Getting Good Results From Your RIP

Written October 16, 2019

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Set ink limits and linearize the printer: Linearization is a calibration function performed by the RIP software. The goal is to distribute printed tones more evenly for 0%-100%. This ensures correct percentages of ink during printing, and creates the largest color gamut available from the device. Ink limiting adjusts the amount of ink laid down in high inking areas such as shadows and dark colors. These now standard functions enable a printer to produce consistent and repeatable output.

Create custom ICC profiles for your select media: Most RIPs provide good out-of-the-box profiles for popular papers, but creating custom profiles for your media and resolution settings will enable you to generate optimum prints that will be superior to the provided profiles and your competition.

Special RIP categories — RIPs address many specialized printing needs. Certain RIPs are optimized for these niche markets:

 

  • Fine Art RIPs: These RIPs focus on delivering optimum color and black & white prints and screening technology for the output device. Some are more tuned for a specific printer manufacturer (Epson).
  • Spot color and Hexachrome output: Some RIPs offer better support for CMYK +, Hexachrome (additional colors of violet, green, orange, red or blue) and spot colors.
  • CMYK contract proofing: These RIPs specialize in producing color proofs that match another device, typically matching inkjet proofs to press output. Proofing RIPs have the ability to calibrate the output to match print standards, SWOP or GRACOL.
  • Textile RIPs: These specialized RIPs have the capability to print using spot colors in the ink channels vs. the standard CMYK formation. Since textile printers have spot colors at their disposal, this RIP type is extremely important to get the textile colors managed and printing correctly.
  • Color management and productivity: Most RIPs implement robust support of ICC color standards as well as a full complement of color profiling tools, plus the productivity features listed above.