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

v2017.115   Jan 19, 2017

Priority: Med

v2017.115 offers new "overdrive" photo printing for the highest possible print detail!  Click here for details/examples: http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage-u/tech-prt.htm.

Mike

No.  1200 is already considered overdrive.  You can only overdrive 600 and 720 (to 1200 and 1440).

Regards,
Mike

I have the same reaction with my Canon Pro 100
Been playing with the Canon XPS driver which only goes to 600 and then Over drive.
Have you tried anything like that?
Fred

The overdrive feature was prompted by a re-evaluation of maximum resolution capabilities of modern printers.  A few years ago, inkjet printers (and paper) could only resolve detail at the 600 and 720 PPI level.  With recent advancements in printer technology, they can resolve more detail but drivers are typically still using the 600/720 PPI settings, presumably because it is too much for just about any printing software other than Qimage.  Qimage is the only software that feeds data to the driver in managed chunks rather than just dumping the full original to the driver at once.  Dumping a full size image to the driver at higher settings like 1200/1440 PPI causes problems on wide format printers because anything larger than about 24x36 and you reach the 4GB limit of 32 bits and the driver crashes.

The native driver PPI is nothing more than a "request" by the driver: your printer will still take whatever it gets and form its native 5760x1440 dots, 4800x2400 dots, etc from that.  The manufacturers set the native driver PPI based on a multiple of the printers true native DPI that they feel is enough to render the highest visible detail.  You can still print beyond that "request" and get slightly better detail, which is what the new overdrive is all about.

Regards,
Mike

Hi Herb,
First job is set the paper you are using. Next set quality to the highest number teh paper will allow. (Best Quality).
Yes, set the ppi input to 720. Some epson drivers require that you check a box labeled Finest Detail to get the 720.
Fred

Hi,
At what size print should one start to see a differences in print quality(print detail) using overdrive interpolation?

Thanks
Herbert

I printed two 7x10.5 in. prints on 8.5x11 in. Epson Ultra Premium Glossy paper. One at 360 ppi and the other at 720 ppi with overdrive selected. Both prints looked very good. Both prints looked the same in detail.

Thanks
Herbert

I don't think you are going to see a difference on matte paper because the surface is too rough and absorbent for fine dot placement.  The new overdrive feature is good for lenticular printing, photo telescope keychains, high res line diagrams, pano (stitched) photos at relatively small sizes (one sheet), and other types of printing that require magnification or high precision.  Once you get to 600 or 720 PPI, you're not likely to notice an increase in print detail going to 1200 or 1440 (overdrive) just by casual side-by-side observation.  Close examination of sharp edges or details like tree bark though, even with the unaided eye, will reveal some differences with sharper edges and more detail on the OD prints... provided you have an image with enough pixels to begin with.

If you want to test out the new overdrive printing, keep this in mind.  You need enough pixels in the original image to render actual detail at or near the overdrive resolution.  Let's say you have a Canon or HP that uses 600 PPI as its native resolution.  And let's say you have an 18 megapixel dSLR (pretty good for today's mid level dSLR cameras), so your camera produces images around 5000 x 3500 pixels.  At that resolution, any print larger than about 6x8 inches means you have less than 600 PPI of original image information to work with.  Even printing a 6x8 inch print where you have about 600 PPI "worth of" image pixels to work with, you won't see much difference printing that at 1200 PPI because bumping the resolution that high means that 75% of the data in that 1200 PPI print is going to be interpolated.

So if you want to see a difference with overdrive, print small... not large.  Take a typical 16-18 megapixel photo that has a lot of sharp detail such as fine grass, tree bark, concrete texture, high contrast fenceposts with black/white detail like shadows, etc. and print it at 4x6 or (at most) 5x7.  Or maybe download a B/W resolution test chart (and again, print it small).  Then you should be able to see a difference under close examination of details.

Finally, unless you have millenial eyes, your eyes are likely to give out before 600 PPI so use some mild magnifiers (reading glasses) to see the difference.  The new feature is not so much about "blow you away" side-by-side comparisons but rather more geared toward making sure you get 100% out of your printer because, well... why not: produce the best prints possible and then you don't need to worry about how closely they'll be scrutinized later. 

Regards,
Mike