Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

I usually process my photos in Photoshop and then print them in QImage. Photoshop's levels and curves allow for the adjustment of the black and white clipping points which I used to keep at 5 and 250 respectively. In Martin Evening's book Photoshop CS4 for Photographers he states that since Photoshop makes these adjustments automatically now based on the paper profile when you print from Photoshop, the manual settings of the black and white clipping points are no longer necessary. Since I print from QImage instead of Photoshop, does QImage similarly automatically make the black and white clipping adjustments?

Hi Jerry
No, but it is very easy to set up using a curve Print Filter.
Use any image that does not have  a filter and go to the filter screen (right click thumb)
Set the end points of the curve to the values required, it's easiest to enter the numbers, rather than dragging, at positions 0 and 16.
See attached screen snaps.
Save the filter with a name you will recognise and then use that for all prints by ticking the P.Filter box, bottom right of the main screen.
Print filters do not show on screen and only affect the print.
To make life easy, include the Print Filter in all your print set-ups (printer, paper, page size, profile etc.) and Save each one, as a "Printer Set-up" for easy re-call.
If you are not sure about any of the above, please ask again. ;)
Terry.

Thanks Terry. I was hoping to learn that QI did it automatically as PS is said to do. I already use a print filter to lighten my prints 10% as I find QI prints too darkly. I don't think QI will accommodate two concurrent print filters. I know I can rebuild my current print filter to include the new clipping parameters but that is getting complicated.

At least with Qimage you can set what you like and use a Print Filter to make it automatic.
I know some users like to set the print clipping points (there was another post on the same lines a few days ago) but is it really necessary?

Correct
With just the 2 adjustments, that is not too bad  ;)

I would not think it is Qimage printing darkly; any other colour managed program should produce the same result with identical monitor & printer profiles and driver settings.
This is more likely to be related to the monitor calibration and the set luminance values and/or the printer profile.
I used to have asimilar problem in that I had to lighten shadows, initially with a + gamma print filter and then later used a +Fill filter. However, since getting a much higher quality monitor the problem has more-or-less disappeared. On some papers I use a +3 Fill Print filter.
I know some users adjust their monitor brightness to match their prints, darker in your case. I prefer to set to a definite luminance value (120Cd/M2) and use an occasional print filter on certain papers. I don't have to remember which, it's all saved as Print Set-Ups
I hope that helps a little.
Terry.