QTR-Quadtone RIP

In the past, I have used QTR with an Epson 2200 and ultrachrome inks. I was always able to print WISIWIG from the monitor and obtain excellent results.

I recently set up an Epson 1400 with Eboni 6 and I am having to use some serious curves and levels to darken the print on my monitor to get acceptable output.

Am I doing something wrong here? It seems counter intuitive to me, but I wanted to ask the pros.

Parker

"parkersmithphoto" <parkersmithphoto@...> wrote:
>
> ...
> I recently set up an Epson 1400 with Eboni 6 and I am having to use some serious curves and levels to darken the print on my monitor to get acceptable output.


Be sure to read http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Eboni-6.pdf

On page 6 I have a link to zip file with some profiles.

Frankly, I usually use the Epson driver with an ICC made with QTR's Create ICC-RGB, but the PDFs cover all of the workflows.

I edit in workspace gray gamma 2.2 in Windows, which has a distinctly different printing characteristic curve than does QTR. So, you'll see in the PDFs that I use a curve (in the zip file) to adjust for the QTR more straight-line curve.  There are a number of different ways to handle this issue.

What paper and profiles are you using for the Eboni-6 setup?

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

Paul,

I was using some of your QTR profiles for the Epson Hot Press natural. I am trying to set up a simple workflow for my studio where I can take the same sRGB or AdobeRGB files that I send to my lab and print them out in the studio.

Normally, I am pretty savvy about these things. I do a lot of printing through my lab onto an Epson 9800 (I think) and the prints match my monitor quite accurately. (Calibration with Eye One Match.)

I tried Calibration mode with QTR, and it seems as ink limit of 40 gets plenty of ink on the paper with plenty of separation and a good Dmax. Maybe I dove into QTR too quickly and need to work with the ICC first.

Basically, I just want a system that makes beautiful prints, where I can do what I do with my Kodak Lustre and Epson Large format (Han Photo Rag) prints, which is get it looking good on my monitor and let it rip. Given that, is the Epson driver the best choice?

Just to clarify, QTR prints with a more linear curve, and the Epson drive is more "curvy/contrasty"?

Happy Thanksgiving

Parker

> 
> I edit in workspace gray gamma 2.2 in Windows, which has a distinctly different printing characteristic curve than does QTR. So, you'll see in the PDFs that I use a curve (in the zip file) to adjust for the QTR more straight-line curve.  There are a number of different ways to handle this issue.
> 
> What paper and profiles are you using for the Eboni-6 setup?
> 
> Paul
> www.PaulRoark.com
>

Hi Parker,


> I was using some of your QTR profiles for the Epson Hot Press natural. 

>I am trying to set up a simple workflow for my studio where I can take the same sRGB or AdobeRGB files that I send to my lab and print them out in the studio.

Gray Gamma 2.2 is a subset of those color spaces.

At page 11 of http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Eb1400.pdf you can see the Gray Gamma 2.2 curve compared to the linear QTR output.

Keep in mind that I print with Windows and use QTR as a stand alone printing utility.  Since I edit in Gray Gamma 2.2, I have to convert the file for printing with QTR, otherwise the image will look lighter than my monitor.  I use a Photoshop image adjustment curve to do this (it's in the zip file).  There are other methods, including Roy's ICCs, which are explained in "gray-readme.rtf" file in the "icc" folder of the QTR download.

 
> ... I do a lot of printing through my lab onto an Epson 9800 (I think) and the prints match my monitor quite accurately. (Calibration with Eye One Match.)

Where I have the full Eboni-6 in a printer, I most often use an Epson driver workflow with an ICC made with QTR's Create ICC-RGB.  This gives me a "color managed" workflow where the print will match the monitor's view of my gray gamma 2.2 files with no need to alter them at all.  (It's also a high bit depth pipeline to the printer.)



> Basically, I just want a system that makes beautiful prints, where I can do what I do with my Kodak Lustre and Epson Large format (Han Photo Rag) prints, which is get it looking good on my monitor and let it rip. Given that, is the Epson driver the best choice?

If you are not familiar with the QTR rip, then I think the ICC workflow is easier.

Good luck with the system.  It should work very well for you.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com