QTR-Quadtone RIP

--- In QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com, Truszkowski <print@...> wrote:
>
> Hi,
> 
> I am using a G5 Mac, OSX.4 and Photoshop CS2 to print on special "clear 
> film" for exposing positives in several alternative photo 
> processes:screenprinting, lithographic plates, and polymer film for 
> photo-etching.

I'm very used to making digital negatives for platinum and gum.
Normally, we want maximum ink load for the smoothest tonalities, and
use as many blacks as possible. I have one Epson 2200 loaded with 6
different dilutions of black.

It sounds like your needs are a bit different. Am I correct in
assuming that you want just the full strength black on the entire
negative, even though that means the lightest areas will be made up of
very widely scattered dots?

You won't be able to do it in the other ways you talk about, using
PhotoShop and the Epson print drivers.

> To this point, I am unable to print "pure" black.  Even when selecting 
> "black only" in the printer dialogue, it prints with all 3 blacks 
> rendering a perception of grey through tonality, rather than the 
> light-stopping black that I need.
> I have converted my images to various DPI bitmaps for printing, as well 
> as leaving them in greyscale; and I have tried just about every other 
> combination of image, Photoshop print dialogue option and Epson printer 
> dialogue option with varying degrees of success.  Ultimately I want my 
> black "dots" (inkjet dithered) to be BLACK.
> 
> Agggghhh!
> 
> My two caveats are: 1) I work in an art school where money is tight, 
> and would prefer to keep the installation of unnecessary software down, 
> if possible, and; 2) I don't want to buy some t-shirt separation rip 
> software to make big clunky halftones.
> 
> Any suggestions?  Can this be accomplished with the Quadtonerip?  

Very easily. You would have to build a curve in QTR to do it, where
you'd just define one ink, but that's not hard.

> Something else?

QTR is the best thing.