Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

I am trying to print with roll paper (1118mm) up to 3 meter. I asked before similar question regarding this as I encountered (assuming) Epson driver's limit, so always printer stopped printing around 160cm. The file is around 1G. (1118 x 2350 / 200PPI)

Attempt 1 :

One large page setting : 1118mm x 2350mm
Paper : banner
Arrangement : 3 image files + Compact option

Last time I got a hint that I have to slice the file and arrange it with "compact" option, + borderless. So the images will be sent separately to the driver which will ease the burden for the printer. I've split the file into three which are around 500mb(TIFF), it is big but I don't think particularly large size as one printing. I've placed those in one page using compact option which looks fine on preview mode. But when I start to print, QU seems still sending all information(three files) to the printer all at once. Then printing abort situation happens same as before.

I have no idea how to solve this for large printing with relatively high resolution. I read some people managed well with QU so probably there is way and I am missing.

Attempt 2:

I read about examples of printing, (https://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage-u/help/lbe.htm) seems example 6 are most close to my case.
I am not 100% sure about this example applies to the one large file or I could apply it to the group of images which I want them printing continuously. It turned out...it seems the QU sending files one by one to Epson driver (which is optimistic) but even though they are set as custom size without border, there are white margins happening between pages. FYI, I set the paper (banner) option. Spool preference (one page at the time and sending it as RAW option)

Three custom size page setting (width 1118mm each page different length sett)
Paper : banner
Arrangement : 1 large image + Center placement option
Auto-crop Off

Any tip would be really appreciated, I am testing every 2meter printing, that leads a lot of wasting of my paper..ink.. Thanks.

It seems I made the one successfully, but not really sure what was a difference.
Just note for later and in case others need to make it..

I printed full image (not split) about 1G, 1118x2350mm custom size setting.
One page print
Auto cropping - OFF / Banner setting
Placement - Compact or Center (not sure, will try it again)

So it seems when I print with banner option regardless the image size(or even relatively large which wasn't successful with Epson driver), QU pushing it to print chunk by chunk? I wasn't sure in the beginning as I could see QU sent all information and Epson dialog shows progression bar as if it perceive all data at once. But definitely it exceeded the limit now. So, in the end I didn't need to split the file or print in multiple pages in QU..

I'm not sure what you mean by "all at once".  Qimage is the only program that will never do that: it sends page 1, then page 2, etc. and within each page, it sends tiles (it doesn't send the whole page at once).  Now, if you mean Qimage sends each page without waiting for the printer to finish the previous page, there's a setting for that: Edit, Preferences, Printing Options, "Spool One Page at a Time".  Then Qimage will wait for the printer to finish printing page 1 before it sends page 2, and so on.  If you are having trouble with that option, it means the printer is not communicating properly back to Windows (to let it know when it is finished a page).  In that case, there's also the "Spool and Cool" option as a fallback where you can delay pages: set it to delay 10 minutes after every 1 page for example (if it takes about 10 minutes to print one "page").

With all that said, I'm not sure that is solving the underlying problem which is not a Qimage problem.  Is your Windows OS a 64 bit version of Windows?  Do you have Qimage set to "Raw" for the spool type under Edit, Preferences, Printing Options?  Those are the two most important things when printing large prints.  Also be aware that if the printer is connected via a network (ethernet), there are size limitations with network queues: connect the printer via USB and those problems will go away.

Regards,
Mike

Thank you very much for your help, Mike. And sorry for my crappy language. Probably it is better I leave like this below..

System : Win10 / USB connected
Printer : Epson Surecolor P8000

Setting (at the moment)
-.One page at a time
-.Spool type : RAW

-.Placement : Center
-.Source image size : 1118mm x 2321mm @ 210PPI
-.QU print size : Custom (1118x2321)
-.Paper : Banner(borderless)


What I meant "all at once" when I print through QU or PS, the Epson software panel with ink information appears so that I can see it is receiving the information from the software. If I have several "pages" on QU, this Epson panel appears several times during the printing session which I assumes each tile sent in different time though still it has been stopped on same spot. So I wasn't sure if splitting tiles and several pages printing continuously really work.(seems not, at least for me) Meanwhile, when I print just one big file again at one page in QU, of course it just send by once.(I see the Epson panel receive it) So I guessed it will clash the same as the other tries. But this time it didn't.

I made one 2.3meter size finally and it seemed work. But, as I've been changed the option pretty much I am not that sure what was actually key for large printing. Just guessing "banner" option + Spool "Raw" type was most crucial one.

I am still not sure of image placement and margin option, too. The image width is 1118mm on Photoshop but on thumbnail mode of QU says it is 1115mm? I can't find anywhere says I have margin on the side. It seem more like QU recognise my image file as 1115mm width, so when I put on the preview(the paper which is set the width as 1118mm) of course it has white margin on the side. Actually I get small white margin on left side if I print. I could try "Optimal" option but according to the Example 6, "Center" alignment is somehow also important when I do "banner" printing? Is there any way to fit perfectly borderless when I print large size with banner option?

I am printing the next 2.3m printing at the moment so I will see if this works fine this time..

Just confirm that the last setting, I successfully printed 2.5m size picture. This is so great, just need to experiment more with other details!

Best,
YJ

Just wanted to clarify: Qimage is sending small tiles of a few megabytes each even when you send only one page.  It does not send the whole page (or image) as one send.  It is sending one small tile, then the next tile, etc. until the image is filled out on the page.  What you are seeing is the fact that the Epson software will not pop up and show you the data (page) until Qimage has sent the signal that finalizes the page once it is done sending tiles (an EndDoc command).  That's simply when the Epson software shows it to you: Qimage had been sending it in small chunks for a long time before that.  The printer simply knows not to start processing it until the page is "finalized".

Regards,
Mike

Thank you for clarification, Mike. I was confused "tile" as my split images, and now I understand it is kind of chunk data which is managed by QU internally.