Prepress production core - RIP technology development and its advantages

At present, RIP has become the core issue of prepress production. It affects all aspects of the entire production process, from color management and document management to printing. Moreover, features such as trapping and imposition that previously required separate application processing are now added to the RIP.

There are many new RIP products and vendors. Suppliers such as AgfaHalequin, Rampage, Scitex, and UFO Systems, which have been stable for a long time, have all released new or new models of hardware and software RIPs. Amiable, Colorbus, EFI, Vivid Image, Xante and others have already introduced their new large format and color copier RIP into the picture industry. Adobe has also provided updated PS print languages ​​and PDF formats that are expected to become workflow file formats for publishers with powerful, flexible tools that can be easily integrated into today's workflow.

With the development of science and technology, the use of science and technology in the printing industry, the degree of automation is also increasing, the requirements for computers and software will also increase, and the corresponding requirements for RIP software will increase. In order to meet various requirements, the development of RIP software must also have a clear direction. At present, the development trend of RIP software has the following points:

1, support for the latest Postscript version: The current latest version is Postscript 3; Postscript 3 added the following on Postscript Level 2: trapping (In-RIP Trapping), Gradient (Smooth Shading), font support in multiple formats (Font ), Enhanced Device Control (Device Setup), etc.; RIP compliant with Postscript 3 will provide direct support for trapping, gradients, and hi-fidelity colors, enhancing the ability of typesetting software to describe complex layouts, and the ability of RIP to output complex gradient layouts. speed;

2, support for the latest portable document format PDF{Portable document Format};

3, support the latest software and hardware platforms (such as 64-bit hardware platform and Windows NT5.0, etc.) to maximize the performance of the operating system platform, improve RIP output speed;

4, provide cross-platform support capabilities not only can handle the output tasks of the MAC, PC platform, and can accept output requests from other platforms such as UNIX;

5, support PDF as the core of the automatic output process management system development to improve system reliability, operability and production efficiency;

6. Support Pre-warning function for printing tasks;

7. Support intelligent assignment between multiple RIPs and output devices to improve system throughput;

8, allowing users to query the output system (print tasks, RIP and output devices) state;

9, support users to remotely monitor the output system (print tasks, RIP and output devices);

10, provide reporting capabilities;

11, support for OPI (Open Interface);

12, support for hierarchical management of the system to improve reliability. Now RIP can be divided into the following types according to different functions:

Divides the RIP process into two separate stages of rasterization and screening

Take Rampage RIP of Rampage as a representative. The Rampage RIP is characterized by dividing the entire RIP process into two separate stages: rasterization and screening. After inputting the resolution, the image is rasterized and then saved. Finally, a dedicated screening plate is used during the screening stage. , High-speed output at the required resolution. That is, there is a rasterized data that is highly compressed and not screened on the disc.

It has the following features:

Since the rasterized data exists on the disk, "RIP once, output multiple times" can be realized;

Allows you to make last-minute changes to a page that is already spelled out in a large version;

If the system is to be connected to a new imaging device, the original rasterized file can be retrieved from the disk for output, eliminating the need for re-rendering the file;

If a film or printing plate of a certain color is damaged, only the single-color film or printing plate can be scanned, saving time;

If it is necessary to change the original selected press or printing paper at the last minute, only the compensation for dot gain should be changed accordingly. There is no need to re-rasterize the entire job.

If the imagesetter or the platesetter has a failure, Rampage RIP can continue to rasterize the files and temporarily store the processed data in the disk until the imaging device returns to normal.

Some well-known imagesetters and CTP manufacturers such as Creo, Screen, Agfausa, Presstek, Gerber, Optronics, Krauss, Purup, etc. are all using Ramp RIP. WACKER's Dyna RIP and RampageRIP are value-added products that come from the same technology source and have a perfect double-byte processing capability.