## Installing and Setting up QuadToneRIP If not already done, install the latest version of QuadToneRIP, DataTool, and Print Tool from: www.QuadToneRIP.com/downloads ### Setting up QuadToneRIP After installing QuadToneRIP from the main installer package, you might ask, now what? Where did it go? The great thing about using QTR on the Mac is that once you set up your printer and install the curves, QTR is just part of the printing system on the Mac. You can print with it anywhere you can press command+p to print. Ok, but WHERE is QuadToneRIP? Unfortunately, this is where people get tripped up right from the start. QuadToneRIP needs to have components installed in two different places on your computer. The actual QuadToneRIP folder with all the stuff you would usually expect to work with will be installed in the usual Applications folder and is easily accessed. The QTR folders and files used for the actual printing are buried in the Library folder, deep within the file system. The good news is that you’ll use very little of any of the stuff in the QuadToneRIP folder and will really only need to find or make shortcuts to two folders. The next several steps detail precisely how it should be done. Just note, I **highly** recommend setting the Finder to show everything in List view (command+2). I also recommend double-clicking (or press command+o) to open each folder in its own window and **not** use the little disclosure arrow to drill down into each folder. Using the disclosure arrow will open long lists of files that will make it harder to navigate to where you need to go. #### The QuadToneRIP folder As I said, you will need very little of what is in the QuadToneRIP folder. The one you will go to the most is the Profiles folder with all the QTR-supported printers. Each of these folders will have an Installxxxx.command file (generally known as the installer command) and several text files. The text files are generally referred to as “profiles” (or less confusingly, “ink descriptor files”), and they will have either a .qidf or .txt extension. The text files contain the recipes for the printer/ink/paper combination that the QTR curve creation program needs to make the .quad files used for printing. Don’t worry. If you are using my software, you will NOT need to use these text files or know what any of their settings mean. Just ignore them. Better yet, I recommend duplicating the folder for your printer, and deleting all the text files in it. ##### Folder for your printer? Which one is that? When you open the Applications/QuadToneRIP/Profiles folder, you will see an extensive list of printer models. You will need to find the folder that has the same name as your printer model. There are some folders that apply to multiple printer models in the same family, like the 4900, 7900, and 9900 or the P6000 and P8000. In these cases, it is best to create a new folder for your printer model and add “-QTP” or some way to indicate the installed ink set. Ex: my K5+CMY printer is called 3880-K5CMY, or my 9880 with PiezoPro inks is called 9880-PZP. You would then change the name of the install command to reflect that printer model name. Follow the detailed steps below and refer to the illustrations if needed. ### Installing QuadToneRIP and the Quad Printer Step-by-Step - Create a new QuadToneRIP profiles folder for the QuadToneProfiler curves - Open the QuadToneRIP application folder - Open the Profiles folder and find the folder for your printer model and duplicate it. - Change the name to (printer model)-QTP (ex: if you have the P800, find the P800-UC folder and duplicate and then rename it P800-QTP) and then add it as a shortcut to your Finder sidebar (drag the folder to the sidebar) - Open the duplicated and renamed folder and delete all .txt quad ink descriptor files, so only the install.command file is in the folder. - Change name of the install.command file to install(name of renamed folder).command (ex: P800-QTP.command) - **Note:** If you connect to the printer over the network via Ethernet or WIFI [[Installing a Network-Connected Printer| click here to follow the special instructions before running the install command]] - Double click the install command to run the program that will create a new Quad printer with the name of folder or name of install command (ex: QuadP800-QTP). - Running the install command will always open a new macOS Terminal window and display some output that should look like the screenshot below. - Navigate to the Quad printers folder by clicking he **Go** menu the Finder menu bar and choose **Go to folder** (or simply activate the Finder and press shift+command+G) and copy and paste **MacintoshHD/Library/Printers/qtr/Quadtone/**. Locate the newly-created Quadxxxx folder and add it as a shortcut to the Finder sidebar. This folder is where you will be save the .quad files that you will use when printing. ### The install.command file Theoretically, the install.command file can be anywhere on your computer, but in practice and for ease of use, I recommend people put it with all the other QuadToneRIP related files in the QuadToneRIP/Profiles/YourPrinter folder. When you first run the install command, it looks into the MacintoshHD/Library/Printers/qtr/Quadtone/ folder to see if there is already a folder called Quadxxxx (or whatever the install.command file is named). If the folder doesn’t exist, it will create the new folder, attempt to create the new virtual Quadxxxx printer, install any .quad files, compile any .txt quad ink descriptor files in the Profiles folder, and then add it to the list of connected printers in the macOS printing system. If the Quadxxxx folder already exists, it looks at the list of available printers to see if there is already a virtual printer named the same as the Quadxxxx folder. If there is, it will install or update any .quad media settings files within the Quad printer folder, making them available to print later. While not used when working with the QuadToneProfiler software, another essential aspect of the install command needs to be understood. The install command is also responsible for compiling any ink descriptor text files within the same folder into a new .quad file into the Quad printer folder. It will also COPY any existing .quad file in the same folder as the install command to the Quad printer folder. Compiling and copying the quad files is something that always trips people up, and is why I recommend duplicating the folder and deleting all the .txt files first. It is also why I recommend adding any .quad files saved from QuadToneProfiler directly to the Quadxxxx folder for your printer and only running the install command to make them available to print with (rather than allowing the install command to copy them from the Profiles folder to the Quad folder). #### Deleting unused quad files The install command will also update the printing system so that any deleted quad files will be removed from the list of available media settings to choose from the curve menu options in the QuadToneRIP print dialog screen. If you want to delete any used .quad files, simply go to the quad folder for that printer and put them in the trash, and re-run the install command to update the printing system. This is also why I recommend putting the .quad files only in the Quad folder. If the .quad file is in the Profiles folder and the Quad folder, it will need to be deleted from both folders.