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Author Topic: Best RIP for consistent and repeatable prints  (Read 2899 times)

neilwill

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Best RIP for consistent and repeatable prints
« on: October 09, 2014, 04:49:08 am »

I was wondering if anyone had some advice as to which RIP provides the ability to easily repeat prints exactly? I have spend a little time researching what are apparently the main contenders (ColorBurst, Imageprint, EFI, Wasatch etc - other suggestions welcome) but can't seem to get a straight answer from the respective websites.

I run a small print studio with 2 large format Epsons (9800 and 9890) running off Mac OS. Up until now I have just printed straight from photoshop. But now I am beginning to get customers coming back and wanting a reprint of something they initially printed months ago. Also, I am starting to do 'signed edition' prints for photographers, where over the course of months or years they want to come back to me and get an exact consistent reprint of an image.

I find that usually if I open a 'printed file' again in PS, and hit print, it has saved all the relevant info. But then I started storing files on an external drive and found that 'print files' that had been on the external, when opened again in PS and sent to print, had lost all the settings and I am trying to remember (!) profiles, dpi, media settings etc etc.

What I need is RIP that will remember exactly all relevant info (as well as number of times image has been printed?).

Like I said this information doesn't seem to be immediately apparent from the various websites? Or am I missing something? Is it so obvious as to be not specified, that all RIP provide this? 

Any advice would be great thanks in advance
Neil

 

     
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Ernst Dinkla

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Re: Best RIP for consistent and repeatable prints
« Reply #1 on: October 09, 2014, 06:12:28 am »

Get a Windows PC as a print service system. Check Qimage Ultimate, it keeps an interactive logfile so you can recall old jobs and it will set the printer driver to the settings you used then. You can also save templates/settings/jobs with a name, for the ones that are often repeated. Qimage Ultimate has way more features and functions, there is no Mac alternative with the same functionality. The price of a modest PC + Qimage Ultimate is already lower than the prices of the RIPs you mentioned and the yearly fee to keep QU updated is $20 or so. It will work with the drivers of any old, recent and new inkjet printer discussed in this list so you do not have to buy another license for a new printer later on. As long as the printer model has a Windows driver.

Back up the QU logfile to another system/server/cloud on a schedule. Use it for making the invoices too if the printer driver does not keep an account log.

I have a Wasatch RIP that I never use. Worst purchase I ever made.

www.ddisoftware.com

Just a happy user, not other interests.

On repeating jobs with long intervals; you need a way to calibrate a printer to keep profiles functional over the years and then you may still have to make a new profile to get a better reproduction of the old print. On HPs and Canons that is easier than on Epsons but Epson claims that their printers are more consistent over time. Usually you are already working with a next generation printer when that job comes back and it will print differently anyway. As a next generation printer it should deliver a better image quality though. Pros and Cons that way. True RIPs do not alter that issue much either, a device link profile might in theory if the new printer has a gamut that overlaps the gamut of the old printer.


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Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

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September 2014, 650+ inkjet media white spectral plots.

« Last Edit: October 09, 2014, 09:19:48 am by Ernst Dinkla »
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jrsforums

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Re: Best RIP for consistent and repeatable prints
« Reply #2 on: October 09, 2014, 08:25:55 am »

Ernst said it well.  Qimage is the way to go.  Great product, great support, wonderful price.
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JeanMichel

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Re: Best RIP for consistent and repeatable prints
« Reply #3 on: October 09, 2014, 11:19:41 am »

I do not use a rip so cannot offer any advice there, but another option is to use Ligthroom. Either just re-print using the soft-proofed version, or better yet reprint from the 'saved' print. With LR, saving print versions in PS (different sizes, papers, etc.) makes no sense. Make all your image adjustments in PS or LR at the native size; in LR,, soft proof and print to whatever size you need: one 'best' file, any print size.
Jean-Michel
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JayWPage

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Re: Best RIP for consistent and repeatable prints
« Reply #4 on: October 09, 2014, 11:54:27 am »

ImagePrint has the ability to easily repeat print jobs exactly as was done previously using their SpoolFace utility.
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JRSmit

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Re: Best RIP for consistent and repeatable prints
« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2014, 12:22:00 pm »

I do not use a rip so cannot offer any advice there, but another option is to use Ligthroom. Either just re-print using the soft-proofed version, or better yet reprint from the 'saved' print. With LR, saving print versions in PS (different sizes, papers, etc.) makes no sense. Make all your image adjustments in PS or LR at the native size; in LR,, soft proof and print to whatever size you need: one 'best' file, any print size.
Jean-Michel
Agree, LR is a good tool. Next to that calibrating and profiling , as Ernst already pointed to, is the other part of the solution for repeating print jobs.
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neilwill

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Re: Best RIP for consistent and repeatable prints
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2014, 04:26:27 am »

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice and thanks specially to Ernst for the Qimage Ultimate suggestion, that looks like it definitely might be the way forward for me. In a perfect world it would be Mac compatible but will see if I can figure out a way to squeeze a PC into the production line! Thanks again,

Neil   
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Kevin Raber

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Re: Best RIP for consistent and repeatable prints
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2014, 06:14:10 am »

ImagePrint has been my choice for years of painless printing.  It has an impressive list of features.  I print to a 4900, 3880, 9900 wit it and it does all you ask and more. It is pricey but that will pay dividend over time in production.  The paper profiles are second to none.  See the reviews we did here on LuLa.  http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/colorbyte_imageprint_9.shtml   ImagePrint 10 is about to be released.  I am sure it will be even better.

Kevin Raber
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aaronchan

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Re: Best RIP for consistent and repeatable prints
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2014, 07:19:10 am »

For color consistancy, since you use Epson printers, you can use a software from Epson call ColorBase (not on US website, but you can download it from the EU sites). This software help you to re-linearize the printer.
So the procedure would be, re-lin your printer then re-profile your papers.

For your other question, I do have RIPs for some special work, but for the fine art printing, I still use the RGB driver to do the work. I've created a form and fill up the information of the printer settings such as which software (output from PS, LR or QI), which profile, what rendering intent, sharperning......etc. This helps me to remember how did I do it last time. Pretty simple and won't cost you a dime.

Aaron

Ronny Nilsen

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Re: Best RIP for consistent and repeatable prints
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2014, 07:29:40 am »

I use Mirage. They have just released version 3.0 and it have a feature Add-on feature called "Mirage Job Archive".
 
    "The new Mirage Job Archive is a powerful tool. You can archive print jobs and reprint these again as necessary without any changes, without having to reopen the data contained in the print job."

NOTE: The Mirage Job Archive is only available if you have a valid license for this add-on.

I´m very happy with Mirage, but have not used this feature myself as I usually print from the latest version of the file anyway.

Ronny
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