QTR-Quadtone RIP

--- In QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com, "Roy Harrington" <roy@h...> wrote:
...
> From what I've gathered so far the transitions between dropsizes is easily
> as crucial as the transitions between inks.  Unless both are done smoothly
> as based on the relative densities/dropsizes it awful difficult to compensate
> later on in the linearization.

That's certainly what I'm seeing here.
Of course once again Epson seems to able to utilize their screening, dithering, ramping 
dots sizes, etc to best effect. The 4800 samples I have here, in ABW mode, the transitions 
and dot structure seems very smooth with a 3 part K. Ot course they are dithering in a bit 
of 3 more inks, which helps I'm sure.
 
> > They're going to have to make it happen for the x800s though, somehow,
> > with the K3s.
> > What I'd really like... not vareiable, but to have different dots
> > sizes available in different inks.
> > For example- Give me the smallest size, particularly in the highlight
> > inks, but then give me your largest size for the skeletal black for
> > the best dmax. But you can leave each ink non-variable, make sense?
> > Doable?
> 
> No exactly.  You have to select one set of dropsizes per print.  But there's a
> lot of potential and need for selecting which dropsizes to use where.

Ah well, with limited knowledge it's easy to have bright ideas.

> One
> thing that I've figured out lately is that too many small dots are bad.  They
> tend to show banding -- mixing the sizes is important, even when the dots
> may show a little more.  (Banding is worse than dots).

Interesting, with all but one of SP's dither modes (including the best one for 1440) I got 
banding with 2880. Of course 2880 uses one dot size, ultra-micro. This would support 
your observations.
Another thing effecting smooth ink transitions in SP, the pass options.
Between dither and pass options, things get a bit mysterious.

Can you effect 2880 banding with QTR dither options?
Tyler