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halftones with epson 1100 - this is what RIP software does

25K views 40 replies 15 participants last post by  lovemc13 
#1 · (Edited)
Just wanted to show what my Epson 1100 workforce can do with halftones. I don't have a rip software. I printed my film in photo shop doing the gray scale/bitmap routine. Not bad for a $125 dollar printer. I have never had any issues burning my screens. I taped to the back of the door so I could snap the picture. Sorry the picture is not the greatest but you can get the idea i hope..oh yeah this is a picture of the actual printed film seperation ready to use so i can burn my screen.
 

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#4 ·
Re: halftones with epson 1100

Ok maybe i can explain it better...this is for anyone that wants to buy a Epson 1100 printer...and was either told or worried that it won't print half tones without rip. ..I'm showing proof that it can and does. That is a picture of the actual film I printed today.
 
#5 ·
Re: halftones with epson 1100

Any printer can do halftones without RIP. I do my seps without RIP, plain PS routine. :)

I think the issue with RIP software and the 1100 is compatibility, unlike with the 1400 which normally comes with a RIP software. Nevertheless, you can do halftones with it.
 
#9 ·
Re: halftones with epson 1100

What is the need then for RIP software? I printed this shirt for our local LZ group with no problem with my epson 1100 with no RIP you can see that the halftones did there job very well. But it seems like many people are saying you need rip to print halftones?

Is it maybe for those that do 4 color process?
 

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#32 ·
Re: halftones with epson 1100

What is the need then for RIP software? I printed this shirt for our local LZ group with no problem with my epson 1100 with no RIP you can see that the halftones did there job very well. But it seems like many people are saying you need rip to print halftones?

Is it maybe for those that do 4 color process?
how you do halftone in corel pleace help i have a 1100
 
#12 ·
Re: halftones with epson 1100

To me that doesn't look like print, but a digital copy. Do you have an actual photo of the shirt?

A non-postscript printer cannot print halftones unless you create them in a program, then the printer only prints what it's told. A RIP will take an image (from any program) and create halftones with it as it's sending it to the printer.
 
#15 ·
Re: halftones with epson 1100

JeridHill said:
A non-postscript printer cannot print halftones unless you create them in a program, then the printer only prints what it's told. A RIP will take an image (from any program) and create halftones with it as it's sending it to the printer.
Thank you for posting this! That's one thing I never understood about the different discussions about RIP software.

I thought people were creating their own halftones in their design, I didn't realize that the RIP software could create halftones automatically from the graphic image.
 
#17 ·
Re: halftones with epson 1100

I didn't realize that the RIP software could create halftones automatically from the graphic image.
No problem. That's the strong point and advantage of a (Film) RIP. RIP's can do multiple tasks (not all can do the list of things below, but some can).

For example:

1. Create Halftones
2. Print from a single channel
3. Control which channel to print from
4. Add 1 or more channels for faster printing
5. Reduce or increase ink output
6. Nesting to save film
7. Various types of halftones including stochastic screening (or variable dot)
8. Export/Import Ripped files for later use without re-ripping
9. Create Color Proofs
10. Control Dot Gain

So there are advantages for RIPs, but sometimes if you aren't in need of all the extra features, manually creating halftones, even though it takes more time, is still a viable solution.
 
#16 ·
Thanks for the compliment!

I'm getting better films now with the epson 1100 then what I was with my HP 5000n Laserjet that I have been using for the last couple of years, Im also using 16lb vellum sheets not the clear transparencies not sure if it would make a difference other than ink drying time on the film.

So if I was using say Accurip and I had a one color image that I wanted to have it printed out in halftones the rip program would do it for me instead of having to try converting to halftones in my corel?
 
#19 · (Edited)
I totally forgot that i started this thread..here is the picture of the actual t-shirt i printed using Fixxons film printed with my Epson 1100 with no rip software. Burnt my screen (200 mesh count) using a home made exposure unit with a 400w metal halide bulb it takes 1 minute 35 seconds. :) sorry about the bad pic. i took it with my iphone and bad lighting
 

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#20 ·
Thats a good picture of an Adidas shoe looks like to me that your shading is spot on. No need of RIP software for me just need to learn how to create better images. I have only been working with halftones now a short time mostly over the last couple of years after joint it alone with my tee shirt business In my town all I ever get asked to do is spot color work. This year I have been trying to learn more about halftones and color separations.
 
#22 ·
I love the depth design in the lettering Jesus Christ, That with the shield defiantly gave it the superman look and feel! I bet them are some popular shirts at bible school ;0)

The very first shirt I ever did for a church was this shirt that said get hooked on the word of God. Now the funny thing is that as you can see there is a fade out in the fish design but back then I could not figure out how to get the image to print with halftones to create the fade I guess this would be where RIP software might have helped! I ended up printing out a sheet with halftones fading out and then cut the shape of the fish out of the vellum and thats how I burnt my screen.
 

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#23 ·
Ok with the help of a fella I meet last week I think I finally got an understanding of the big difference between using a RIP program and not using. He develops decals for many known companies after he showed me some screen printed decals I was surprised at the fine detail verses what I'm getting out of a halftone. I created the same image in Corel added gradient for shading and mine looked just like his but after I changed the gradient into a halftone using Corel photo paint for a 200mesh screen my dots are too large and not in any way as fine of detail by the time I change my formula enough to try to match his image my dots are distorted and crappy.

I can see that Im know ready for some RIP software specially after seeing what I can put out with my spot colors on shirts and even decals.

Now just need to raise the money to buy the software....I bet there is not any open source software for a RIP program?
 
#24 ·
I dunno about Corel.

I am using photoshop, so does some RIP programs are made to make some operation easier specially with color separation (T-seps, Quikseps). Really these things(index separations and simulated process in regards) are hard to perfect doing it manually.

In your story btw, you can use photoshop to make your halftones into coarse and fine outputs, and to make a finer dots in PS you simply type your preference in the frequency box. The higher the frequency the finer the dot details you can get.

 
#25 ·
I do have an older version of adobe photo shop I don't us it much but tomorrow I will try and do the same image in PS and try out what you are saying about the halftones and see what happens. I have a few small Job's that if I could get this finer detail with there image maybe I could do some cool shading and maybe even get a larger shirt order if I can show them a better detailed image.

Thanks for the tip!!
 
#27 ·
You won't see a difference in the basic halftones themselves, but you can increase density of prints in a RIP whereas you can't do that in GS. This makes a big difference on some platforms. With the right combination of ink and films, the density isn't so much the selling point any longer. There are features in a commercial RIP that far exceed GS with various halftone options and money saver features for time, film and inks. So a RIP is more of an investment that saves over a period of time. Depending on the amount of film output you do, the cost can be recovered pretty quickly, and then some.
 
#36 ·
Simplicity mainly.

I've fought and fought to make ghost view to work and never really could get it.

Accurip just works... print and out comes half tone films. Also allows you to run all black carts if you want.
 
#37 ·
It's not just simplicity.
Real Rip Software (not including Ghostscript/ ghostview) will allow you to change ink density. That is the main thing for me and the main reason I bought a RIP software.
printing from my 1400 with regular ink the films will not be dense and you can see through them with a dark yellow tint. With FilmMaker V3 I am one of it's lowest ink settings and my films are either completely opaque when held up to a light or you will see just a little dark red through it.

The addition of real crisp halftones as well as it's other features truly makes the RIP software worth it. With all the other primitive equipment that I use it's nice to have one part of my printing process that normally goes well without me pulling out my hair.
 
#38 ·
I had similar densities when I printed out straight spot colors from Illustrator. I just had some good settings for my WF1100 I guess. I also said "print gray scale" so it didn't print any of the colors. *shrug*
 
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