QTR-Quadtone RIP

Cody,
I understand your point.
I think your question goes to how Photoshop, the OS and the printer driver interact.

It is my understanding that when a file is brought into photoshop it uses the color space 
attached to the file, if none is attached it then uses the space that is specified in the color 
setting dialog.

When the file is sent from Photoshop to the printer with No Color Management ticked then 
photoshop is sending the file out with the color space that was attached to the file 
originally.

Since the files that Roy is providing have no color space assigned and photoshop is not 
assigning a color space the printer is handing the file based on the color space definitions 
embedded in its driver.

Thus, the step wedge printing is delivering what the printer delivers without outside 
definition. And, since we are using the QTR "driver" the printer is working based on the 
logic that Roy embedded into QTR.

It seems to me, that when printing the test wedges with NCM we are letting QTR handle 
the printer without outside influence. Thus the printer is delivering the ink without control  
other than QTR.

I expect that the objective for this is to determine a baseline so that the linearization 
process can develop a curve file that will adjust the ink delivery to the paper to "perfect" 
the step wedge so that each wedge is 5% from the other and the graduation is smooth.

This seems to be a long winded way of saying that with not assigned color space and no 
color management by Photoshop the QTR software and step wedges are a "closed system" 
designed by Roy to determine how a particular printer delivers ink to paper so that a 
"correction" curve can be created to adjust the printer ink delivery to a properly linear gray 
scale from zero to 100 percent.

BTW, I am working on another paper to upload to the files folder that describes my 
workflow using Gray Lab and Gray PK.

Regards,
David