QTR-Quadtone RIP

Rob,

Yep, you pretty much sum'd up my experience. It's been a difficult run.
Problem is, inkjet profiling really isn't the layman's strong point - as
I've come to learn! heh

I've actually taken up your original suggestion by contacting Steven
Schaub. A very nice guy and owner of Indian Hill Imageworks in VT. This
guy knows printing better then anyone I've ever ecountered (and yes,
that IS saying a lot!).

I'll probably book some time with him. Not really a "workshop" per say,
more like random per-use consulting. Yes, I'm pretty hell-bent on
getting this right. And when I do (that's right, not "if" but "when"),
I'll probably put together a document describing my workflow in detail
so that others could be spared  endless nights of toil and frustration
(as pertains to printing at least! heh).

A saying pops into my head - "dividing up the hide of a bear that's
still roaming the forest". Or was that counting chickens that haven't
hatched yet? Oh well.. Whichever.

I'll be posting some specific questions about profiling QTR in the hopes
of bringing this thread more in line with a "specific issue" rather then
my own general rant.

Stay tuned....



--- In QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com, "robert49brake" <robert49brake@...>
wrote:
>
> --- In QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com, "emulsion4ever" emulsion4ever@
wrote:
>
> > Thanks for the tip. Inkjet prints really aren't my thing. I can't
> > imagine it to be that difficult to create a custom profile. My
> > impression so far is just, well.. as you said, the documentation is
> > very obscure.
>
> QTR was written specifically for good b&w from Epson inkjets and
over-the-counter inksets.  The documentation that is out there has
evolved
> primarily toward that end.  As A RIP QTR is capable of much, much 
more and at the price is pretty incredible, so, many others have adapted
> its advanced capabilities to their own workflows.  My own experience
with custom profiles is that you could easily work up a semester long
> course on any one of a half a dozen areas of interest with QTRs
capabilities.  That capability plus its low price is why you find
mention of it all
> over the web.
>
> > When you see what you can do with digital negatives (and I'm not
> > talking just Pt/Pd or SG prints) you'll probably forget all about
the
> > inkjet - Of course, this is very subjective.
>
> Doing 8x10 silver contacts with digitally processed negs has been on
my list of things to do for a couple of years now.  Finding the time to
do
> it is just as illusive now as it was two years ago.  I had set aside
two months this winter for that exploration and just yesterday gave it
up when
> an old friend asked me to help them out by working that two months on
a problem project of theirs, but that is my particular problem;)
>
> > For the time being I'm gonna be looking for some resources. A steer
in
> > the right direction would be helpful. What did you mean by "finding
a
> > pro"?
>
> From your first post you've probably found all the web based resources
out there.  There are a number of professional printers that contribute
> to this forum that run printshops, hold workshops,  etc.  Read some
back posts here and in DigitalBlack&WhitethePrint, (QTR got its start
there
> about six or seven years ago) and you'll find a number of them. 
(Adding a signature with your website/professional contact info is
perfectly
> acceptable here, so there are lots of websites you can visit)  You can
probably find someone in your area offering workshops in Digital Negs. 
I
> personally am of a bent where finding the solution is just as much fun
as the solution so I don't tend toward workshops but I understand
> people who do invest a lot of their time into creating a workflow and
then are willing to share that in workshops.   You mentioned the Hybrid
> forum in your first post.  You may find someone there doing workshops
but when I visited there it looked to be mostly working artists.
>
> As for a cookbook approach outside of workshops to making digital negs
with QTR or any of the other advanced capabilities of QTR you've got
> to rely mostly on tutorials presented by others that were probably
written as self organizing guides written when those people were
> discovering their own workflows.
>
> This probably isn't what you're looking for but it's what I found when
doing my own search.
>
> Again, Good luck!
>