# RIP software for Epson



## timstees (Oct 9, 2008)

I just purchased an Epson 7800 and am working on turning it into a dye sublimation printer. I would prefer to only use 4 colors rather then 8, in order to save on costs. Must I purchase a rip software for this, or is there an alternative method? If I must purchase the rip what is the most economical software that will enable printing with only 4 colors? Thank you very much for your help.
Tim


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## rodsps (Mar 12, 2008)

WOW my exact problem...
I purchased PosterPrint Rip. with the right profiles the colors can be separated. But I am having alot of problems getting the correct color profile to give the correct color.I am really p'd off right now as I have trying to work with the vendors for over 3 months to get this under contol. As it sets right now I can do very little sublimation as everything is heavy on the magenta (at least thats how it looks) This is $$$ software so like I said am mad as hell.
There is also MultiRip as the affordable solution but my vendor has assured me that there are a bunch of other problems with that Rip. 
There may be others of course so good luck and keep us informed.


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

We use Wasatch RIP but I would suggest using whatever your ink supplier recommends as they typically will provide you a color profile. There are no operating cost savings between 4 and 8 ink set ups. What is going to actually save you is the actual profile. Two key factors in a profile is how fast will it print and how much ink does it use. These can vary widely. For instance we use a profile provided by Johnson Plastics that prints 3+ full jerseys per hour on a 9800. We have a friendly competitor that has the same printer but a profile provided by a different company - it takes them 1.2 hours to print a single jersey and they use 1/3 more ink. 

In short do not be so worried about 4 or 8 ink set up and concentrate on a cost effective profile.


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## DAGuide (Oct 2, 2006)

timstees said:


> I would prefer to only use 4 colors rather then 8, in order to save on costs. Must I purchase a rip software for this, or is there an alternative method?


There are two ways to drive your printer. The first is to use a print driver and the second is to use a RIP. With a print driver, you are going to need one that matches your printer and is only going to pull ink from the specific channels you desire. For the most part, the drivers are sold to match a specific printer setup (i.e. Epson 7800 driver is made to pull from all 8 channels). According to Sawgrass' website, there are no drivers for the Epson 7800 printer.

As mentioned above, you can use a RIP because a RIP will allow you to control which ink channels you use. The ICC color profiles are definitely important to consider as this is one of the factors for determining your color gamut. Some RIPs come with ICC profiles built in and others will require you to either add them in or make your own. Making profiles is definitely an art and might require you to purchase an Eye One spectrophotometer (sp??). Just make sure before you invest in a RIP that understand what your total cost is before you can start printing.

If you have additional questions about printing with 4-channels of dye sub ink on an Epson 7800 printer, just ask them. I have been working with decorators for the past 2+ years with this printer.

Best wishes,

Mark


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