RIP Software

Understanding the need for RIP Software

For first time sublimation printers, it is sometimes a challenge to convince them of the benefits of using a third-party RIP software product like Wasatch Softrip or Ergosoft PosterPrint, versus the standard printer driver packaged with their printer. Novice printers often ask us - "Why can't I use the printer driver that's included with our printer?". We often answer that in order to get the quality, efficiency, scalability and the all the related cost benefits, a third-party RIP product is essential in any commercial printing environment.

In commercial printing environments, an efficient production line is critical to meeting output goals, saving money and time. There are several features that RIP software offers that can streamline your operations including the ability to intelligently arrange images on the page to save paper, file preparation, managing print job order in the queue, and printing in a networked environment. The native drivers included with your inkjet printer typically only supports basic features. And often times, even those basic features can be difficult or cumbersome to use. Furthermore, wide format printers often find that the native drivers do not cut it when it comes to speed, accurate image reproduction and image quality. The bottom line is that printer manufacturers are in the business of manufacturing printers and selling consumables for the printers - they are not in the software business for RIPs.

In contrast, third party RIP software is specifically designed to help users streamline production in the toughest of production environments. Detailed below is a profile of some of the advantages of Wasatch SoftRip RIP Software.

Softrip Advantages

Wasatch has been in the business of RIP software for over 20 years, and the Softrip product does a good job of balancing a variety of features with an easy to use interface. In the software industry, it's not uncommon for tools to become overcomplicated as more and more features are added. Wasatch has designed their product in such a way that it allows an untrained user to immediately start printing out-of-box and learn more advanced features along the way.

Image Configurations

The wasatch Image Configuration feature bundles all color related settings into a single option. Once a printer has been setup, Wasatch will list all available Imaging Configurations for that device. Each imaging configuration has an ICC profile that is tuned for your printer, media, ink and resolution. This feature is great for novice printers looking to get started printing fast without the hassle of having to customize the ICC profile.

For printers who desire more control over their colors Wasatch offers sophisticated color tools for color management experts. Their color transforms screen allows users to create custom ICC Profiles. More advanced tools allow indexed and spot color control.

Intelligently Arrange Images

Wasatch offers the option to intelligently arrange your images on your media. For high cost media this option is critical for saving on media costs. For lower cost media Wasatch offers an Easy Cut feature which will arrange your images to allow for fastest cutting efficiency.

Printer Dashboard

As your production floor grows managing jobs, printers and finding printing bottlenecks can be difficult without a centralized view of our production environment. Wasatch offers a master view which lets you view all your RIP and print queues simultaneously. This real-time view allows you to reroute and optimize jobs on the fly using a simple drag and drop interface.

Archiving

As any large format printer knows, RIP'd images can quickly consume hard drive space. Integrated into Wasatch is a print archive feature that allows you to easily backup and retrieve files from your print queue.

3D Profile Viewer

Save media, ink and time with the 3D Profile Viewer. This feature lets you profile customer images before printing to ensure all colors in their image are within the gamut capabilities of your printer.

Variable Data Printing

When printing uniforms with custom numbers and names, it's often frustrating for printers to have to spend the time creating a separate image for every player. Wasatch Variable Data Printing option helps streamline this effort. Learn more about variable data printing.

Faster & More Accurate Printing

For large format printers they often find that the native drivers included with their printers do not perform adequately. Third party RIPS often do a better job processing images and when properly used will garner faster production speeds and better image quality. Do keep in mind that there are several factors that affect print speed - see our Epson Connection help section for more information on how to best setup your Epson printer for optimium printing performance.