Digital BW, The Print

I'm trying to print an ink pattern page for the Eboni 6 inks on my Epson 1430 using Quadtone Rip on a Mac with OS Mountain Lion and Photoshop CS 6.

I can't figure out what choice I'm supposed to make in the 'color handling' selection. As most of you know, the documentation for using this stuff is all over the map, and at this point, mostly several years old and geared towards versions of Photoshop that are no longer used by most people. In theory, I should be using 'No Color Mangement' but that's not an option any longer.

Defering to the printer, or letting photoshop manage and using the QTR Lab or QTR Mat Paper profiles give wildly different results. I'm using 'Calibration Mode' in all three instances, of course.

Printer management looks good, but is likely being altered by the Epson software, which doesn't help.

The QTR Lab profile gives terrible results with many squares not completely filled in with anything other than a maximum ink density of 100%. From what I'm reading, that doesn't seem right.

The QTR Mat Paper profile gives individual squares that are even and filled, but they do not make a steady climb in density going left to right, but rather jump all over the place, especially at the light end. That's likely the least useful of the three.

So... which way should I be going with this? Sorry if this sounds frustrated. I've come back to this again after a couple years away, and I'd forgotten how difficult the lack of of a consolidated source of good information makes even the simplest tasks.

Thanks,

Stephen

Sheesh. I'm seriously regretting purchasing new inks from MIS.

It's hard for me to believe that no one has figured out a workflow with the most popular photo editing software by far.

Well, they have and you've been told it. Your lack of agreement is of little consequence. BTW, it's considered polite to thank people when they answer your question.

+1 to all the responses the OP has received. Shooting the messenger is never a good idea.

Thanks to Apple and Adobe, it's been a long time since you can print direct from PS to QTR on a Mac, at least if you want to have complete control over colour management. The reasons are well documented if you search. PS may be the most popular editing s/w, but popularity just gives them the freedom implement colour management in a way that is no longer compatible with grey gamma 2.2 printing workflows. Users of niche approaches(QTR) just have to suck it up.

If you want to print using any monochrome inkset, which means printing via QTR, then you have to use Print Tool to have control over colour management. If you want to print direct from PS, then you should stick to ABW, which means a K3 inkset like OEM, although getting control over colour management is even harder that way IMHO.