A Look at Rip Software Options
There’s a good article in Wide-Format Imaging by Neal McChristy.
It talks about how from the beginning of workflow to cutting and finishing, how prints are rasterized can mean the difference between smooth and glitch-free processing or wasted time and media.
In the simplest form, he writes, raster image processors, or RIPs, convert vector graphics to bitmap images for printing. But complex jobs demand more of them, including color-matching and color management options, variable-data printing, and even cutting options.
Built-in RIPs are the choice of some. HP machines like those at Rapids Reproductions have built-in RIPS, and Greg Tarca, reprographics manager, said they tried RIP software with a 50-inch Encad machine, but it was very slow. “You could only do one thing on that computer—RIP to the printer.”
According to David Reidel, assistant vice president of color graphics at eBlueprint, color management issues are better handled using their RIP software. “Making a profile for each media is a large task—usually about three hours per media, he said. “But once you make the profile, you can pretty much bank on it that the colors are correct,” said Reidel.
Vendors say shops should look for RIP software that eases Pantone spot color-matching, automates color management, does rasterizing for all the shop’s equipment and has a reputable company behind it. And when buying a machine, the choice of RIP software is an important factor in long-term profit.
Click here to read the rest of this article on Wide-Format Imaging.
Encad pantone spot color matching rasterizing rip software
