QTR-Quadtone RIP

Re: Questions about targets
From DigitalB&WthePrint

Robert, thank you very much, you are very helpful.
Yes, it's Mac. QTR is so confusing, more than Maya which is not easy to learn.
There are bits and pieces of information.
As I see now workflow is following:

1. To make custom curves - print ink separation file (why it looks so different
from the one in calibration.pdf? and why there 4 of them: pdf, tiff, 6.tiff,
8.tiff?) in calibration mode, use it to make ink file like described in
calibration.pdf
2. Linearize this file - I'm not sure how yet.
3. Print gray wedge using this curve, make ICC profile - this is easy part.
4. Print images using the curve and ICC profile

Am I close?
What I'm really close to is to forget about QTR and print with ABW.

Thanks again, Jacob


Jacob the Inkseperation files are special files used to determine ink limits for each individual channel.  They will have that weird pink and purple look as the L*a*b channels are directing the heads to print only from one head or another.  There are more than one to cover different types of printers.  Also, it is not necessary to go down that path just to print.

Before heading down the path of making custom profiles I would suggest printing on a paper that has an existing profile.  You have a choice of Epson Enhanced Matte (now called Ultra Premium Presentation Matte) which is very easy to find.  Hahnemulle PhotoRag, Permajet Alpha and Permajet Omega.  If one of those papers does not satisfy you you can try a different paper and use the existing profile that comes closest to that type of paper and then learn to modify that existing profile to suit the new paper.  It will get you printing much faster and you won't be up against such a steep learning curve.

In your surmised workflow for making custom profiles Step 1 is correct.  Step 2 will come after you have printed stepwedges with existing curves and modified them to meet the requirements of your unprofiled paper.  Step 3 is not needed to print.  You can use the QTR_Matte or Photo_Paper to print.  The ICC profile can be used as a further refinement.  Step 4 is like 3, you don't need ICC profiles to print through QTR.  But again I would suggest printing on  a paper that has already been profiled.  Once you see what your printer is capable of doing with QTR it will make the learning curve of custom profiles that much more palatable.

You are also using a large format printer that I am not familiar with.  After you get printing you can probably find someone on this forum that prints with the larger printers to help you continue.  Good Luck!

Re: Questions about targets
From DigitalB&WthePrint

Robert, thank you very much, you are very helpful.
Yes, it's Mac. QTR is so confusing, more than Maya which is not easy to learn.
There are bits and pieces of information.
As I see now workflow is following:

1. To make custom curves - print ink separation file (why it looks so different
from the one in calibration.pdf? and why there 4 of them: pdf, tiff, 6.tiff,
8.tiff?) in calibration mode, use it to make ink file like described in
calibration.pdf
2. Linearize this file - I'm not sure how yet.
3. Print gray wedge using this curve, make ICC profile - this is easy part.
4. Print images using the curve and ICC profile

Am I close?
What I'm really close to is to forget about QTR and print with ABW.

Thanks again, Jacob


Jacob the Inkseperation files are special files used to determine ink limits for each individual channel.  They will have that weird pink and purple look as the L*a*b channels are directing the heads to print only from one head or another.  There are more than one to cover different types of printers.  Also, it is not necessary to go down that path just to print.

Before heading down the path of making custom profiles I would suggest printing on a paper that has an existing profile.  You have a choice of Epson Enhanced Matte (now called Ultra Premium Presentation Matte) which is very easy to find.  Hahnemulle PhotoRag, Permajet Alpha and Permajet Omega.  If one of those papers does not satisfy you you can try a different paper and use the existing profile that comes closest to that type of paper and then learn to modify that existing profile to suit the new paper.  It will get you printing much faster and you won't be up against such a steep learning curve.

In your surmised workflow for making custom profiles Step 1 is correct.  Step 2 will come after you have printed stepwedges with existing curves and modified them to meet the requirements of your unprofiled paper.  Step 3 is not needed to print.  You can use the QTR_Matte or Photo_Paper to print.  The ICC profile can be used as a further refinement.  Step 4 is like 3, you don't need ICC profiles to print through QTR.  But again I would suggest printing on  a paper that has already been profiled.  Once you see what your printer is capable of doing with QTR it will make the learning curve of custom profiles that much more palatable.

You are also using a large format printer that I am not familiar with.  After you get printing you can probably find someone on this forum that prints with the larger printers to help you continue.  Good Luck!

I had already figured it out. I even start to like this thing.
Jacob


--- In QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com, "robert49brake" <robert49brake@...> wrote:

>
> Re: Questions about targets
> From DigitalB&WthePrint
> 
> Robert, thank you very much, you are very helpful.
> Yes, it's Mac. QTR is so confusing, more than Maya which is not easy to learn.
> There are bits and pieces of information.
> As I see now workflow is following:
> 
> 1. To make custom curves - print ink separation file (why it looks so different
> from the one in calibration.pdf? and why there 4 of them: pdf, tiff, 6.tiff,
> 8.tiff?) in calibration mode, use it to make ink file like described in
> calibration.pdf
> 2. Linearize this file - I'm not sure how yet.
> 3. Print gray wedge using this curve, make ICC profile - this is easy part.
> 4. Print images using the curve and ICC profile
> 
> Am I close?
> What I'm really close to is to forget about QTR and print with ABW.
> 
> Thanks again, Jacob
> 
> 
> Jacob the Inkseperation files are special files used to determine ink limits for each individual channel.  They will have that weird pink and purple look as the L*a*b channels are directing the heads to print only from one head or another.  There are more than one to cover different types of printers.  Also, it is not necessary to go down that path just to print.
> 
> Before heading down the path of making custom profiles I would suggest printing on a paper that has an existing profile.  You have a choice of Epson Enhanced Matte (now called Ultra Premium Presentation Matte) which is very easy to find.  Hahnemulle PhotoRag, Permajet Alpha and Permajet Omega.  If one of those papers does not satisfy you you can try a different paper and use the existing profile that comes closest to that type of paper and then learn to modify that existing profile to suit the new paper.  It will get you printing much faster and you won't be up against such a steep learning curve.
> 
> In your surmised workflow for making custom profiles Step 1 is correct.  Step 2 will come after you have printed stepwedges with existing curves and modified them to meet the requirements of your unprofiled paper.  Step 3 is not needed to print.  You can use the QTR_Matte or Photo_Paper to print.  The ICC profile can be used as a further refinement.  Step 4 is like 3, you don't need ICC profiles to print through QTR.  But again I would suggest printing on  a paper that has already been profiled.  Once you see what your printer is capable of doing with QTR it will make the learning curve of custom profiles that much more palatable.
> 
> You are also using a large format printer that I am not familiar with.  After you get printing you can probably find someone on this forum that prints with the larger printers to help you continue.  Good Luck!
>