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Author Topic: v2014.207 issues/comments  (Read 9605 times)
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« on: March 28, 2014, 10:25:39 PM »

http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage-u

v2014.207    Mar 28, 2014

Priority: Low

v2014.207 allows photo mat group sizing via click/drag and via the print properties button.  Also fixed: copyright/signature editing on photo mats.

Mike
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Ernst Dinkla
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« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2014, 04:48:56 PM »

Mike,

Photo Mats gets better.

White uneven borders are equal to white even borders in colour management. That  is good, my HP Zs can apply Gloss Enhancer ink to the image only and leave both types of borders without it, that is good. Quite happy about that as I had to use odd methods to get the same result before with uneven borders.

Much better on the Mark Corners that are now put on the template. They are lost at two corners however when only an uneven border at one side is added, not a common case I guess but could be difficult with high key images. Solved with a 0.5mm border at the other sides.

For the rest much of my comments stil stand. With multiple images on the print page it is a minefield to wander in .....

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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
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« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2014, 01:07:33 PM »

For the rest much of my comments stil stand. With multiple images on the print page it is a minefield to wander in .....

Sounds like you just need to learn to use the new tool efficiently.  With the ability to click and drag to move/resize, resize the entire group by specified size, move the group with the arrow keys in the page editor, there is no scenario where it takes more than a few clicks to get a final product if you use the photo mat feature efficiently and do the steps in a logical order.  If you've found a common setup where you feel something is too complicated, then I'd like you to share it and show us how it is complicated.  I may not be interested if it's some oddball setup where we would need a Qimage Ultimate: Ernst Dinkla Edition, but if it affects typical setups that many might encounter, I'd like to see it.  We've worked in our beta test group and now in the public releases with a lot of people, none of whom find any difficulties with photo mats, much less any "minefields".

Mike
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Ernst Dinkla
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« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2014, 07:49:30 PM »

A few minutes certainly with even borders including the decision that a 44" roll gave more paper waste and 36" less so nested for the last. That goes fast with optimal or optimal/spaced. If done with uneven borders it asks for way more time, the more if you like to have the corner marks in line so cutting goes faster. The example images are with uneven borders. A compromise on paper waste and fast cutting as the goal. Avoiding overlaps of templates or images, not to mention images dropping off the print page or signature space added at the left side instead of underneath with rotated images. I can cut up to 6 feet length on the cutter but usually do not go beyond the 44" size in jobs like shown. The diversity of jobs is endless, the argument that one can save a template for this may apply more for photo shops that have certain sizes of frames to sell. If wise they buy the roll widths that suit the frames too. My customers take the prints and have the custom frames made so I can get odd requests on sizes and borders. I use two sizes rolls 36" and 44" mainly for that reason.

As written before the uneven border feature like it is will be fine for one or some images on a sheet, colored or white borders. Let's call it the Qimage Ultimate: Fred and Terry Edition. I would have liked a white signature space at the border settings and the auto nesting features kept. Let us say: we agree that we disagree and leave it there.


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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.
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Ernst Dinkla
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« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2014, 07:51:14 PM »

36"roll
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« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2014, 10:34:17 PM »

Took your 36 inch roll example and did the same thing in about 45 seconds in QU (including adding the images).

- Start in optimal spaced
- Pick print size, add images
- Rotate two landscapes at the bottom (don't have to, but why not)
- Select all photos on the page, right click to "Add Photo Mat"
- Select white color, 1 inch on top, left, and right, and 2 inches on the bottom (about what you had)
- Click "Edges", "Mark corners", and print.

I don't see the problem.  Never had to even move a print!

You can even start in "optimal" mode instead of "optimal-spaced" and only make one cut between each row.

Mike
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« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2014, 11:55:27 PM »

BTW if you only care about the image size and you still want to arrange with the mat added around a specific size image without cropping the image, it's really no more difficult.  OK, maybe 3 or 4 clicks more...

Lets say you have some portrait orientation images that you want to be 10 inches wide with the whole image printed (not cropped to size) with 1 inch borders and a 2 inch on the bottom:

1 Starting in optimal or optimal spaced placement mode
2 In the print properties, turn crop (scissors) off
3 Select "Custom" size, "Size by one side", and enter "12" for the "short side" (the 10 inches for your image plus the 1 inch left/right mat border)
4 Add your images to the queue: they will be 12 inches wide with the height calculated automatically
5 Select all prints on the page and add a white mat, 1 inch on top, left, right and 2 inches on the bottom and choose "shrink"
6 Click "Edges", select the type (mark corners, crop marks, etc.) and print

You'll end up with nicely placed 10 inch prints with your specified mat edges nicely aligned: no need to move anything.

Let's say you have a 36 inch roll and you just want to fit 3 prints across the page as large as they can be including the mat:

- Repeat the above steps except in step 3, enter "3x" for the short side instead of 12 inches.  Done.

Mike



« Last Edit: March 30, 2014, 11:58:52 PM by admin » Logged
Ernst Dinkla
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« Reply #7 on: March 31, 2014, 10:34:12 AM »

BTW if you only care about the image size and you still want to arrange with the mat added around a specific size image without cropping the image, it's really no more difficult.  OK, maybe 3 or 4 clicks more...

Lets say you have some portrait orientation images that you want to be 10 inches wide with the whole image printed (not cropped to size) with 1 inch borders and a 2 inch on the bottom:

1 Starting in optimal or optimal spaced placement mode
2 In the print properties, turn crop (scissors) off
3 Select "Custom" size, "Size by one side", and enter "12" for the "short side" (the 10 inches for your image plus the 1 inch left/right mat border)
4 Add your images to the queue: they will be 12 inches wide with the height calculated automatically
5 Select all prints on the page and add a white mat, 1 inch on top, left, right and 2 inches on the bottom and choose "shrink"
6 Click "Edges", select the type (mark corners, crop marks, etc.) and print

You'll end up with nicely placed 10 inch prints with your specified mat edges nicely aligned: no need to move anything.

Let's say you have a 36 inch roll and you just want to fit 3 prints across the page as large as they can be including the mat:

- Repeat the above steps except in step 3, enter "3x" for the short side instead of 12 inches.  Done.

Mike


Mike,

This is the best approach to what I actually needed. It does not exactly replicate what I got though. The size of portrait images and landscape images were kept the same so the matte aspect ratios differed after the signature space was created and the landscape images could not fit 3x in the width of the roll while the portrait ones could hence their different positions in the print page.

I was not aware of the 3x formulation trick in the short side menu, can not find it documented either (so far). Is a nice feature. With a 0.5mm border+ for all I see differences of 1 mm between the short side on them however and the images did not nest as rows in the width of the roll/print page . Removed the 0.5mm border and they did nest properly and they got the right small side size. With the integrated 0.5mm border it worked correctly. Something similar happened a long time with the fit page function and border+ settings but that was cured not so long ago.

With my preferred method of images sizes set by the customers in the images (PS Tiffs) it gets more difficult when mattes have to expand. I should abandon that method for uneven borders and make the calculations first (image size + uneven border sizes) to get them fitted in the print page and then shrink the image to the customers specified size again with short side fix set. I probably will add the 15mm white in PS though and the rest with normal borders in Qimage, still more convenient.

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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots.

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« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2014, 08:18:25 PM »

This is the best approach to what I actually needed. It does not exactly replicate what I got though. The size of portrait images and landscape images were kept the same so the matte aspect ratios differed after the signature space was created and the landscape images could not fit 3x in the width of the roll while the portrait ones could hence their different positions in the print page.

It does become a challenge if you want to mix portrait and landscape photos on the fly while having the images stay the same size within the uneven borders because the larger border changes sides (from the short side to the long side) thereby changing the overall print size of image+mat.  When doing that, my suggestion would be to add all the portrait images first and then add the landscape images last: you'd pretty much need to do that anyway if you want to print in a 3-across fashion because they'll only fit 3-across if all 3 are portrait since the landscape ones turned on their side will be wider.  Plus mixing portrait/landscape back and forth would result in a lot of cutting complexity no matter how they are positioned.

If I was doing it I'd probably add the portraits first as described in my prior post, then click on one of the portrait images on the page to see how tall they ended up being.  Then use that size + 2 inches (in the example where your left/right even borders are 1 inch each) and use that as the "long side" in size by one dimension for the landscape images.  Then add the same mat to those and they'll be the same size images with the larger border on the bottom.  Because those won't fit 3 across, you could add those with the image lock turned on and they'll stay in upright position on the page, creating a bottom row of non-rotated landscape prints.

I do have some more features coming in the next few versions that will help with arranging prints+mats.

Mike
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