NatureScapes.net Forums

To Forum:
    I have a question regarding the Qimage One(Mac) printing software app. Does Qimage One provide any significant advantage in terms of process, or quality of output? I am running Photoshop Elements 2019 on an IMac with the Mojave O/S and have been using the PSE/Apple print drivers with minimal problems. As a result of reading the material on the Qimage One website and reviewing its Utube videos I can't decide if Qimage One is a convenience for those without an editing app, or if there are real advantages to be had over the PSE/Apple print drivers. Would appreciate any advice the forum might be able to offer.
    Regards
    Sternhagen

Qimage is pretty widely known as providing a better printing experience, better output, better workflow, more formatting options than the standard printing capability out of image processing software. It is designed to do print, not be a jack of all trades, and as such focusses all of its attention on that. Those that use it swear by it and would never go back to the complex printing process to maximize image quality from within image processing software. It is not intended to be for those that just don't have an image editing app. It is designed to provide the best possible output once you have decided the image is ready for printing.

I believe they offer a free 14 day trial!

I have been using Qimage Ultimate on a PC for years and highly recommand the software. However I have not used the Mac version and can't comment on it specificly. Royce Howland uses Qimage and is probably fimilar with the Mac version. If you send Royce a PM I'm sure he'll give you a very insightful review.

BTW, ImagePrint is more highly rated, also much more expensive the last time I looked

Thank you for your comments. A point of confusion arises as to whether the comments refer to Qimage, a PC app that has been around for some time and has a strong following, but has never had a Mac version.  I was of the impression that Qimage 'ONE' was a spin-off of the original Qimage that would now work with the Mac, but seems to be a somewhat different product and company, with its mission also dedicated to a quality printed process and output. Am I in error about this? Perhaps the only way to discover the merits of Qimage 'ONE' is through the trial version as I have found no in depth reviews for the app.
   Regards
   Sternhagen

My understanding is that Qimage One is available for macOS and Windows. It is focused on printing of finished images.

Qimage Ultimate is PC only, and it is more of a full scope product. RAW conversion and editing along with printing.

I have used Qimage Ultimate for a long, long time and prefer it for all of my personal printing work. I've also been using it heavily for the past 4 years within a boutique fine art printing studio. I recommend it highly.

Qimage One is a newly developed app, produced by a separate company under license from the developer of Qimage. The main Qimage app only supports Windows, while Qimage One supports Windows and Mac. It offers a cut-down selection of the core printing features of the full Windows app.

I've not yet taken the time to evaluate Qimage One but I expect it would produce excellent results, better than most other printing methods outside of dedicated RIP's (like ImagePrint which I've also used extensively) that cost hundreds or thousands of $. Even if money is no object, I personally would chose Qimage over ImagePrint except for certain specialized purposes like B&W printing via dedicated monochrome ICC profiles, or creating profiles based on optimized ink usage to reduce operating costs.

Royce Howland wrote:I have used Qimage Ultimate for a long, long time and prefer it for all of my personal printing work. I've also been using it heavily for the past 4 years within a boutique fine art printing studio. I recommend it highly.

Qimage One is a newly developed app, produced by a separate company under license from the developer of Qimage. The main Qimage app only supports Windows, while Qimage One supports Windows and Mac. It offers a cut-down selection of the core printing features of the full Windows app.

I've not yet taken the time to evaluate Qimage One but I expect it would produce excellent results, better than most other printing methods outside of dedicated RIP's (like ImagePrint which I've also used extensively) that cost hundreds or thousands of $. Even if money is no object, I personally would chose Qimage over ImagePrint except for certain specialized purposes like B&W printing via dedicated monochrome ICC profiles, or creating profiles based on optimized ink usage to reduce operating costs.

Thank you for the comments. I experimented with the trial version of Qimage One and decided to take a chance and bought the app. App is relatively easy to learn and produces quality output at least equal to PSE Elements/Epson R2880/2019 print driving process and sometimes even better. It is easier than working my way through the three or four step process and selection of print variables the PSE/Epson print drivers entails. The Q1 interface is user friendly friendly for the most part; the only problem I've had is managing files wherein the documentation could be improved here, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I have submitted one question to customer support and had a clear answer within 24 hours. The ability to have soft proofing is nice though the eternal problem of prints coming out a little darker than the calibrated Apple 5k IMac display sometimes crops up. Q1 has a series of YouTube videos that are helpful. Also nice is the ability to save a print job and bring it back. There are other features I have not used i.e, Photo arrangements of multiple pictures on a large sheet and border creation. The transfer of photos between PSE 2019 and Q1 works well.
   All in all the app is an affordable package and more efficient, but the goal is better quality than the alternative and only time will tell. It is my hope that in time Q1 will provide for Mac users more of the features contained in Qimage Ultimate which I have read about over the years, but alas Qimage has never provided a Mac version. Please understand my comments are those of a hobbyist who has done a lot of photo editing and prints for my family over the years and I am not an expert. Whether the Q1 app is appropriate for the Pro or a dedicated and truly skilled hobbyist is an open question I am unqualified to answer.
    Regards
    Sternhagen