QTR-Quadtone RIP

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of producing my first incredible prints
with Quadtone RIP when I gave up on using the MediaStreet GQ Lustre and
converted to a good quality matte paper. Both my wife and I were
overwhelmingly pleased with the results. Now, we are both looking forward to
the arrival of some Entrada 300 weight.

A couple of questions:
1. Should I now upgrade to the newer release of the RIP, or would I gain
anything with the new version?

2. Might there be a special profile or curve that should be used with the
Entrada?

3. In the "Curves" section there is a right and left panel with "blend" in
between. I have been using R-200-platinum in both and a blend of 50%. I'm
not really clear on what this "blending" is for or why I might want to use
it, but love the platinum and similar older metallic tones.

4. With the Ink limit and Gamma adjustments I have generally stayed around
"0". Here is where I most miss previewing abilities, since I'm not really
too sure on how much impact the sliders have per increment. Mostly I just
eyeball the image in photoshop and if I need to kick the midtones or shadows
"up a notch" I tend to be very conservative. Any better suggestions.

5. I am using an Epson R200, with MediaStreet Quadtone inks (matte
cartridge), matte paper, QuadR200-GQ printing model, Resolution 1440 super,
Speed Better

Suggestions?

I am VERY pleased!

Clarence W. Walker,   
Creative Expression Photography
http://www.creativeexpressiononline.com
Commercial, fine-art, and stock