RE: RIP?

["David W Riccio" <david@atelieralaskainc.com>]

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>I don't get this either. I can print vector images on my printer already.
>Something, either Windows GDI, the printer driver, or the printer does the
>necessary conversions, I don't care which. So what is a RIP? A separate
>piece of software that you buy? A piece of hardware? For what purpose? Does
>it only have to do with vector images, like CAD files, or does it apply to
>photos?

RIPs "defined" ... (and this is going to be general and a little fuzzy)

(I'm new to this list so if this has been covered before I may have missed
it as I have not had time to read all of the archives yet.)

RIPs have been around a long time (since the 1970s at least) ... they are,
as the term implies, Raster Image Processors

RIPs can be hardware, software, drivers, or combinations of all three.

They are designed to translate one form of graphic image format into
another, and to do so very efficiently (that is why you want one)

One kind of RIP is designed to translate vector image data (images that are
defined as polygons) into raster images (an X,Y matrix of points on a
plane) --- there are other RIPs that are designed to do the exact
opposite --- turn matrix (scanned) images into vector images.  These types
of RIPs are often found in the CAD world where people are dealing with
graphic documents such as plans and maps created in GIS or CAD software ---
which often stores data in vectors/polygons.

Another kind of RIP is designed to translate Postscript Documents, or other
rich format document types such as PUFF, (which can contain both raster and
vector elements and other formatting elements such as color management,
fonts, etc.) ... this is the kind of RIP that would be of used by someone
printing images to a high resolution printer or imagesetter.  One of the
oldest and best known RIPs is the Fiery line from Electronics for Imaging
www.efi.com ... the FLAAR site has a nice overview of a number of this type
of RIP (both hardware and software variations) ...

While many modern workstation computers have software (printer drivers) that
can do most of this work for small images they often fail when faced with
"large/complex" documents ... or take more time than is practical for most
professional users ... The size/complexity of documents that can be handled
by most workstations has increase to the point that you are often trading
time verses money in choosing to use the workstation drivers or to buy a
separate RIP ... unless of course you are generating images too large for
your workstation to print ... they you are force to a RIP.  The complexity
of fonts, density of the printed output, the nature of halftones that need
to be created (if any) and the size of the image will determine that break
even point.

Sending a file to a RIP for it to turn into a printed output relieves the
workstation from that task and let you use the workstation for another task
while the RIP is printing the document (this assumes that you are using a
2nd computer for the RIP ... and for very large images the printing might
take hours) ... since the RIP software is designed to do the conversion
operations efficiently the printing is often faster. For very large, very
high density output you are almost force into having RIP.

In my Studio I am running a ColorGate RIP on a Dell Workstation to drive an
Epson 3000 and an Epson 7000 ... the Epson 3000 will run just fine as a
network attached printer and does not really need the RIP if you are
printing from Photoshop (other applications benefit from having the on the
RIP)

The ColorGate RIP lets you control a large number of aspects of the printing
... such as color profiles for different ink sets, print density (dpi) and
papers, the ability to print many images on a single page (to save paper),
the ability to adjust color profiles using a profile system. And a number of
other nice features.

There are lots of choices for RIP hardware and software ... you need to pick
one that fits what you are intending to do with your printer.

-I hope this helps a little.




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