Digital BW, The Print

Clayton--

Your experience with Qimage, I believe, is unique. Especially so since you are so technologically knowledgeable. But, it is what it is.

I would really like to try the subject image on my machine and print it. Perhaps you could send it to me? I will send you my email address separately.

I thought that all ink jet printers could only print 8 bit images, but I could be mistaken.

The b&w results that I have been getting with the 4800 and Epson's Prem Glossy paper have been better than I could have ever expected. Especially that I see no bronzing whatsoever nor have my friends when asked see any. Several of these friends are die hard PS CS2 users. It was Peter Myers report about his printing B&W using Pictorico Glossy White Film that caused me to give the Prem Glossy a try. What a pleasant surprise. So now I have a whole lot of inventory of large sheets of Premier Art Hot Press, Epson Ultrasmooth (which to me looks exactly like Premier Art Hot Press), Hahnemuhle Photo Rag and cartridges of matte black ink that I won't be using. I have written to Pictorico to ask if they would cut their roll of Glossy White Film from 24" to 17". I have not heard from them yet.

This is the workflow that has worked well for me:

Color Image in QIM>Send image to Photo Editor(PS CS2)>Convert to B&W using The Imaging Factory plug in>Save as>click OK in Qim dialogue box>Set up paper size,media, Advanced B&W, etc. in Printer Driver>Unsharp mask in Qim>Printer ICC off>Center image>Print. Pyramid used to interpolate.

For me PS CS2 is the hassle while Qim is a snap to use. The only images that Qim can't read are RAW images from my Canon d1s ll. These are edited Capture One 3.6 and then saved as Tiffs which Qimage has no trouble reading.

Clayton, with all due respect, I don't think you can judge a print by viewing it on QIM's preview screen.

Regards

Peter
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Clayton Jones 
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 1:16 AM
  Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Upsize Report - Qimage vs PS-CS


  Hello Peter,

  >Did you actually print the image 

  Yes.

  >or did you just see the hatch marks on the preview screen? 

  Yes.  

  They didn't show up on the prints, but they were small prints.  On
  large prints it might show up.  The image was of sand dunes, and the
  hatch marks were bigger than the small details.  I just now ran it
  again to be sure.  In the PS pic the pebbles and sand textures are
  clearly visible.  In the Q pic those details are obliterated.  It sort
  of resembles noise reduction artifacts.  It's also noticeably less
  sharp than the PS/bicubic version, and there are some obvious
  sharpening halos around some branches of bushes which aren't on the
  PS/bic version - it just doesn't look as good.  I played and fussed
  and fiddled for most of an evening with a variety of different
  settings (interpolation types, sharpening levels) and could not
  produce a better result.  That, along with the fact that it converts
  my 16-bit grayscale to 8-bit/RGB...it's just not worth the hassle.

   
  >I have been using Qimage for several years and have never 
  >experienced hatch marks 

  I'm not sure what sort of mental image the term "hatch marks" evokes.
   It's the best I could think of at the time.  It resembles the
  reticulation I got once on a neg that went into too cold fixer.  Sort
  of like tiny patterned flower petals.

  I have had Qimage on my PC for about three years, have always kept it
  updated, and have continually tried using it, off and on, for a
  variety of things.  But I have to say it has produced more frustration
  than anything else.  Lots of my images it can't read (and I can't
  detect any pattern to it).  The few that I've been able to get it to
  print ok have been exceptionally good.  But it's so erratic as to what
  it can and can't deal with that it's more often a waste of precious
  time than anything else.  I'd say that about 90% of the time I try
  something with it I come away dissatisfied.  The bottom line for me is
  that it has been a waste of time and money.  But I keep fiddling with
  it now and then in hopes it will do something to earn its keep.  Maybe
  it will someday.

  Regards,
  Clayton


  Info on black and white digital printing at    
  http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm





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