susa,

"Ok guys, I am gonna try that (one step downsizing) and see the difference over a variety of works..."

I think it will make a big difference, for the better. The multi-step technique always was rather suspect, and probably was the primary cause of your low quality results.

I still think Qimage is still a good idea when printing is involved, unless you can afford a high-priced RIP.

-- Burton --