Learning about RIPs the hard way: acquiring the wrong brand for the job.

When the wide format printer arrived in the office we did not really know what to expect. Seeing the printer in a dealer's showroom or at a trade show is different than having the printer in your own office. The massive PR about the EFI hardware RIP made it appear far superior to any software RIP. But now, 3 years later, and after having a second EFI Fiery RIP, we release this was the wrong choice in RIPs.

What is a RIP, FLAAR has an extensive report on " Info, Tips, Help on Wide Format RIP hardware and software for beginners, intermediate, as well as for photo lab and pre press pros ."

See actual exhibit quality color images on this poster sized color print with the Encad NovaJet Pro and Electronics for Imaging Fiery RIP

Nicholas and Andrea admire a 36" wide image fresh from the ENCAD NovaJet Pro color ink jet printer. This image is a detail from a circumferential rollout of a Classic Maya vase from the Museo Popol Vuh, Universidad Francisco Marroquin.

This peripheral photograph is taken with a Better Light adaptation of a Dicomed Field Pro digital insert on a Wisner 4x5. Today we use the newer BetterLight turntable circumferential rollout system on a Cambo Ultima camera.

Which is the best digital printer to produce fine art (giclee prints) ?

what is the best color laser printer today to print color photographs at exhibit-quality ?

what is the best camera to produce the highest quality fine art (giclee) digital prints?

The quality of today's generation of inkjet color printers makes it possible to do photo exhibits at museums with digital prints.

Back in late 1997, FLAAR was probably the first archaeology research institute to possess a wide format printer, and surely the first institute of its class to have its own Fiery RIP from EFI.

You can calculate the quality of the original rollout photography if you realize that the poster here is only 40% of the circumference of the Maya vase. If the whole vase were enlarged the print would be several meters long.

This quality is a result of the Better Light Dicomed Field Pro with Better Light turntable and rollout software.

Andrea holds up a rollout of an 8th century Maya vase. Nicholas displays a shot of the giant bat sculpture from the museum at Copan. The great thing about an ENCAD is that you can do all this in the comfort of your own office. The EFI hardware RIP is far superior to any software RIP.

This system with a RIP is faster than trying to print without a RIP. The RIP takes over the entire job after receiving the job from the computer. This means you can continue working with your Mac (or PC) while the RIP is handling the printing. The printout itself is relatively speedy, considering the size of the paper. The ink last much longer than I expected.

Everything about a RIP is explained in the FLAAR Report on RIPs , available from www.wide-format-printers.NET .

Professor Hellmuth is an archaeologist, and became a desktop publishing specialist when Japan's Ministry of Education provided a 6-month training program at Japan's National Museum of Ethnology, in Osaka.

There he learned to do all this work himself: take the large format digital photographs, image them in Adobe Photoshop, arrange them in PageMaker, and print them on his own.

This means you can do the same, in your own office.

It does help, however, to have capable tech support, at least to set up and install this sophisticated equipment.

Link to gateway of reviews of wide-format photo quality paper to use with Encad and comparable wide-format ink jet printers.

Most recently updated August 3, 2005.
Previous updates March 24 1999; updated Aug. 9, 1999; updated Aug. 12, 2001; first posted Aug. 12, 2001.