What is anyone's opinion on using vectors for this project? Do they scale up nicely for up close viewing in any case? We're about ready to print again and we've been just narrowing our searches (shutterstock) to jpegs only because of our fear of the image looking like ... I don't know - too much like "paint by numbers" ... not sure how to explain it. We're looking for photo-realistic vectors, basically. I'm unsure if it's feasible though... any thoughts?

Nailed it! Thanks Mike! Some things are so clear but so far away! Duh!

Updates later... thank you again!

-D

Hi Terry, thanks so much for your quick input! Let me try and get this right in my head...

First, I should point out that before we prepare anything to be printed within QU, we're setting up the "tiling" or I believe some call it "nesting" in another program - that program is Perfect Photo Suite 9.5 http://www.on1.com/products/suite9/ ...

As far as I'm aware, QU doesn't do the actual spacing/tiling/nesting part of the job... keep in mind that I'm really, truly a newb when it comes to printing anything - much less on printers and with software such as the ones I'm working with!.... so some of my questions may be extremely elementary - I'll go ahead and apologize for that in advance! lol.

Anyway, back to the Photo Suite Software I use to tile the images... basically, when I open up the photo in that program, I have to choose to "resize" the image to fit the dimensions of the final "canvas" (which, in the most recent case, happens to be an entire wall - I can't remember the exact dimensions off the top of my head but something like 35"X100" total) .... (each tile will be cut on our matt cutter after the big-print-finale is printed)... so there will be 18 individual cut-out prints made from the one massive layout....) The tiles have to be rendered close to perfectly because of the way each part of the overall image will be framed in each corresponding "tile" .. think of it sort of like a wall full of 18 individual windows - the overall image will be just one picture but the borders of course will separate each part of the big picture...

The final print will not only be that (huge!), but it also needs to be aligned in a way that will use the optimum amount of paper needed (we're using LexJet's Absolute Backlit) http://www.lexjet.com/i-17569-LexJet-8-Mil-Absolute-Backlit-36in-x-100ft-ABL36.aspx --- definitely not a cheap choice of media! lol. Plus from what I've been told, it uses a LOT of ink to print on - the outcome is breathtaking of course - but we have to be sure we have things set up pretty close to perfect before we try and print due to the obvious costs mistakes can run up...

Having said that, let me simplify:

We have a "canvas" or "wall" that has 18 "windows" or "pieces to a puzzle" that need to be optimally placed within a 36"X100" roll of high quality media...

Each image will be printed (side by side) and will take up most if not all of the 36" width of the roll... and of course as much length as needed.

Being that we need to have space (roughly a quarter inch around each four sides of each individual "tile"), the image has to be resized, tiled (or nested? not sure about the terminology) and prepared for upload into QU.

QU will allow me (I think I'm understanding this correctly) to create "mats" for the quarter inch borders I'm needing... but before I can prepare anything in QU, I have to use Perfect Photo Suite to get the "puzzle pieces" cut out and arranged. I have no idea if I'm making any sense at all but I'm trying!

So let's say I start out with an image that is 16797 x 6855pixels (56.0" x 22.9") and 300dpi. (This example is from a Shutterstock JPG we're considering using for this project... So starting with these dimensions, we're really going to have to double or even possibly triple the size of the original image in order to print something that will fit across the entire wall. I realize that starting out trying to print something bigger than the actual raw image is - is setting myself up for bad things! But from what we've seen so far (from test prints) - QU seems to do an amazing job of "fixing" problem areas if there were any!

So back to the example - if I go into Perfect Photo, I'll use the original 300dpi and then "resize" the image to match the dimensions we need... then I'll "tile" the image into 18 different "tiles" (rows and columns) ...

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that by the time I get to QU, the resizing of the image has already taken place in this other software - and to my knowledge, there isn't any way around that, as QU doesn't have a "tiling" or "resizing" option - if that makes sense...

That brings me to another terrifying question lol....

Vectors...

When we find great vector images on Shutterstock, we're told we can resize to any size, without losing resolution. The problem with vectors, though, is their inherent "simplicity" - truthfully, I believe they're meant more to be seen from a long distance away (such as billboard signage on the highway) - not for closeup/gallery viewing type of prints...

So vectors seem (at least on the screen preview) to be much too simplified for what we're seeking. It may be that we should give it a shot and see what we get from one of the vectors, but the photographs are just so much more rich and detailed...

I feel like I've gone off on some sort of rambling tangent lol.... I hope I've made just a little bit of sense though?

I'm sure open to thoughts from anyone who can help me out!

Y'all are the best!

-D

The support here never ceases to amaze me! Thank you guys SO much. Last week we had a death in the family, unfortunately, so I've been off my game... it wasn't unexpected, but still the same - death isn't something you can ever really prepare for!

Anyway I'm back and rarin' to go - I believe I'll have to read both of your answers a few times over before I fully grasp them, but from what I've reviewed, it appears you've fixed my problems with a few simple steps! 

The next step is the daunting and never-ending shadow of "What the heck do I choose for ppi/dpi/high vs low resolution/vectors vs. jpegs or pngs? ..... Yeah... that whole shebang of learning another culture (at least on my part) looms ahead - but I'm definitely feeling progress! 

Thank you again so very much for your amazing support, Fred and Mike! 

Stand by for further questions! lol! (I promise I'll search the forums for answers first!)

-Deb

You're awesome, Mike. I fully understand not being able to offer phone support with as many users as you have - it'd be impossible,  to keep up with and ultimately give the overall end-user an unsatisfactory support experience. We do know, through our experience, that you're not just a robot behind a computer - and you see when something needs human interaction. lol.

I'm still delighted with my experiences so far with QU and this forum and the support and it goes on and on..

I do have another (hopefully) much simpler issue that's come up! lol.... But I don't believe it'll beg for a phone call! ha.

Basically, as mentioned in my original post, we're printing tiled images side by side... While the prints came out beautifully, once we got to the "laminating" part of the job, we ran into the problem of not having enough vertical space between the "paired images" ... (I'm going to post a screen capture to better explain what I mean) ....

On that same note, I think the way we could resolve this problem is by simply zooming into the "preview" area - I can't find a place to do so and as it is (as shown in the picture below), it's near impossible to see where your margins and images are... Ideally, it needs to be zoomed in close enough to even possibly measure out the margins ...

There are of course settings you can change for the margins for the entire overall print - but those settings only pertain to the top, bottom, left, and right of the entire print. The way we're printing these pictures, printer settings don't really have a way of detecting that these are "tiled" images at all - so there isn't enough spacing beside each "pair" of tiled images... Here's the screen shot. I think it'll help me explain the issue in a much simpler way!

P.S. Mike, I'm so glad our conversation was mutually beneficial! Though we all know "mutual" isn't exactly the right word - I'm pretty sure I gained quite a bit more than the other party! 

Here's the screen shot. (Please pardon the typo on the screen shot - that should say "zoom" not "zooN" 

Thanks so much for your help and I'll post images of the finished project once we get it all completed!

Thanks, Fred. I'm so sorry I haven't had a chance to reply to this to let you know my outcome! It's been a mad house around here lately but I do need to take a moment to show my gratitude to Mike. Just moments after I posted this thread, my office phone rang and I answered. He said, "This is Mike" from the forum - you had some questions about Qimage, right?" ..

I was so happy to hear ANYone on the other end with some potential help that I didn't even THINK about who it was! He spent at least a solid hour with me troubleshooting my problem. And it was solved! I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how elated I was and still am!!!

It wasn't until the last 2 minutes of our conversation when I was thanking him over and over - telling him how much  I appreciated it and how he was an angel from heaven sent down to help me and how he'd really saved my ..... you know .... .... Then I asked for his name again and if he'd mind giving me a call-back number in case I ran into any problems. That's when he said "Mike Chaney" - and it dawned on me who he was.

This man never once let on that he was the author of the software until I asked for his name! Talk about humble - and support-wise? I have NEVER.... and I do mean NEVER had an experience such as this. I'm a graphic artist/web designer on a freelance basis so I have more than my fair share of both good AND bad support from 3rd party developers of software I outsource to.

I can say with the aforementioned inherent authority that this was, by far and wide - no questions asked - the VERY best support I have EVER experienced in ten years - for ANY product or software anywhere. And he was the author!  I gotta admit I was kind of star-struck and really just SHOCKED when he said who he was! I couldn't believe it! So many people use his software... it's an absolutely STUNNING program - I would be honored to write a testimonial for Mike anywhere for any reason.

After our conversation I not only solved the initial problem, I also asked a lot of questions that he very patiently answered - and I cannot brag on the software and even more-so Mike Chaney enough. I told my manager what happened and he was extremely impressed. I'm telling you, that kind of support is unheard of - and now that I have a much deeper grasp on what the software can do, I can honestly say that it is truly phenomenal. He's giving Adobe a run for their money, I assure you.

I thought I'd post a couple of pictures of the images that came through after our conversation - keep in mind I used my phone to take them so they don't do the finished product justice, but just to show how excited I am and how impressed I am - you gotta see what came out of our printer! It's just simply fantastic.

Thank you, Mike. You're a rare breed and I have no idea how I can even begin to show you my gratitude.

Here are the initial prints coming out of our printer:


We were able to print one huge overall image that had been separated into tiles in another program... using Qimage we were able to space them out and arrange them on the printout how we needed them.

After the prints were complete, we cut them into separate pieces like shown:


Ultimately, we'll be putting each image through a cold laminating machine to adhere double-sided adhesive media to them after they've been cut into individual photos. After the adhesive is applied, we'll then be adhering them in a similar way to a relatively thick/rigid plexiglass material.

Here's an example of a test image that has been cut and sealed to the plexiglass:


Finally, the images will be embedded in our custom furniture with LED-lit backgrounds.. so it'll show an overall image, but they'll be cut out like a puzzle or grid. This is the wall where the images will be placed after they're prepared. It's a terrible image (again, taken with my phone! lol) of the LED lighting that the images will be displayed in front of. The way the light shines through is just incredible. We're printing on a backlit type of media and it really makes the finished product look amazing.


This particular project is just going into one of our showcase rooms for display on the wall, but we'll be using them in our Murphy beds, TV lifts, Entertainment Centers and even making signs for different types of corporations. The product is absolutely gorgeous and we couldn't have done it without Qimage and Mike's help!

Anyway, maybe that was too much info, but I'm so excited and even more grateful!  

Thank you again!

-Deb

Hi, I'm new to printing in general, and definitely new to printing with high end software and large format printers. I'm working for a guy who is pretty much as clueless as I am with this stuff. He runs a millwork company and is trying to implement LED back-lit tiled prints into his custom furniture. His shop used to be a print and frame shop which never got off the ground - so he liquidated the print/frame shop and is thriving with the millwork operation.

I mention all of the above to give insight as to where I am - knowledge wise - with anything related to printing at this level. During the liquidation process of the print/frame shop, the owner decided to keep two of his large format printers for possible use in the future. That's where we are now.

We have two HP large format printers - Z6100 & Z6200 ... we're using the 6200 (36" width) printer for our current projects.

The overall size of the image for the project we're currently working on is 137.25"X52.5" but it won't ultimately print that large ... We're trying to print one image that is tiled into 18 different panels. To set up the tiles, we use the software Perfect Photo Suite 9. When I go into that program, I'm able to set up the settings to make the tiled images ready to be used in Qimage. Why we're using the Perfect Photo software to begin with, I don't know. Does Qimage allow set up of tiled print options? I can't imagine it doesn't, but I'm not sure.

After I set up the tiling in Perfect Photo, I then open Qimage Ultimate. In the bridge/browse area, I go to the desktop (where I've saved my previously tiled images) and choose the folder with those files in it. I'm able to add the tiled images to a print setup that appears to all be correct. Each tile (columns/rows) is 22.8"X17.5".

The way the tiles are set up are 2 columns by 9 rows. So the preview looks something like:

[Image 1] [Image 2]
[Image 3] [Image 4]
[Image 5] [Image 6]
[Image 7] [Image 8]
[Image 8] [Image 10]
[Image 9] [Image 12]
[Image 10] [Image 14]
[Image 11] [Image 16]
[Image 12] [Image 18]

..... with each [Image X] (as shown above) holding a preview thumbnail of the print setup. We rotate the images 90 degrees to the right so that the total width of the project is equal to the width of two combined tiles for any particular row. That would be 17.5" multiplied by 2 making the image width 35" The overall height of the project is 137.25".

So far, so good. We're ready to print.

We set up all of the printer settings within Qimage and are using the printer's color profiles for color management. But when we order the print, we're hitting a brick wall. Nothing happens. The images are in displaying in the queue within the software, but nothing is happening at the printer. The only thing we can do is print to file... and that won't even finish - it gets to about 80% and stops - giving us an error message stating there isn't enough memory to complete the job.

That seems like the obvious problem and the solution would then be to upgrade our memory if needed, but 1. We don't know whether it's the printer memory or the PC's memory that's causing the problem. And 2., we're able to print without any problems using other software - even windows.. but they're all simple jobs - they're very large images, but they're jobs without tiling involved.

Anyway, because we're able to print from other software, that leads me to believe its not a problem related to the printer. The PC we're using is Windows 7 64 bit with 2TB HDD and 10GB RAM. I don't know what sort of memory is required for the tiling job we're trying to complete is, but 10Gigs of Ram is not a bad PC. Again, that's all relative, so I don't know.

If anyone could help guide me in troubleshooting this problem, I'd be very grateful. It's a massive headache for me because everyone else in the shop is sort of at a dead standstill until I can get these images printed and then laminated so they can be placed into the furniture for sale. We had planned on a grand opening (of our showcase area) on May 16th (three days from now) which obviously isn't going to happen now, and all of that pressure is on my shoulders. I've spent hours upon hours researching this problem, reading all of the docs, tutorials, FAQ's, training videos, you name it - any and all automated help resources that are available I've looked at.

But I still can't get the job to print. This is my last option (other than email support which I'll be doing next) for solving the problem and getting things moving. I can only hope and pray someone on here is familiar with anything related to my problem and can guide me in the right direction. I'm honestly at a point of not knowing where to seek help elsewhere. I can't find a phone number anywhere on the web or otherwise and it states that all support topics are handled via messaging, tutorial videos and PDFs, etc. and this forum.

So, can someone help me out? I'll be happy to provide any further information that may be required in order to explain the problem more adequately. I've attempted to the best of my ability to do so here, but I may have missed something. Thanks so much in advance for reading this (if you've made it this far!) and I look forward - REALLLY look forward to to hearing  back from any of you on this forum. I'm at a complete loss and any help I can get I'll be unequivocally grateful for.

Thanks so much,

Deb
dballard@lasttangent.com (office)
debbie@debliz.com (personal/graphic designer email)
903-676-7564 (cell)
903-292-1743 (office)

I'm at the office Monday through Friday 7-?  (whenever I can get the heck out of here! lol) and can be reached at any email or my cell phone after hours. I can be reached at all of those methods during office hours as well. I know you can reply here, but thought I'd enter contact information just in case someone would like to talk to me via those methods.

Like I said, I'm at a complete loss regarding what to do with this problem and it's something I'm desperate to solve just as soon as reasonably achievable. Thanks so much for reading all of this and I hope so much that someone here can help me out!

Thanks,

Deb