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Author Topic: QU printing solid black instead of image - a memory related issue?  (Read 4512 times)
BillHorne
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« on: August 22, 2015, 11:55:30 PM »

In recent versions of QU (e.g. going back to 110) I've noticed that once in a while, if I am running several memory-intensive applications at the same time, such as Illustrator, QuarkXPress, Photoshop, Firefox, etc., QU will print an RGB TIFF or PSD file that contains layers and/or alpha channels entirely black. The problem generally goes away if I shut down the other applications and flatten the file, then resave it and replace the original file with the new, leaner version. But on my wish list would be a capacity for QU to return a low memory error and *not* print a job instead of proceeding to print a big area of black ink(s) if I'm not paying close attention to the outfeed tray of my printer. Not sure if this is possible to build in, but it would be very nice ;-)

Today it happened again trying to print a layered PSD file that had one alpha channel, just 30.2 MB in size. Flattened it, removed the alpha channel and resaved it as a 10.3 MB TIFF (LZW); shut down a couple of apps, and it printed normally.

Qimage Ultimate version qu16-116.exe
Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
Epson 4000
Intel Core2 Duo @ 3 GHz
4 GB RAM
« Last Edit: August 23, 2015, 12:06:53 AM by BillHorne » Logged
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« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2015, 02:41:45 AM »

I don't think it's a memory related issue.  Memory is constantly checked and verified while printing and if a low memory error occurs, QU displays a long dialog with lots of diagnostic info.  It's possible that the PSD reader is running into its own memory problems internally (something I can't trap), but suffice it to say that printing a TIFF with alpha channels or a PSD with layers will always result in unpredictable results.  Particularly when printing PSD since Adobe's support for PSD (outside of PhotoShop) stopped about a decade ago.  That's the reason not even their own Lightroom can read a PSD unless it is saved in "maximize compatibility" mode.  My recommendation is to always save a flattened TIFF if you are exporting outside of Adobe products.  The PSD format is just to hit-and-miss due to the proprietary nature of the format and Adobe's lack of third party support for the PSD format.

Regards,
Mike
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BillHorne
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« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2015, 06:15:23 AM »

Thanks, Mike - very helpful to know this information. Will adjust my workflow accordingly.
Bill
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bgrigor
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« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2015, 06:44:19 PM »

I don't think it's a memory related issue.  Memory is constantly checked and verified while printing and if a low memory error occurs, QU displays a long dialog with lots of diagnostic info.  It's possible that the PSD reader is running into its own memory problems internally (something I can't trap), but suffice it to say that printing a TIFF with alpha channels or a PSD with layers will always result in unpredictable results.  Particularly when printing PSD since Adobe's support for PSD (outside of PhotoShop) stopped about a decade ago.  That's the reason not even their own Lightroom can read a PSD unless it is saved in "maximize compatibility" mode.  My recommendation is to always save a flattened TIFF if you are exporting outside of Adobe products.  The PSD format is just to hit-and-miss due to the proprietary nature of the format and Adobe's lack of third party support for the PSD format.

I can confirm that an alpha channel even in a flattened PSD can cause these symptoms. Flattening a PSD does not discard the alpha channels (such as saved selections) and I just found a case that caused QU to display and print the image as mostly black (black thumbnail, black preview and black print). "Mostly" black because where the alpha channel is white, the coloured image was displaying and printing through, even though the alpha channel visibility in the PSD file was turned off. Despite having printed hundreds (if not thousands) of PSDs, both flattened and layered, with QI/QU over the years, this is the first time I've seen this particular problem.

To avoid this, when saving the PSD, use the "Save As..." command and disable "Alpha Channels" in the Save Options. When I did that in this particular case, the file displayed and printed normally.

Cheers!

Brad

P.S. The alpha channel in this case was a saved selection. Other alpha channels, such as layer masks, had been discarded in the flattened PSD.
« Last Edit: September 02, 2015, 10:41:41 PM by bgrigor » Logged

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