

Any idea if this will finally allow us Epson 38/48/78/9800 users to print in 16-bit, or is there still a conversion from 16 > 8 being done in printer?

Epson doesn't have a good reputation in updating drivers for new Apple OS systems so it will be a sheer miracle if they will add a 16 bit driver for Leopard on printer models that are already replaced by new ones. What goes from the driver to printer heads isn't so easy to declare 8, 10, 12 or 16 bits.


Ernst Dinkla

try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

x880 printer drivers will utilize Leopard's 16 bit path. Not sure about the other drivers... Apple says Canon drivers will too but I haven't heard when we'll see those and for what printers.

Where do HP printers fall in the context of this discussion regarding bit depth on a Mac? I've also been wondering what the potential printing pratfalls there may be in becoming an early adopter with Leopard?
-Ron

Will this be in any way different than the plugin for us 5100 users? Perhaps it will obviate the need for using the plugin architecture?

That's exactly what it will do: The printing architecture on Leopard supports 16-bit data, so there's no longer any need for plugins. Manufacturers write a 16-bit driver, and voila—native 16-bit printing with the familiar print dialog and driver interface.

God only knows when Canon will get around to releasing drivers, since they haven't been doing so well keeping the plugin up to date.

Gutenprint may come to the rescue for people that like to have a 16 bit throughout driver for any odd model that isn't updated by its manufacturer. Has happened before with an Apple OS change. Not that everybody was happy with that solution.


Ernst Dinkla

try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

Plug-in's do have a few other advantages like longer print length and more extensive print labeling. Nonetheless we'll all be using plug-ins less.

Perhaps the newly released CS3 compatible and Universal Binary drivers already support 16 printing in Leopard? Guess we'll find out soon enough.

different parts of the driver already allowed 16 bit. Eight bit was allowed in the document bit depth with previous op sys yet for example the HP 9180 uses full 16 bit screening on the 8 bit document depth. On the Z printers there would be a gain in smoothness if the drivers were written to use 12 bit document depth or more and screening at 16 bit. The problem is the hit on resources, and it would make printing long documents very very slow.
And as I have said before, and Ernst, using a rip allows higher bit depth, (even higher than 16 ) where Gutenprint is an open source rip that works very well for any type of testing, even running raw data, etc. Epson have an advantage in the printing stream in that the conversions of the color information is done in the printer whereas HP and Canon are done on the spool file (or so I'm told).
For faster processing HP would need to have more powerful ASICs onboard for reasonable print times of spooled files. HP definitely have the ability to do all of the above, yet I wouldn't count on a quick upgrade in printer drivers to allow 16 bit doc depth drivers for Leopard for the Z series. Maybe for the 9180 , I don't know, yet Having less colour, the 9180 would see less gain in transitions.