Thanks Tyler, I've used QTR before but find I get great results using ABW and Eric Chan's ABW profiles which are downloadable from his website. Neither of these solutions really address the colour printing issue though.
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My apologies... well I'd have to ask- are you up against some color quality issue you are trying to overcome? Rips are expensive, and some will require CMYK profiling if they don't come with canned profiles, and learning things like limiting, total ink, etc.. Big learning curve and no good prints until you nailed it.
You do not need postscript, just raster for images. I have and use Ergosoft StudioPrint. But I print for others, I use the RIP extensively for all kinds of reasons.
Many of the OEM drivers have gotten very very good, and I think most people's challenge getting good color are simply good profiles, and learning the workflows. I've seen a wide variety of quality from the profiles provided from the paper manufacturers. Often they are worth what you paid for them. Less than optimum profiles can introduce problems that nothing can undo, and no workaround will help.
You have to ask what shortcomings you are up against, and look into what will address them. It's easy to feel intimidated by not having all the gadgets, but often they are not necessary in my opinion.
Tyler