>Can anyone provide first hand accounts of unqualified quadtone success on a 4 >color printer _without_ a RIP? If so, then I'd go for the 1160. Otherwise, it >would apear that the 1520 or 3000 w/PressReady are the better choices. > >Doug Kellly >kdouglas1@uswest.net Yes. On glossy paper (or with any paper/ink combination which gives a satisfying dark black with *only* black ink, quadtone prints can be made with manual CMYK separations and printed with nice results through the RGB driver. The way I do this is explained at http://www.geocities.com/~campfiredan/infoshare/RGB-K_quad_printing.html. The option which copies the black channel back into the RGB file as a layer gives the most flexibility for tweaking at print time. Note that on uncoated papers like Somerset Velvet it will still be impossible to get the deepest possible black since the RGB driver limits max black (no matter how you get there) to black ink only with no under addition of the other inks. But on glossy paper and on some of the coated papers, this works fine. You have to make sure to do your printing inks setups (or make your previewing profiles) with the same RGB(K) process to get a moderately accurate on-screen preview. However, this whole RGB(K) process is really just a workaround and a true CMYK driver (like Adobe PressReady or the Sundance R9) is more satifying and much better way to go (and can give deeper blacks). Unfortunately I have not been able to totally eliminate banding with the CMYK drivers while I get absolutley *no* banding with this RGB(K) method and the standard driver. If I ever get a printer that works with a CMYK driver and no banding, I'll be a very happy man indeed. Even my new Stylus 900 gives me banding with PressReady (but it is smaller banding to go along with the smaller dot size!). The RGB(K) method also works very nicely with my new and improved quadtone profiles making method, at http://www.geocities.com/~campfiredan/infoshare/Quadtone_Multitone_Profile.html but again, when you set the ink colors and dot in Photoshop CMYK setup be sure you set them from target patches made through the same RGB(K) method. Dan Culbertson - Please turn off HTML mail features. Keep quoted material short. Use accurate subject lines. http://www.leben.com/lists for instructions.