Wide Format Imaging

After investing in a production-grade digital printer, software and consumables, the last thing a shop owner wants to see is idle equipment. For these shops, keeping the equipment and skilled operators productive is a requirement that directly affects the bottom-line. Large format and grand format print speeds are getting faster each year, and in order to keep the print pipeline filled, the software needs to keep up. Some may look to raw RIP speed as an indication of which software RIP is best, but there is more to RIP speed than just how fast it processes a job. The successful production shops know that it's not just about RIP speed, it's about total throughput: the efficiency of the workflow to move the job from pre-production through print and finishing in the least amount of time with a minimum of consumable waste. RIP speed by itself is not the only value of the RIP software. The successful production houses understand this, and look at other very important aspects when choosing the best RIP software.

While there are likely more than 50 companies worldwide that sell third-party large-format software RIPs, only three companies -- Global Graphics®, Adobe®, and Artifex® ? provide the core RIP engine used by most of these large format software RIPs. Comparing these engines purely on speed can be difficult because some files RIP faster on one engine over another. On average, when comparing dozens of jobs, these engines perform at about the same speeds.

Be wary of comparisons published by RIP vendors. All will show its own RIP is faster than the competition. These are never completely apples-to-apples comparisons because a RIP vendor will typically use just one or two files optimized for its particular RIP to do the speed comparison. The competitive RIP labeled as slow will have features and functions turned on to make the software seem slower (think of your car with the air conditioning turned on ? going up a hill will be slower because the engine must divide its power between forward motion and cooling). Functions such as image interpolation, anti-aliasing, higher resolutions, multiple ICC profiles and using more complex dot patterns may affect raw RIP speed.

It's All About the Workflow

Several years ago, shops that were just starting out were attracted by the ?all-in-one? printers with on-board RIPs. These machines offered convenience and the escape from having to buy and maintain a separate front-end computer. But this approach has limitations, and the savvy shops have learned their lessons. Installing a software RIP on a front-end computer provides an upgrade path not available with an on-board RIP. Shops can upgrade computer hardware to gain more processing speed, and software can be upgraded to add functionality and gain more productivity out of the printer.

Some recent examples of advances in RIP modules that promote productivity are tools specifically designed for flatbed printing and variable data printing. These are two areas that can benefit significantly from innovative implementations in software that RIP vendors can deliver.

Flatbed Workflow: The most productive RIP software automates as much of the production process as possible. For flatbed printing, the software should include a quick and easy workflow that lets users nest images to reduce substrate waste, offers an integrated cut path generator, and provides a high degree of control over cut marks. This workflow model enables the printed board to be placed directly on the cutter for immediate job completion.

While there are separate software packages designed specifically to generate cut paths, switching from one software or format to another and having to duplicate steps in various software packages costs time and money, since a productive workflow is a profitable workflow. A single-source for flatbed workflow eliminates the need to save the file in one program/format and then translate it into another, and eliminates the added costs and time to train employees. If the RIP software can easily create the cut marks and place them on the substrate during printing, the sheet can then be put on the cutter immediately, creating an assembly line process.