PDN vs QTR

Can someone please explain the difference between PDN and QTR? What are the advantages and limitations of each? Do either of these require special equipment, software, etc? Thanks.

This is a hugh topic. I'm sure others will chime in, so I'll just make a few comments:

- PDN is a structured workflow built around Mark's PDN sofware.
The end result is a colorized and linearized negative. The software
itself gets high marks for usability -- it is well thought out and documented.
It will work with any printer and ink combination using the native printer
driver. The down side is that if your printer and ink don't provide
sufficient blocking to achieve paper white, this system isn't going to work
for you (and probably any other system based on colorized negatives won't
work, either).

- QTR is a replacement for the Epson printer driver; no other printers are
supported. The idea is you develop a printer profile (or use or tweak an
existing profile) that directly controls how much of each ink channel is
laid down. Once you have a QTR profile you need to print from
QTR; you can no longer print from Photoshop, or Lightroom, or whatever
application you are now using. Developing a really good QTR profile requires
a *lot* of time and patience. In my experience, it is both art and science.
Think of QTR as a tool for DIY.

Les said:

Can someone please explain the difference between PDN and QTR? What are the advantages and limitations of each? Do either of these require special equipment, software, etc? Thanks.

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Thank you for the reply. I find your comments very valuable especialy as a novice. It seems that two advantages to PDN are that it appears less complex to get to a "really good" but maybe not perfect digital negative more easily, and that you are not locked into using an Epson printer.

I would prefer to spend my time shooting and using DN to apply alt-processes to my images rather than spending tremendous amounts of time as at the computer to get one image correct. Am I thinking this through correctly?

I assume that since both systems are discussed here that both have combinations of printer/inks that block enough uv for alt-printing. If I were to go the PDN route, which printers/inks give the greatest uv-blocking per ml of ink for example? Are there combinations that work best or does one just pick the printer and use the OEM inks?

Thanks.
Les

Digital negatives provide a lot of advantages, but I won't deceive you -- making good digital negatives is challenging and this will demand a *lot* of effort, especially in the beginning.

While it is good not to be tied to specific hardware, the reality is that most folks are probably using Epsons anyway. That means a large knowledge base,
including existing profiles, and this means you won't be going it alone. Of course, if you already have a Canon or HP, this might determine your
workflow.

One generally does use the native ink set for printing digital negatives. I think most are using pigment inks for making digital negatives. There are some good dye printers being sold, but I don't have any experience with them.

You might want to post some details about what it is you want to do so users with relevant experience can comment.
- do you have an inkjet printer?
- what print processes do you want to use with digital negatives?
- what size prints do you want to make?
- do you have a flatbed scanner or a densitometer?
- what light source will you be printing with?

Here is my disclaimer: I have spent a fair amount of time playing with both PDN and QTR printing both palladium and carbon transfer. The experience was instructive, but I use neither in my current workflow. The point of all the methods out there (and there are others besides PDN and QTR) is to create negatives with sufficient density to achieve a full range of tones. If you can find a printer that provides sufficient density printing composite b&w negatives using the native driver, you won't need any of these systems.

Les said:

Thank you for the reply. I find your comments very valuable especialy as a novice. It seems that two advantages to PDN are that it appears less complex to get to a "really good" but maybe not perfect digital negative more easily, and that you are not locked into using an Epson printer.

I would prefer to spend my time shooting and using DN to apply alt-processes to my images rather than spending tremendous amounts of time as at the computer to get one image correct. Am I thinking this through correctly?

I assume that since both systems are discussed here that both have combinations of printer/inks that block enough uv for alt-printing. If I were to go the PDN route, which printers/inks give the greatest uv-blocking per ml of ink for example? Are there combinations that work best or does one just pick the printer and use the OEM inks?

Thanks.
Les

Click to expand...

This is not necessarily true. I print directly from Photoshop and Lightroom using the QTR printer drive on my Mac.

pschwart said:

Once you have a QTR profile you need to print from
QTR; you can no longer print from Photoshop, or Lightroom, or whatever
application you are now using.

Click to expand...

Not a deal-breaker, but it's pretty inconvenient on Windows since you need to save a flattened version of your file for printing. This is actually not a bad practice since it hugely reduces the size of the spooled file, but I don't always do it.

clay said:

This is not necessarily true. I print directly from Photoshop and Lightroom using the QTR printer drive on my Mac.

Click to expand...

I would be working on a Mac, with images from Lightroom, Photoshop or eventually scanned.