QTR-Quadtone RIP

I am trying to do a digital print of an abstract geometric image in an overlay of two passes. My original image was created as vectors in Illustrator and is 24x32. Since I am using an  Epson 9600 with only matte black and light black ultrachrome ink, my best hope for a true black is to print one layer straight from Photoshop CS3 for the colors and one layer printed from the Quad for my blacks and grays... sepaprating the artwork into two layers. I am using sheet paper and have been able to make registration marks with tape to insure that a second pass will line up.

I tested my process and when printed straight from CS3 my registration is successful. 2 passes line up beautifully. Yet, with the same file 24x32 format - printing with Quad Tone Rip for the 2nd black layer from the same image (both centered on the sheet)... the image is oddly flipped and starts about an inch or more beyond where the edge should be, throwing off my registration.

I am using Quad Tone Rip version 2.2 with OSX 10.4.11 on a G5

Why is the layer getting flipped when printed from Quad9600 ? Why is the printout starting in  a different position on the paper, when the image is centered on the sheet?

I have only used QTR for photographs before. I have never seen this flipping of the image.

Epson driver via Photoshop and QTR print images in different directions. On a Win PC, QTR prints a landscape orientation image from right (leading edge) while Epson driver prints the left as the leading edge. You can do a 180 degree image rotation to correct for this - it is not destructive and will preserve pixel level integrity.

This double printing will not give you much in "true black", if what you mean by that is increased Dmax. It may even reduce the Dmax.

Hope this helps.

Shilesh

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

>
> I am trying to do a digital print of an abstract geometric image in an overlay of two passes. My original image was created as vectors in Illustrator and is 24x32. Since I am using an  Epson 9600 with only matte black and light black ultrachrome ink, my best hope for a true black is to print one layer straight from Photoshop CS3 for the colors and one layer printed from the Quad for my blacks and grays... sepaprating the artwork into two layers. I am using sheet paper and have been able to make registration marks with tape to insure that a second pass will line up.
> 
> I tested my process and when printed straight from CS3 my registration is successful. 2 passes line up beautifully. Yet, with the same file 24x32 format - printing with Quad Tone Rip for the 2nd black layer from the same image (both centered on the sheet)... the image is oddly flipped and starts about an inch or more beyond where the edge should be, throwing off my registration.
> 
> I am using Quad Tone Rip version 2.2 with OSX 10.4.11 on a G5
> 
> Why is the layer getting flipped when printed from Quad9600 ? Why is the printout starting in  a different position on the paper, when the image is centered on the sheet?
> 
> I have only used QTR for photographs before. I have never seen this flipping of the image.
>