Hi Steve and Diane
I’ve been following this carefully, because I’ve been using QTR for my black and whites with reasonable success for the last couple of weeks (with Windows) and didn’t know about the grey icc files. I just use my usual Photoshop b&w workflow and print with QTR (although I make the prints much less warm than I used to – as Steve says they do print rather warm).
I’m going to give the ICC files a try, but still a bit confused. Leaving the proofing process to one side for the moment, am I right in saying that these are the steps:-
- Process the photo as normal (without b&w conversion)
- Mode->Convert to grey-lab (the Mode->assign operation doesn’t appear to recognise the ICC files)
- Mode->Convert to grey-matt or grey-photo as appropriate
- Save as Tiff
- Print in QTR
By the way, I use Ilford Smooth Pearl paper and like others have been alarmed by the bronzing affect (printing with QTR doesn’t appear to affect the amount of bronzing). What I’ve been doing is this. If the print was to go under glass for a customer, then I used the QTR printed photo, otherwise I would send the photo off to the lab to be printed. However, I’ve now discovered Lyson Printguard – this spray drastically reduces the bronzing effect and also completely eliminates the gloss differential (which was very noticeable on my prints as I shoot mostly against a white background). So now I print all b&w with QTR.
Thanks for your help
Bernie
-----Original
Message-----
From: Steve
[mailto:blizzie12@...]
Sent: 03 April 2005 19:44
To: QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [QuadtoneRIP] Re: The
Advantages of QTR Are?
Thanks, Diane, I'm really struggling with the
understanding of this
QTR stuff and you've been very helpful by
answering many of my
questions on this forum.
I'm familar of the metamerism problem caused by
the different
lighting, but what about 'bronzing' when printing
b&w on gloss paper?
Is this effect eliminated using the QTR?
I'm still not clear on the 'step wedges', 'blends'
and 'curves', etc.
Do you know where I can find a simplified tutorial
that explains how
to use this software? I know Roy Harrington talks
about it on his
QTR site but I'm finding it a little too
technical.
Looking forward to hearng back from you.
Steve
--- In QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com, "Diane
Fields"
wrote:
> Steve, the BIG advantage of using QTR over PS
is the lack of
metamerism in monotones. I've printed b/w or
monotones for years
with first a 1280 and then my 2200. I print
from either PS or
Qimage. I have been unhappy with metamerism
from day one, however
the 'alternatives' were pretty expensive (RIPs) or
I just hadn't
made the decision to go with a dedicated printer
yet. When I bought
my 2200 several years ago I had strongly
considered that path, but
had procrastinated 'dealing with' monotones by
using duotones which
helped a bit (not really--they just visually diverted
you a bit with
toning). I've subscriebed to the Digital b/w
print maillist off and
on for a good while, and when I resubbed in late
Winter I discovered
that there was a reasonably priced RIP available
for Windows. I
demoed it for several weeks and was sold on it.
>
> So--that's my story LOL. QTR prints
aren't subject to metamerism--
my reason for printing with it. I do all my
postprocessing in PS
first, then bring a finished file to QTR, select
my blend for the
paper I'm using and get excellent prints. In
the past I was using
Epson Velvet primarily for my matte prints, some
Hahnemuhle
Photorag. I've just done a series of step
wedges on 11 different
papers and have a good reference point for other
papers also. I use
Epson Premium Semigloss for my non-matte prints.
>
> Diane
> -----------
> Diane B. Fields
> picnic@c...
> photo site http://www.pbase.com/picnic
>
> Are there distinct advantages of
using the QTR? I'd like to hear
your
> opinions. Thanks!
>
> Steve
--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.9.1 - Release Date: 01/04/2005
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.9.1 - Release Date: 01/04/2005