QTR-Quadtone RIP

Frans,

The "correct method" from a color management point of view is to buy 
the highend
spectrophotometer and custom profile all your components on a regular 
basis.
But even that doesn't take into account the ambient lighting as you 
edit and the
lighting of the displayed print.  All these things can affect what you 
consider the
"perfect" print.  Even soft-proofing has a couple options to match in 
different ways.
You can simulate the ink black and/or the paper white.   But there's no 
"correct" way
just what helps you the most.

But the issue in all this and what I mean by "best results" is whether 
YOU the image
maker/editor can look at your screen and judge what the print will look 
like.   It's
an inexact goal from the get go because the light-emitting screen is so 
different
from a light-reflecting print.   So I think relying on your eyes and 
perception is
always the final test.   It's especially important to note that "best 
results" of tonal
match have nothing to do with print quality in this case.

Back to the color management workflow:  if you don't custom profile 
everything in
your system I've provided a couple generic print profiles -- Gray Matte 
Paper and
Gray Photo Paper.   The only thing these do is approximate a typical 
dMax for the
two kinds of paper given the typical linearization of QTR profiles.   
For the "average"
situation that isn't custom profiled they are probably better than 
anything else.

What's important once you are using color management is what the LAST 
profile
conversion in your workflow is.   With QTR/PC that is typically a 
Convert-To-Profile
in Photoshop before saving.   With QTR/Mac or say Qimage/PC its the 
"print"
profile.  (printing with a profile means Convert to that profile).

Hope that helps.
Roy

On Wednesday, March 7, 2007, at 07:22  PM, fwaterlander wrote:

> Joost,
>
> Sorry, but I don't buy into this "do whatever gives the best
> results". That's a cop-out. This program was created to perform
> certain functions and if the program was written logically than for
> any given printer/ink/paper/editing program combination there is only
> one correct method, unless several options were created on purpose,
> which I doubt is the case here. I would like to see Roy speak clearly
> as to what needs to be done when for best results and update the
> documentation, which is badly needed.
>
> I'm really impressed with this program, but I also see some glaring
> issues.
>
> Frans Waterlander
>
> --- In QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com, "Joost Horsten" <j.h.j.h@...>
> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Duane,
>>
>>>> Hope some of this has made sense to you.
>>
>> Yes, it does. You just described my workflow and how I understand
> it.
>> Thanks for confirming. Unlike you, I DID found the need to convert
> to
>> gray-lab. Without it, I my monitor-print match was not as good. But
>> we do seem aligned on the theory of it.
>>
>>
>> Hi Frans,
>>
>> --- In QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com, "fwaterlander" <frans2001@>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> No, I'm not applying magic or anything, just doing what the good
>>> doctor told me to do. This is a straight quote from Roy
>>> Harrington: "For Windows where it's necessary to save a tiff
> file,
>>> you should Convert to Profile using either Gray Matte Paper or
> Gray
>>> Photo Paper.  Then save the file for printing in QTRgui."
>>
>> I know. I read that section over and over again. And I tried it
> when
>> I started off with QTR. But 1) I conceptually don't understand it,
> 2)
>> it gave me worse results, 3) when asking Roy's advice in this, he
>> suggested me "to do whatever gives the best results".
>>
>> And that's probably the best advice to you as well. There seems to
> be
>> no "best" workflow. By now I've seen many different ones. One way
> or
>> another you now seem to have found a workflow that works for you.
>> Perhaps just stick to it and have fun with printing.
>>
>> Joost
>>
>
>
>
-
Roy Harrington
roy@...
Black & White Photo Gallery
http://www.harrington.com