What kind or RIP software to use for my printer??

[Jason da Cunha]

I use an Epson Stylus Photo 960 and wanted to know if I should be using RIP software and what type to use? Is there a good resource whether it be book or web to learn about using this type of software with printers?

Jason

[Bob Levine]

If you're printing photos the last thing in the world you want is to
print through a RIP. Your printer, despite the colors of the inks, is an
RGB device and will give you much better output when used with RGB images.

RIPs are for a postscript workflow which would include CMYK images.
CMYK's color gamut is much smaller than RGB.

Bob

[John R Nielsen]

I have had good results with the Epson Postscript RIP ( <http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/ProductQuickSpec.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=156722 5&category=Software> ) for printing from Quark, which doesn't like Windows non-Postscript printers.

It isn't necessary for printing from Photoshop, though. All you really need are the right profiles, and proper color-correction.

- John

[Gernot Hoffmann]

A RIP is nothing else but a high quality printer driver:

a) can read many file formats, especially PostScript PS,EPS,PDF.
b) can handle large paper sizes.
c) can handle large file sizes.
d) works fast
e) is fully color managed. Accepts therefore any RGB and CMYK
input profile. Accepts the CMYK output profile for the specific
printer.
f) Supports some common printers, especially large format inkjets.
g) Can eventually tile.

This "definition" is based on the features of well-known RIPs
like Onyx PosterShop Pro and Best Colorproof.
Of course one may call any driver a RIP, even if not all features
are available.

Best regards --Gernot

[Bob Levine]

>Ink jet printers are CMYK devices, it's just that their driver software is written to convert RGB to CMYK.

Which is exactly what makes them RGB devices. The ink they use doesn't
enter into it. Besides, most photo printers use six inks, not four. If
you send those printers CMYK data, you're cheating yourself out of some
excellent output.

Bob

[marionbabich]

I use Amiable's Photo Print RIP for my large format prints for my HP 2500ps and 800ps printer. As some have mentioned here that RIP's are not for photo's. RIP stands for raster image processor. Isn't a raster image a photo?

Marion

[Gernot Hoffmann]

Bob,

the gamut of inkjet Mutoh 6100 is as large as Adobe RGB(98).
(you said that CMYK gamuts are smaller than RGB gamuts, this
cannot be generalized. Offset gamuts are partly larger than RGB
gamuts as well - and partly smaller).
<http://www.fho-emden.de/~hoffmann/gamuts08072002.pdf>

A calibrated CMYK printer is not an "RGB device".

The printer is calibrated for CieLab inputs. The profile contains CieLab--CMYK tables in both directions.
For CMYK inputs it depends whether a source CMYK profile is
given (proofing) or not (CMYK values unchanged).
For RGB inputs the profile RGB--CieLab in both directions for
the respective RGB space are used.

In this fully color managed workflow by a quality RIP one would
send images as RGB and vector graphics (including text) as CMYK
to the printer.

Best regards --Genot