Newb to Qimage or Not?

[Greatwhitewing]

I am starting printing again and starting from the beginning and I see a number of seasoned printers like the Qimage software for printing with the added bonus of scheduled maintenance prints. Been using PSE 11 so far for prints and PS occasionally.

Should someone relatively new and learning take on Qimage now or save that for later?
So far a P600 still with supplied OEM cartridges with refillable carts soon and trying RR papers after getting used to Epson papers I have already.

I really like the idea of timed printouts to keep the nozzles flowing since I travel sometimes on business but I don't want to add too many variables too early.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Roy Sletcher]

I am starting printing again and starting from the beginning and I see a number of seasoned printers like the Qimage software for printing with the added bonus of scheduled maintenance prints. Been using PSE 11 so far for prints and PS occasionally.

Should someone relatively new and learning take on Qimage now or save that for later?
So far a P600 still with supplied OEM cartridges with refillable carts soon and trying RR papers after getting used to Epson papers I have already.

I really like the idea of timed printouts to keep the nozzles flowing since I travel sometimes on business but I don't want to add too many variables too early.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Hi John,

Always happy to give my opinion - Caveat - It is worth exactly what you pay for it - ZERO. But you can weigh and balance it against other opinions.

It is somewhat hard to give general advice because everybody producing creative printed images has different aspirations, workflows and objectives. Some merely want to produce a few 4 x 6 images of the kids and family. Others strive for A2 or A3 fine art images for their walls or even sale.

I am a strong evangelist for Qimage, but admit it is not for everyone. The best part is that it is relatively cheap, and you can get a trial version, but only for about 2 weeks. The program is primarily a print utility with some very good editing options. Compared to PS, LR, or PSE which are primarily digital editing programs with an adequate but limited printing facility. Qimage has a lot under the hood AND a quirky interface. It is worth watching the several videos that explain its workings. All the information from its website.

My own opinion is that for a few images up to A4 or letter size it may be overkill. However once you want to produce varied and larger images or large quantities of different images in different sizes and formats its versatility is invaluable.

Only you can decide if it suits you, but in my opinion it is never too early to use a good product. Why waste time with the limited print features of the other editing programs when you can get get a better utility at modest price.

rs

 

[Greatwhitewing]

"Why waste time with the limited print features of the other editing programs when you can get get a better utility at modest price."

The ONLY reason I can think of to keep it simpler at the start. I can see both sides of that argument and that's why I started the thread to hear differing points of view for and against.
Thanks for your well thought out reply

 

[mikling]

Qimage has been around for a long and I still use it. Initially it was by far the best print utility ten years ago or more especially with low pixel count cameras, where its sharpening abilities and ability to print uprezzed images at native resolution was a big plus. Today it's functionality is not as well distanced from what the editing programs offers especially considering that the Nik collection is free. For B&W alone it is worth an immediate download.
Qimage has added some niche functionalites to gain some distance from the editing programs and is well worth considering, especially with Epson pigment ink printers.

 

[stratman]

The ONLY reason I can think of to keep it simpler at the start.

Nothing wrong with that!

As @Roy Sletcher said - Qimage is free to try for a couple of weeks.

I also found it's enlargening and printing capabilities quite good with old B&W images, well worth the price of the software if you print on larger sized paper.

 

[The Hat]

I hate to put a fly in the Qimage soup, but I found the App to be less helpful because it controlled things its way and hindered the way I wanted things to look, I was never comfortable using it, and always drifted back to Photoshop, the 30 days couldn’t have come sooner.

The Fly...
Nice Avatar, @John McKissick...