Message
Re: QTRGui printer model question
2017-01-15 by dtrout@...
QTRGui looks for a number in the printer name to try to determine the appropriate printer model. I'm not sure of exactly how it is coded, but it appears to me it simply scans the printer name and extracts whatever string of contiguous numeric characters it finds. For example, if my printer name in Windows is "Epson Sylus Pro 7900", QTRGui will find "7900" and then establish the printer model as "Quad7900". This model name is then used for two important things: 1) which PPD file to use for establishing the parameters for the target printer (e.g. Quad7900.ppd, and 2) which folder of curves to make available in the gui, e.g. ...\QuadTone\Quad7900.
Now, if indeed the code is this simplistic, it makes for some interesting problems, including that you cannot (easily) have more than one printer with the same number in the printer name in QTR (I believe this has been discussed in other threads either here or on InkjetMall). But it also means that your QTR printer model name is unnecessarily bound to the "number" in your printer name in Windows.
In my case, I want my "SC-P9000 Series" printer in Windows to be bound to the "Quad9900" printer model so it will use the Quad9900.ppd file and the curves in folder "Quad9900". The easiest approach is to simply fake out QTRGui and rename Quad9900.ppd to Quad9000.ppd, and then put the desired P9000 curves into the "Quad9000" folder instead of "Quad9900".. The problem with this is that you must delete the existing Quad9000.ppd file. That's not so bad for the short term, but the next time you install an update to QTR it would wipe out the customization since a new (original) PPD file will be installed. But overall it is workable. (BTW, it appears QTRGui cannot extract "P9000" or any other mixed alpha/numeric to construct the printer model name; I tried a number of different combinations but only all numeric worked.)
What's really needed is an updated QTRGui that uses a more elegant approach to managing the binding of printer name to printer model. Just one more reason I'd like to see QTRGui updated for today's Windows 10 environment.
FWIW,
Dave