Under Qimage Job Properties is “Printer Profile:” dropdown menu that shows four choices: OFF, Let Printer/Driver manage color, Browse printer profiles, Suggest printer profiles.

Q#1 – Does a custom ICC profile (whether company or user created) contain specific instructions for the printer’s Media Type setting or is that always left to the user for selection?

Q#2 - After manually setting Media Type and with Let Printer/Driver manage color, can I assume Qimage AI does the rest with ICC selection?

Q#3 – Does “Suggest printer profiles” show Qimage AI’s choice of best ICC color/paper profiles? Or, what?

My responses to your last comment never posted for some reason. Prior settings seemed to be interfering with what I was attempting to do. I did find the Reset commands under the Help tab, but I'm now unsure which one cleared up things.

As I'm still in the novice stage, can someone please clarify the difference between "Reset Printer Settings" and "Reset All Program Settings?"

Your choices are:

(1) Print with crop on and you'll get an 8.5 x 11 print but two edges of the image will have to be cropped a bit to fill the 8.5 x 11.

(2) Print with crop off and then you'll get the full image but it will be a 7.33 x 11 print.

Regards,
Mike
[/quote]

I understand #1. I want #2. But I can't find the settings in QU to get there. Under the Print Tab, I turned both auto Crop and Rotate...OFF. The image is smaller (4896x3264 with good detail level) but doesn't auto enlarge to a .25 left/right border; rather, there are large white borders left and right. Top and bottom can float. What else do I need to do?

Uncle...  I've watched videos and searched the commands trying to solve this problem. It's likely simple but has me stumped.

An uncropped camera pixel aspect ratio is 3:2 (1.50/.67), 4:3 (1.33/.75), or 16:9 (1.78/.56).

Typical home printer paper is 4x6 (.67), 5x7 (.71), 8.5x11 (.77), 11x17 (.65), 13x19 (.68), and 17x22 (.77).

For example, I want to retain the entire pixel size of a 3:2 landscape image and fit it onto the 8.5x11 paper, with no enlargement, i.e., clipping of the long edge. I can't find that setting(s). 

Please help.

Finally, the lightbulb is on.    Your explanation makes it clear, Mike. Somehow I was operating with the idea that the paper company's "officially-issued," printer-specific, ICC profile was fully "automatic"...i.e., all-inclusive of commands needed for both printer head adjustment(s) as well as color management.

For starters, did I save the various paper ICC profiles (.icc) I've gathered to the wrong folder on my computer?

I find them in C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\color. Where do they properly belong so QU can both see and select them?

Shouldn't they show up under the dropdown menu "Media Type?" There I only see the selections in my ET-8550 printer driver.

Under the "Printer Profile" dropdown selection is "Browse Printer Profiles..." which opens the folder address above. If I select my paper's matching .icc profile, does it override "Media Type" above? Why doesn't the "Media Type" box change to show the specific paper I chose below? Should this be a recommendation?

Please point me to the best training/education video.

Thanks!

I'm confused.    Please straighten me out.    PPI typically refers to screen resolutions (e.g., monitor, smartphone, etc.) while DPI refers to the mechanical capability of the printer head. I can understand why there's a limit there.

I googled "interpolation" and got "Interpolation is the process by which a small image is made larger. Software tools stretch the size of the image and generate pixels to fill in the blanks." This is the 'story' behind all (13) different Interpolation Types you've cataloged. The opposite, in mathematical jargon, is called "decimation." But I've never seen that term used, rather "downsampling." Correct?

So when Qimage was originally designed, digital cameras/photos typically had lower resolutions in PPI? Then, interpolation was important for getting the best prints, and this is still the case with poster sizes?  

My camera's sensor captures 33 million pixels (max. matrix of 7008x4672). To view that image on my 5120x2160 pixel monitor, the computer uses some kind of downsampling software. Similarly, print drivers (including Qimage) must also downsample to arrive at Epson's print head max of 720 DPI*.


* How can Epson then advertise a "max print resolution" of 5760x1440 DPI for the ET-8550? What do they mean?

PS. I looked up the max print resolution on Epson's P6000-P9000 commercial line of printers. Their spec sheets show three resolution settings: 720, 1440, and 2880 with 2880x1440 being the max. 

Question. A large number of settings exist under the Blue Gear icon (Qimage Printing Options). I read the Help and watched the video. The Interpolation for Normal Prints shows the max of "Overdrive 1440 PPI", but AI has never selected this setting. I'm printing with the ET-8550 which is capable of a "Maximum Print Resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi." My images are shot with a Sony a7IV which has a resolution of 7008 x 4672 ppi. AI has always selected/defaulted to the Max 720 PPI. Should I be using 1440? Clarification, please. Thanks!

Great insights, Mike.

My experience was similar. However, I never went down the refilling or third-party ink trail. I just left a Facebook group, Epson EcoTank Printers, due to the high numbers of people using 3rd party inks (Amazon) and then asking for help due to various problems. There are even those wanting to purchase 8550 and use non-OEM ink!  Many people don't realize that China, as a supply chain/source of product(s), is not only risky due to toxicity issues, but they're masters at creating the proverbial "silk purse from a sow's ear." Very few items are built to last for years, e.g. loads of camera accessories. My comments have nothing to do with racial identity.

The ET-8550 owners represent a unique group for the things you've mentioned. On this fading issue (pigment vs. dye), I asked one individual to explain how they knew pigment inks would last 200-400 years when the technology is 20th century with lab testing. Crickets. I further pledged that my 8550 images/prints come with a full-replacement warranty. If they're not put in direct sunlight and they fade and the customer isn't pleased, I'll replace them (print others) at no charge and with free postage. Some are obsessed with longevity. You'd think they were purchasing or creating a true Rembrandt.

I'm wondering how the 8550's popularity might begin to undermine sales of other photographic printers and pigment inks. I doubt Epson can maintain printer profits margins based on the volume sales of EcoTanks.

Following the 4th quarter 2022 change in availability and sales price of $700, I purchased the 8550. I've learned a lot watching Jose's YouTube channel where I was introduced to Qimage Ultimate. I previously owned a Canon S9000 but never got much use due to the price of ink and maintenance issues. Consequently, I had a quantity of high-end Canon paper sitting in the closet that's being resurrected. In December, I came across a party liquidating a batch of quality older Epson photo paper for $15. Overall, printing my best photographs is a whole new experience.

I downloaded the latest Epson software for the 8550. I've identified the appropriate ICC profiles but the Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte profile is missing from the 8550's standard driver. This Ultra profile handles thicker and Fine Arts papers and it's the Media Type most often suggested for Red River's Fine Arts & Pro-Photo Sample Kit #9983. Epson's website claims it's included. https://epson.com/For-Work/Paper/Presentation/Ultra-Premium-Presentation-Paper-Matte/m/S041605  Both the Premium Presentation Paper Matte and Presentation Paper Matte were included (see attached below).

I'll contact Epson tomorrow 1/3. Or is this something that can be simply installed by the customer?

 Ok, I forget how to insert an image. I guess you can't just paste something in, it has to reside on the Internet. 

Thanks Fred & Mike:

I recently purchased the Epson 8550. I previously owned Canon photo printers but ink costs and maintenance issues made for infrequent use. I know now, use it or lose it. I'm getting great results from my Sony/Luminar/Epson/Qimage combo.

I ordered and received two Red River sample kits, and downloaded and installed their ICC profiles. Your explanation regarding the "why" to Media Type setting(s) now makes sense. I noticed that RR provides an instruction sheet with their sample kits which indicate the matching Epson/Canon/HP "Media Type" for each of their corresponding papers. I now see why the Qimage "Media Type" drop-down menu selections are driven by the print driver defaults, which likely is important when working with multiple printers.

From the explanations above, I was able to save and recall the printer/job settings. Resolution accomplished.   

Q #1: Is there somewhere that shows how many are active in the forum? In a particular category?

Q #2: QU108 - Under the "Job Properties," far right window, I've selected the Printer, Media size, and a custom Red River profile. Does it matter what is shown or selected in Media Type? If so, why?

Q #3: QU108 - Under Edit/Preferences/Color Management, is it possible to add the names of third-party media so I can skip having to search the profile folder each time? If not, I'd suggest this as a software enhancement, unless it would cause some kind of other problem.

I recently purchased an Epson ET-8550 and Qimage Ultimate. I'm looking for advice on how to optimize images prior to delivery to QU. I'm currently using Sony a7IV, RAW/ARW, then editing with Luminar Neo. Neo's export choices include JPEG and TIFF, as well as ProPhoto RGB color space. Without diving directly into editing with QU, what is the best file/color space to hand off to QU or does it make a difference? 

Thanks, Mike!

Somehow, I didn't find your email response. I checked a bit of everywhere, even at the server level. Don't know what happened.

You're likely correct. It's been a while since I was alerted to an update for my Nvidia RTX 2070. I checked and there is an update available.

I'll download and refresh it to see if that changes anything.

Dan

PS. 12/1/2022  The newer print driver from Nvidia did the trick. The upper right-hand screen-size icon is now working and when set to full screen the line disappears. Thanks!

I purchased Qimage Ultimate (QU) a few days ago, so I'm learning from square #1. When I open the program using my desktop computer and 34" ultrawide monitor, a shadowed line that partially extends down is visible in the middle of the document viewing area, see attached. Has anyone else had this experience?

This doesn't happen with any other of the numerous programs I have installed. The line seems to relate to the "Maximize" program screen command since I can stretch the QU window to nearly the maximum width and the line will not appear. I noticed QU hasn't implemented the code for Window's split-screen function (upper righthand corner). Is this a simple programming change that might fix the problem? Do Andrew Wilford and Mike Chaney both do the coding?