printing RAW

LR uses its RAW conversion engine plus the various user adjustments to send an image to the printer. An unconverted RAW file is just the luminance values on the individual R, G, and B sensors of a Bayer array. Conversion engines calculate the perceived color of a single pixel by integrating and weighting adjacent R, G, B sensor luminance values. If you tried to print unconverted RAW you would get individual pixels that would be valued (0,0,n), (0,n,0), or (n,0,0), n being a luminance value. Converted RAW files give individual pixels valued (a, b, c), a, b, and c being R, G, B luminance values.