I am the inventor of an open source system called "Context Driven
Topologies" a long term archiving and knowledge management system that
streamlines information and includes museum quality images,
dimensions, proportions, chronological sequences,geographic locations,
and highly defined mathematical relationships in searches.

My patent specifications include a black and white photograph and hand
drawings. These images are being unacceptably compromised during the
"true black and white" conversion process that is required to file
the specification electronically (I originally was a paper filer). The
software is EFS-ABX, created by USPTO and Microsoft, to allow
inventors to author their own XML documents which are eventually
converted into .pdf/.tiff at 300 dpi using group four compression
which becomes the archive and published document. The originals I am
trying to incorporate are .tiff files and 300 dpi is
more than sufficient to convey their content - yet - my drawings and
the photograph keep being destroyed during the conversion process, there are
no settings to modify or no controls. There appears to be no way of
going around EFS-ABX by creating my own XML document or similar
options. Does anyone have any advice on how to improve the image
quality during the true black and white
conversion process in EFS-ABX?

Unfortunately, the figures/pictures lose quality when they are
converted to B/W.  However, in practice this is not a big deal. 
Submit the patent electronically with the figures of low quality. 
Then wait for the application number and submit substitute figures by
mail.  There is no cost for the submission.  Or, just wait until you
get a notice for formal drawing and then submit the higher quality
figures.