Qimage alternatives: Printers and Printing Forum: Digital Photography Review (2024)

Are there any good (and ideally free or inexpensive) alternative software programs to Qimage’s main functions:

arranging prints on a roll

quality upscaling

timed printouts / printhead exercising

Both Epson and Canon make print layout programs w/ various features at zero cost.

There are lots of alternatives but I am curious what is the issue with using Qimage? I have been using it for years and am very happy with it.

2

1

How is that an issue - it has to be purchased?

Like every other software that has to be purchased, it offers a free 2 week trial, so I don't get how that was an issue with you!

3

Alexey wrote:

Are there any good (and ideally free or inexpensive) alternative software programs to Qimage’s main functions:

arranging prints on a roll

quality upscaling

timed printouts / printhead exercising

Qimage costs $70 USD. That's almost free and totally worth this minimal investment.

1

Let's be honest, QImage is absolutely not intuitive.

I use it for years and I still sometimes struggle to find out how very simple activities have to be done in QImage.

And some of the functionality, like calculating length for a Pano based on the shortest side, doesn't work on my Win 10 PC.

Wigelii wrote:

Let's be honest, QImage is absolutely not intuitive.

I use it for years and I still sometimes struggle to find out how very simple activities have to be done in QImage. And some of the functionality, like calculating length for a Pano based on the shortest side, doesn't work on my Win 10 PC.

As much as I like Q-Image, I have to agree that it is not as user friendly or intuitive as it could be. I hope it will be improved by the designers in the future. I use it for basic functions as page layout, printing and auto scheduled printouts and pre print sharpening. As just one example of improvements, here are screen shots of the Q-Image window:

Once you can load images such as these it works fine, however locating your images are not intuitive

The bottom right row icon options of how images are placed -arranged- onto page always really confuse me and a clearer visual icon indication would be helpful. Initial location of image files could also be improved. Below is how Q-Images forces a user to navigate to images to be loaded in above window:

The better more 'intuitive' way than the above window interface would be a 'column view' shown below

I wish it were an option for Q-Image

Philip,

It is always good to hear user feedback on Qimage One as it helps us to improve the product. I think I can help with the two specific issues you mentioned.

There are five layout options. The three main automatic layout options are Intellispace, Intellicenter and Intellicut. There is the manual layout mode which we call Freehand. Then there is the Auto Roll Length layout option which will expand the page length as needed to fit all prints in an optimized layout.

Intellispace will attempt to arrange prints in an intelligent manner, taking into account how many of the placed prints can be arranged in each direction, what other prints are already placed, and will leave a nominal 1/4" gap between prints. The arrangement may differ based on how much of the total area of the page is covered in case media can be reused.

Intellicenter performs the same as Intellispace except it will place the overall group of prints on each page centered on the media.

Intellicut leaves no gaps between prints to optimize the amount of media used.

We have a YouTube tutorial on our channel which describes these options and other information concerning placing prints in Qimage One:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYdZf54VLoM

The display of folders in the drop down in Qimage One is provided for quick access to known folders without having to use a separate dialog. There isn't always enough room to display a macOS style folder column view, especially on smaller screen such as MacBooks.
However, you can still browse for images using a column view by clicking the File menu then selecting the Open Folder... menu item. This will display a macOS browse for folder dialog which includes options to view columns etc.

Best Regards,

Andrew Wilford

Wigelii wrote:

Let's be honest, QImage is absolutely not intuitive.

I use it for years and I still sometimes struggle to find out how very simple activities have to be done in QImage.

And some of the functionality, like calculating length for a Pano based on the shortest side, doesn't work on my Win 10 PC.

Agreed. Qimage is a powerful program that is saddled with one of the worst, arcane, convoluted, unintuitive, kludgy, clunky interfaces of any application I've ever used. As an alpha- and beta-tester of applications for more than 30 years, and as the longtime director of a product testing lab for a major computer industry to-the-trade publication, I can speak authoratatively from experience. When it comes to user interface (UI) design and implementation, it is positively awful. It is a UI that only an engineer could love.

That said, I use Qimage regularly and would not be without it. Based purely on the quality of the prints Qimage generates, it is superb. And, in the end, it is the results hanging on the wall that matters most. Mike Chaney, the genius behind Qimage, is a great guy who has built an impressive mini-empire with Qimage. It's an excellent alternative to far pricier RIP products. I do wish he'd hire a UI/UX expert, however.

Alexey wrote:

Are there any good (and ideally free or inexpensive) alternative software programs to Qimage’s main functions:

arranging prints on a roll

quality upscaling

timed printouts / printhead exercising

I believe there aren't any.

ChicagoRob wrote:

Plus, Qimage has a work-around to eliminate the imposed 30mm borders restriction for Canon printers, when printing on fine art papers. Try doing that in PS or Lr.

Isn’t that possible with the Canon Prograf Pro 1000 as well?

I've been using Qimage for a long time and I too find it a pain to use.. I wish it was more streamlined.. Why they have all these other features in it that have nothing to do with printing.. I already have software for color, raw conversion,,, plus???

I wish they would make it without the other stuff and drop the price on it.

Then take a look at QImage One which is available for both Mac and PC. They stripped out all the 'excess' and left the layout/print engine.

Howard Moftich wrote:

Then take a look at QImage One which is available for both Mac and PC. They stripped out all the 'excess' and left the layout/print engine.

I didnt realize that.. I will have to check it out,, I use a Mac too.

1

mujana wrote:

ChicagoRob wrote:

Plus, Qimage has a work-around to eliminate the imposed 30mm borders restriction for Canon printers, when printing on fine art papers. Try doing that in PS or Lr.

Isn’t that possible with the Canon Prograf Pro 1000 as well?

Yes, much easier on the Pro 1000 - no work-around required.

awilford wrote:

Philip,

It is always good to hear user feedback on Qimage One as it helps us to improve the product. I think I can help with the two specific issues you mentioned.

There are five layout options. The three main automatic layout options are Intellispace, Intellicenter and Intellicut. There is the manual layout mode which we call Freehand. Then there is the Auto Roll Length layout option which will expand the page length as needed to fit all prints in an optimized layout.

Intellispace will attempt to arrange prints in an intelligent manner, taking into account how many of the placed prints can be arranged in each direction, what other prints are already placed, and will leave a nominal 1/4" gap between prints. The arrangement may differ based on how much of the total area of the page is covered in case media can be reused.

Intellicenter performs the same as Intellispace except it will place the overall group of prints on each page centered on the media.

Intellicut leaves no gaps between prints to optimize the amount of media used.

We have a YouTube tutorial on our channel which describes these options and other information concerning placing prints in Qimage One:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYdZf54VLoM

The display of folders in the drop down in Qimage One is provided for quick access to known folders without having to use a separate dialog. There isn't always enough room to display a macOS style folder column view, especially on smaller screen such as MacBooks.
However, you can still browse for images using a column view by clicking the File menu then selecting the Open Folder... menu item. This will display a macOS browse for folder dialog which includes options to view columns etc.

Best Regards,

Andrew Wilford

Thanks for reply and I'll watch video. Instructions on opening a column view window within Q-Image is helpful. I didn't know that could be done.

Qimage is quite simple to use if you read the instructions, watch the videos etc. We've been using it exclusively for 13 years and are quite happy with its interface.

The price makes the complexity very easy to take.

This can be done on the Pro9000 MkII ?

Is there a video, or write up for this function?

ChicagoRob wrote:

Plus, Qimage has a work-around to eliminate the imposed 30mm borders restriction for Canon printers, when printing on fine art papers. Try doing that in PS or Lr.

The Pentax 17 is the first Pentax film camera in two decades. It's built around a half-frame film format and includes design cues inspired by previous Pentax models. Is the experience worth the price of admission? We tested it to find out.

Nikon has announced the Z6III, its third-generation mid-range full-frame mirrorless camera. A new 24MP sensor brings speed to every part of the camera, and all the key features have been upgraded.

The newest version of Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds video-oriented flagship camera has arrived, and it includes features like internal ProRes RAW recording, 32-bit Float audio capture, phase-detect autofocus, and compatibility with Panasonic's Real-Time LUT system and Lumix Lab app.

The Lumix S9 is Panasonic's newest full-frame mirrorless camera. It allows users to create their own custom looks for out-of-camera colors and is the first full-frame Lumix camera aimed squarely at social media content creators.

The Sony a9 III is the world's first full-frame mirrorless camera to feature a global electronic shutter with simultaneous readout. After extensive testing of this 120 fps sports camera, to see what you gain (and, perhaps, lose).

What’s the best camera for around $2000? This price point gives you access to some of the most all-round capable cameras available. Excellent image quality, powerful autofocus and great looking video are the least you can expect. We've picked the models that really stand out.

What's the best camera for travel? Good travel cameras should be small, versatile, and offer good image quality. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for travel and recommended the best.

If you want a compact camera that produces great quality photos without the hassle of changing lenses, there are plenty of choices available for every budget. Read on to find out which portable enthusiast compacts are our favorites.

'What's the best mirrorless camera?' We're glad you asked.

Above $2500 cameras tend to become increasingly specialized, making it difficult to select a 'best' option. We case our eye over the options costing more than $2500 but less than $4000, to find the best all-rounder.