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colorfinger · April 2nd, 2009

I thought it would be helpful to start a thread to discuss RIP software. I know there are a number of alternatives. Which are the least expensive? Which are the most feature rich?

The goal of many DIY DTG builders is to print white undercoats on black shirts. Has anyone in the DIY DTG community come up with innovative solutions to accomplish this inexpensively?

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looks like crayon, smells like crayon, tastes like crayon... Hey this must be crayon!

colorfinger · April 2nd, 2009

There are a couple of lowcost RIP alternatives but from my understanding the RIP needed for DTG needs more granularity over the print channels to print white. These may be of little or no use...

Free:

Ghostscript with GhostView

http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/index.htm

Shareware:

QuadTone RIP

QuadToneRIP Downloads $50

If anyone has any success using either of these applications in printing on black t-shirts I would like to hear it.

colorfinger · April 3rd, 2009

Well here I go... I know there are questions others are having so I will continue to divulge what I learn hoping that those with the experience will chime in and share the knowlege.

So far I have found that there are two products that compete for my attention:

MultiRIP GP $850

DTG Inks - MultiRIP GP

PowerRIP Flexi-Jet version 7.4.4 $250

DTG Inks - PowerRIP Flexi-Jet version 7.4.4 ,"Print From Version&q

It appears that they are from the same developer iProof... so I'm not sure what the difference is between the two. PowerRIP will allow you to create a white undercoat. Any other products or ideas that one should consider? Please provide costs and links...

Thanks, Bob ?;O)

DAGuide · April 3rd, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorfinger


	PowerRIP Flexi-Jet version 7.4.4 $250 DTG Inks - PowerRIP Flexi-Jet version 7.4.4 ,"Print From Version&q It appears that they are from the same developere iProof... so I'm not sure what the difference is between the two. PowerRIP will allow you to create a white undercoat. Any other products or ideas that one should consider? Please provide costs and links... Thanks, Bob ?;O)

What you are quoting is the upgrade cost from the old version to the new version. In order to purchase the new version, you must provide your old Flexi-Jet product code. Otherwise, you will probably need to contact the manufacturer of Flexi-Jet (Belquette) about the cost of purchasing the RIP.

Yes, they both are from the same manufacturer. They both contain the same features, but MultiRIP GP will works with more printers (1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 4800, 4880) and Flexi-Jet RIP has one extra profile (AA inks).

Mark

colorfinger · April 3rd, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAGuide


	What you are quoting is the upgrade cost from the old version to the new version.

Odd, the product page says nothing about being an upgrade... Good catch. Thanks for the tip.

PositiveDave · April 4th, 2009

Wasatch is great - does everything, I like it because it's reasonably priced, supports a really good range of printers, can print to four printers simultaneously and they do upgrades at reasonable rates. Some RIPs are for one printer or range of printers and if you want to add another it's practically the same price.
I support it (declaring an interest) for separations and screen positives where it is clearly the best RIP for the job IMHO.

DAGuide · April 4th, 2009

Dave,

Does Wasatch have a direct-to-garment RIP with the white underbase generating feature? If so, have you tried it and how does it work? I know they are heavily into large format and film positive RIPs... just have not heard anyone using a Wasatch RIP to print with a dtg printer.

Mark

colorfinger · April 4th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by PositiveDave


	Wasatch is great - does everything, I like it because it's reasonably priced, supports a really good range of printers, can print to four printers simultaneously and they do upgrades at reasonable rates. Some RIPs are for one printer or range of printers and if you want to add another it's practically the same price. I support it (declaring an interest) for separations and screen positives where it is clearly the best RIP for the job IMHO.

Thanks for the lead...

Which version of Wasatch is capable of performing white undercoats and what are the capable dimensions for small and large format? I could not tell by the description. At twice the cost, I can't see that Wasatch for large format would be an affordable solution.

Wasatch SoftRIP Inkjet RIP Software, Raster Image Processor Large Format Inkjet

Bob ?;O)

DAGuide · April 4th, 2009

I just remembered that Wastach and Onyx both have dtg RIPs that are (or were) used for the Kornit printer. If I remember correctly, they both were over $2,000. Maybe a Kornit owner can state what they paid. The new Kornit printers have their own RIP that comes with them as well. However, when you used the Wasatch RIP to print to the Kornit... you had to create your own underbases and had to separate it into CMYK in order for the Kornit printer to accept the file. This has probably more to do with the way the printer is designed though. I checked the Wasatch website and did not see anything about a white ink underbase generator. So you still probably have to create your own.

Dave, it was my understanding that you had to pay additional to drive more than one printer with the desktop Wasatch RIP. Has this changed? If so, do you know if previous purchasers can upgrade to this? I have two friends that have the Wasatch desktop version and would love to run multiple printers. Interesting news.

Mark

PositiveDave · April 4th, 2009

Wasatch Direct To Garment Printing
It's more expensive but very good.

colorfinger · April 4th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAGuide


	I just remembered that Wastach and Onyx both have dtg RIPs that are (or were) used for the Kornit printer. If I remember correctly, they both were over $2,000. Maybe a Kornit owner can state what they paid. The new Kornit printers have their own RIP that comes with them as well. However, when you used the Wasatch RIP to print to the Kornit... you had to create your own underbases and had to separate it into CMYK in order for the Kornit printer to accept the file. This has probably more to do with the way the printer is designed though. I checked the Wasatch website and did not see anything about a white ink underbase generator. So you still probably have to create your own. Dave, it was my understanding that you had to pay additional to drive more than one printer with the desktop Wasatch RIP. Has this changed? If so, do you know if previous purchasers can upgrade to this? I have two friends that have the Wasatch desktop version and would love to run multiple printers. Interesting news. Mark

Mark,

You are very informed. I have read many of you posts in these forums and you are dead on. Thanks for adding to the conversation. So far, Multirip GP sounds like the most economical solution.

I have read here that there are DIY DTG creators who have successfully printed on black with a white undercoat. I would like to hear from them what their solution was. I haven't seen one who divulged their process.

Bob ?;O)

PositiveDave · April 4th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAGuide


	I just remembered that Wastach and Onyx both have dtg RIPs that are (or were) used for the Kornit printer. If I remember correctly, they both were over $2,000. Maybe a Kornit owner can state what they paid. The new Kornit printers have their own RIP that comes with them as well. However, when you used the Wasatch RIP to print to the Kornit... you had to create your own underbases and had to separate it into CMYK in order for the Kornit printer to accept the file. This has probably more to do with the way the printer is designed though. I checked the Wasatch website and did not see anything about a white ink underbase generator. So you still probably have to create your own. Dave, it was my understanding that you had to pay additional to drive more than one printer with the desktop Wasatch RIP. Has this changed? If so, do you know if previous purchasers can upgrade to this? I have two friends that have the Wasatch desktop version and would love to run multiple printers. Interesting news. Mark

Wasatch do a desktop, a small and a large format version. There is a cut down that only runs two printers, but they run four generally (at the same time) there's a list of supported printers here Wasatch Desktop and Small Format Printers and presumably remanufactured versions.

colorfinger · April 4th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by PositiveDave


	Wasatch do a desktop, a small and a large format version. There is a cut down that only runs two printers, but they run four generally (at the same time) there's a list of supported printers here Wasatch Desktop and Small Format Printers and presumably remanufactured versions.

Dave, Thanks for the info... While Wasatch doesn't run the Epson I'm interested in, it does run those that Multirip GP wont...

colorfinger · April 4th, 2009

Mark,

How does Multirip GP function? Does it return the shirt platen after laying down the white and begin printing the CYMK or does it lay white down and pass over with the CYMK aftwards on each carriage return?

Bob ?;O)

DAGuide · April 4th, 2009

Bob,

There is not a dtg printer on the market that I know of that will print a single strip of white ink and then a cmyk strip over the same area before it moves to the next area. It takes some time when you print white ink before you can print CMYK ink on top of it. The white ink needs to gel some or the colors will mix together with the white ink. It would be pretty awesome if you could do it that way... just have not seen the ink / chemistry to do this yet.

The way MultiRIP works is you send a graphic either using the Print To application (printing directly from your graphic software program) or from the Print From application (print from the stand alone RIP application) to send the necessary information to the printer to pull ink from the white ink channels for the number of passes you state (most people will do it in one pass) and then from the CMYK ink channels for the number of passes you state (which will vary depending on the resolution that you are printing, the substrate you are printing on and the desired outcome). It is important to understand that none of the Epson-based dtg RIPs will control the printer to pull the platen back for the 2nd pass. This process is done with the firmware on the printer. This is one of the hardest things to explain to a DIY dtg owner when they are creating their printer. Some get around this by pulling the tray out and repositioning it at the back. I just have not seen this to be a successful process because of the consistency. But others have reported on the DIY post that they can do it with no problems. So I guess it is possible. Otherwise, the DIY dtg owner is going to have to invest in some embedded firmware if they are going to want an 2-pass process with an automatic return.

Hope this answers your question. Feel free to ask more questions if you have them. I always recommend for people to try out MultiRIP GP (the trial version will print a watermark, but is has all the features) before they make any buying decision. You can download the trial version for this page - Download a free trial version of MultiRIP Hybrid & MultiRIP GP dtg RIP Software. Here is the link to the FAQ section as well - How to Instructions & Videos for MultiRIP Hybrid & MultiRIP GP RIP Software.

There is really a lot to not only building a dtg printer... but also keeping it running (i.e. preventing clogging & ink starvation,...). One of the reasons that most dtg manufacturers will not sell their RIP to DIY users is because the support on the hardware side can be time consuming if they did not build the printer. I guess that is the trade-off of paying only 10% of the cost of an regular dtg printer to make your own. I do know some people that have been sucessful with a DIY printer.

Best wishes on your printer,

Mark

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