How many colors does imageRET 4800 simulate?

[JollyPrinter]

How many colors does imageRET 4800 simulate/generate?

I found this review of the HP Laser Jet 856x:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/hp-color-laserjet-m856x-review-best-color-laser-printer-thats-a...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/hp-color-laserjet-m856x-review-best-color-laser-printer-thats-a...

And it links to a discussion of imageRET 3600 that talks about making about 100,000 simulated colors at the equivalent of 600dpi.

Could someone tell us how many colors imageRET 4800 would result in? The same 100,000 simulated colors as imageRET 3600, or more? And if more, how much more?

Thanks.

[NonSequitur777]

@JollyPrinter,

Welcome to our HP User Forum!

The imageRET 4800 does not directly simulate or generate a specific number of colors. Rather, it utilizes advanced color management techniques and algorithms to produce high-quality prints with accurate and vibrant colors.

In general, the number of colors that can be simulated or generated by an image processing system depends on several factors, including the color space and bit depth used, the printer's capabilities, and the color profiles being employed.

Common color spaces, such as RGB or CMYK, can represent a wide range of colors, but the specific number of distinct colors that can be simulated or generated depends on the bit depth used for each color channel. For example, an 8-bit per channel color space can represent 16.7 million colors.

Additionally, color management systems may employ techniques like dithering or halftoning to simulate additional colors by manipulating the arrangement and density of individual color dots or pixels.

Therefore, without specific details about the imageRET 4800's color space, bit depth, and color management techniques, it is challenging to provide an exact number of colors it can simulate or generate. It is recommended to consult the documentation or technical specifications of the imageRET 4800 (such as here: Advanced color use, Hp imageret 4800, Paper selection | HP Color LaserJet CM6030CM6040 Multifunction...) or contact HP for more precise information.

Hope this was helpful.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[JollyPrinter]

Thanks @NonSequitur777 however it doesnt really give me the answer/intuition I was hoping to gain. 

For example in this link there is an excerpt from this HP document discussing imageRET 3600. I'll copy part of it here for convenience:

 

 

As you can see above, imageRET 3600 effectively creates "over 100,000 different colors" by both mixing and dithering toner "in a single 600dpi pixel". This is important as many color laser printers are discussed as not being great for photos, partially because the color bit depth per 'pixel' is not great on normal color laser printers. But with imageRET 3600 you effectively get over 100,000 colors per 600dpi "pixel" and that would make it much more competitive.

What is not clear is how many colors imageRET 4800 would create in that same 600dpi "pixel". Is it 50% more? Same? Double?

The reason I would like to know is I want to get a feel for how far off is an imageRET 4800 laser class printer from top of the link inkjets in printing photos. From what I've seen, it's actually quite good. But knowing the amount of colors or bit depth per 600dpi "pixel" we could also compute how far off it is from some of the top inkjet printers that can mix many colors themselves.

It is nice that HP made the above linked document discussing ImageRET 3600, I just wish there was an equal source or some other way to figure out how many colors can imageRET 4800 simulate in that synthetic 600dpi "pixel".