# Is Accurip Really worth the investment for a small Shop?



## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

Hello, 
I'm in the process of selling my entire Magic the Gathering card collection(didn't realize I had so many good cards left from when i stopped in 2003)... and it looks like i'll be getting around $500.

I just upgraded my flash to a 18x18 IR 115volt (standard plug becuase the house i rent is super old).
I am running my original 4x1 table magnet press, but it holds registration just fine and I have no problems with it at this time.
I still have the original "worklight" exposure unit and I know that getting at least a nice UV blacklight exposure unit will be a necessary upgrade.
I have an Epson 1400 Printer that I have Refillable cartridges with. I run the transparencies through twice to get them dark, but they still aren't even close to as dark as they could be. I know this is causing me problems when i go to wash out the screens and causes a lot of unecessary frustration during this process.


I really only want the Accurip so I can lay down more ink and/or use all 6 cartridges at once. I'm not as worried about getting it for using the postscript/halftones as I can just use Ghostscript if I needed.

Is Accurip really worth the $500 investment? I personally think it would be a mandatory upgrade before I can even think of a better exposure unit. I would be able to expose the screen in a more proper fashion, but the image/design area would be more of a problem because of the stronger exposure pushing more light through the weak output films.

So Basically is this my next logical Upgrade? Are there any other programs that allow me to lay down more ink with My Epson 1400?? Are there any good Wide Format Laserjets for under $500 that would be more worth it??

any comments would be appreciated!! Thx in advance!


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## cornpopps (Jan 8, 2010)

Hey Scott, I am working out of my garage and here is my 2 cents. First like many other small shops I have to do everything from bringing in the customer to printing the final product and everything in between. I use a Epson WF1100 with Accurip with a CIS all filled with Black ink for my films. When I took a SP class they told me its easier to invest in the tools to make printing easier then maybe saving a couple bucks and going another route. My knowledge of Corel and PS are limited so I need every advantage to get my product out. What I did was use some profit from a job and invest in Accurip, yeah it was considered pricey for me but if it saves me hours of frustration and time looking at Youtube I feet it was worth it. Now it does my half tones and seperations, uses all 5 ink tanks to speed up my printing process and glad I made the investment. Hope this helps.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

cool thx..
I have been considering getting an 1100 and saving my 1400 for doing large photo prints...

I'm going to try the free trial of Accurip when I get some new output films sent to me(I'm all out at the moment ) and I'll see how it goes.. Chances are I'll be more than pleased with it!


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## cornpopps (Jan 8, 2010)

Greatzky said:


> cool thx..
> I have been considering getting an 1100 and saving my 1400 for doing large photo prints...
> 
> I'm going to try the free trial of Accurip when I get some new output films sent to me(I'm all out at the moment ) and I'll see how it goes.. Chances are I'll be more than pleased with it!


Check out Cobra Ink, they ship 1100's with CIS systems already installed and from what I hear have great CS and support. Make sure to use waterproof film, and you will have to call Accurip to request the driver for an 1100 as they do not advertise that it is supported. Last I checked Staples has 1100's for $129. cant beat that with a wooden fish.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

yeah I get waterproof film from Victoryfactory. They have 13x19 film and although it's a little thinner than ryonet's films I haven't noticed a problem with them. They are also much more affordable.

I can't wait to use the trial version of accurip.. should be fun!


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## pxs93710 (Jun 21, 2010)

Have used the Accurip for two years now. Only problem was laying down to much ink at first. This can be adjusted in the software. Their customer support was good.


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## Deco-Punk (Jan 6, 2009)

I have worked with and sold a few different Rip's and I can honestly say that AccuRip has been the most user friendly rip to use. Also, the support and staff at AccuRip are very professional and knowledgeable about the product. 

Please note that using a good rip, high quality ink, and a consistent water proof film is the key to having a great output system that will last you for years to come.




Jesse Martinez
Netemagine


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

Scott, "worth it" depends on lots of factor. I have not used any RIP before but I'd go along to say that RIPs would be a nice investment. I mean, how can one contests the testimonials of so many people.

However, I think that investing $500 on a RIP should depend on your budget for other equipment or upgrades. Sure, a RIP is still a good investment if you have funds for it. But I think the exposure is also a consideration. If you plan to upgrade from a worklamp to a UV exposure unit, I think a RIP is not yet necessary (albeit desirable). If you plan to upgrade to a 3000W halide unit then I think the RIP is absolutely necessary. Maybe it is also necessary with a 1000w halide unit.

How good is your exposure? If you are using the step wedge test to get the best exposure anfd get good exposures I think a RIP is not necessary. But if you use a stouffer to get the best and most durable exposure, whatever exposure unit you use, a RIP is also absolutely necessary. I say this because I have difficulty getting pass a stouffer solid 5 with my regular ripless printer. However, exposure with a solid step 4 or 5 still works.

If you often print say 500 shirts and more maybe a RIP is also necessary to get a good durable stencil. Anything less seems to make the argument for a durable stencil less meaningful. We also use photo hardeners to make less than soild 7 exposures more durable.

Lastly, if you have free funds by all means buy a RIP. But also buy a stouffer and a good exposure unit.


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## red514 (Jul 21, 2009)

i agree, it all depends on your situation and shop needs.
the one thing i've heard tho, is that using a printer and not an image setter, you will benefit from a RIP designed for those ink printers, i believe they give better ink coverage or something to that effect creating better positives to burn your screens with. (someone please correct me or clarify if i'm mistaken)
a RIP can also be a huge time saver when printing allot of seps but if you don't print seps often, you may not need it.


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## mrvixx (Jan 13, 2009)

Out of the last 10 jobs you have printed how necessary was a rip to you? personally i do not use a "rip software" If I need halftones I just print to a postscript file using an HP designjet 5500ps driver then I open in Ghostview "Macview" print to my 1400 and that is all. If i ever do need film that i can not do myself i will just go to a film printing service. i'd say upgrade your exposure unit and a conveyor dryer, if you need to get one.


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## red514 (Jul 21, 2009)

mrvixx said:


> print to my 1400 and that is all.


is that an Epson printer? from what i've read some RIP software (like Accurip) is designed with features for these printers, mainly to adjust how much ink is being put down. This is where a RIP can be very useful for someone using those printers for out putting positives.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

red514 said:


> is that an Epson printer? from what i've read some RIP software (like Accurip) is designed with features for these printers, mainly to adjust how much ink is being put down. This is where a RIP can be very useful for someone using those printers for out putting positives.



yeah Accurip is designed to work with my printer to allow me to lay down more ink on one pass through the printer.. This is my main reason for wanting a RIP...
I'm not overly concerned with the halftone/postscript part as much...

I am using bulk refillable ink and it's very comparable to the original claria ink. I actually bought a blackmax cartridge to replace my black cartridge, but without going all black I still had to run it through twice to get it nice and dark...

The danger of running the film through th eprinter twice is that it won't be perfectly lined up every time.. I've tried to make sure the feedgate is set perfect and whatnot, but it doesn't always yield consistent results..

Am I better off just printing on multiple films to get the darker prints and then move onto to a better exposure unit... or get a rip then save up for a better exposure unit?

BTW... My new Flash just Arrived!!!


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## Unik Ink (Nov 21, 2006)

Greatzky said:


> yeah I get waterproof film from Victoryfactory. They have 13x19 film and although it's a little thinner than ryonet's films I haven't noticed a problem with them. They are also much more affordable.
> 
> I can't wait to use the trial version of accurip.. should be fun!


You may want to check out Fixons, Waterproof Positive Manufacturer. They have 13"x19" 100 sheets for $86-free shipping.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

Unik Ink said:


> You may want to check out Fixons, Waterproof Positive Manufacturer. They have 13"x19" 100 sheets for $86-free shipping.



cool thx.. is that what you are using? any feedback on the quality?

I like victory factory because I've used their film before and I get it in 1 day.


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## mrvixx (Jan 13, 2009)

red514 said:


> is that an Epson printer? from what i've read some RIP software (like Accurip) is designed with features for these printers, mainly to adjust how much ink is being put down. This is where a RIP can be very useful for someone using those printers for out putting positives.


I get dense prints with my epson 1400 and do not use accurip. It is a good investment but personally i do not need it at the moment.


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## Unik Ink (Nov 21, 2006)

Greatzky said:


> cool thx.. is that what you are using? any feedback on the quality?
> 
> I like victory factory because I've used their film before and I get it in 1 day.


I use the 13x18 waterproof. Very high quality. I have my accurip settings 1440x1440 dpi, heavy droplet, single direction printing, and don't have any issues with ink running. I find that this setting gives very high detail and very dark positives.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

mrvixx said:


> I get dense prints with my epson 1400 and do not use accurip. It is a good investment but personally i do not need it at the moment.


yeah i do not get dense prints with my 1400 even before i switched to bulk ink systems.

I only know this by doing a dime test on the screens. I just want a nice dark film so i can expose properly and not worry about difficulty washing out the image.


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## bluemoon (Feb 8, 2009)

NetEmagine said:


> I have worked with and sold a few different Rip's and I can honestly say that AccuRip has been the most user friendly rip to use. Also, the support and staff at AccuRip are very professional and knowledgeable about the product. We have a direct link for the trial at screen printing supplies, screen printing inkjet film, rip software, screen printing color separation software. Please note that using a good rip, high quality ink, and a consistent water proof film is the key to having a great output system that will last you for years to come.
> 
> 
> Jesse Martinez
> Netemagine


this is good advice! AccuRip is a good choice, but with some limitations. For a little better RIP for less money look into Film Maker V3 from Cadlink. It is harder to use an it does have an extra step to create films (until you learn the program a little more), but it is better. AR will work for most shops and it is blazing fast!


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## bluemoon (Feb 8, 2009)

I hate to sound like a broken record, but business plan, business plan, business plan!!! You do not have to have it in writing, but there should be a concrete idea why your are doing this and where you are going with it. You should have goals that are reachable and keep pursuing them. If you know where you are heading you can figure out a good way to get there. This includes the decision to buy or not to buy a RIP. Will the $500 spent on a RIP prevent or slow down your progress or is it going to get you closer to it? Once you answer that question you'll know if you should get it or not.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

my main goal right now is to simplify the process of creating screens so I can focus more on printing. my other goal is to upgrade my exposure unit, press, and as a bonus possibly get a conveyor dryer this year. I don't have any specific goals as far as how much I want to make or how many clients I want to have though.


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## bluemoon (Feb 8, 2009)

Greatzky said:


> . I don't have any specific goals as far as how much I want to make or how many clients I want to have though.


why don't you have a long term goal?


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

bluemoon said:


> why don't you have a long term goal?


that's a really good question.. I have ideas, but never wrote anything down to make it concrete.

I guess my main goal this year is to.. get my business license stuff finished up... get my equipment to a point that it's more efficient, get my disc golf apparel line more recognized(already in the works) and do enough business through my brand and also custom printing to quit my part time manager job.

Long term is to be comfortable with a car that drives, health insurance, and my bills paid off.


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## bluemoon (Feb 8, 2009)

Greatzky said:


> that's a really good question.. I have ideas, but never wrote anything down to make it concrete.
> 
> I guess my main goal this year is to.. get my business license stuff finished up... get my equipment to a point that it's more efficient, get my disc golf apparel line more recognized(already in the works) and do enough business through my brand and also custom printing to quit my part time manager job.
> 
> Long term is to be comfortable with a car that drives, health insurance, and my bills paid off.


you wold be surprised how things clear up when you put them down on paper. It sounds like you have good idea about your short term goals. Add the long term goal and create a map of how to get there (no comlicated math needed here. If you want to do 500k in 4 years and you are doing 100k now, that means you should probably go up about a 75-125k per year). The reason for doing it so your short term goals do not interfere with long term.

Oh, and I would shoot for a little more, you certainly sound like you are capable of it!


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

bluemoon said:


> you wold be surprised how things clear up when you put them down on paper. It sounds like you have good idea about your short term goals. Add the long term goal and create a map of how to get there (no comlicated math needed here. If you want to do 500k in 4 years and you are doing 100k now, that means you should probably go up about a 75-125k per year). The reason for doing it so your short term goals do not interfere with long term.
> 
> Oh, and I would shoot for a little more, you certainly sound like you are capable of it!


I've been avoiding going through the process of getting my business all legit and licensed.. I think that is the real thing that is holding me back at this point. Earlier this year it was my health and cold weather keeping me back, but now that I'm healthy again I'm anxious to print.
I need to talk with someone who knows which road i should take for my business(LLC, LLP, sole proprietorship, etc)


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## mikelmorgan (Nov 1, 2008)

Angel had some good points. My take on this, is this. There are so many things that make a good screen shop. There are several things that a good shop must have period. A good screen, good printer (oven), dryer, flash unit, the list can go on and on. I have two autos, one manual, a four and eight head embroidery machine, I have been in business for over 16 years. When I make a financial decision it boils down to this criteria. It must make my life easier, produce better quality or make me more money. If it does not do one of these things forget about it.

Good Luck


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

Greatzky said:


> my main goal right now is to simplify the process of creating screens so I can focus more on printing. my other goal is to upgrade my exposure unit, press, and as a bonus possibly get a conveyor dryer this year. I don't have any specific goals as far as how much I want to make or how many clients I want to have though.


Are you having ink opacity problems? You can also try various print settings first. I heard that matte paper settings gave better darker print results for some.

As others posted, set goals and priorities. 

What is your current press and dryer? Depending on what you have right now and how efficient they are, you may want to move these a notch or two higher in your priority list.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

BroJames said:


> Are you having ink opacity problems? You can also try various print settings first. I heard that matte paper settings gave better darker print results for some.
> 
> As others posted, set goals and priorities.
> 
> What is your current press and dryer? Depending on what you have right now and how efficient they are, you may want to move these a notch or two higher in your priority list.



hey bro james,
I have tried a few different settings and haven't found any that I think are dark enough. I know that the claria ink is a UV ink so that does help a little, but I bet being able to print out of 6 cartridges at once(even if keep them colors and not all black) will yield much denser results.

I just got a new flash. I got a 18x18 IR flash to replace my 16x16 coil flash. I'm still using the original 4x1 tabletop magnet press I got with my kit, but I'm not concerned with it at the moment as it holds registration and I haven't run into any issues with it thus far.

I do not have a conveyor and couldn't use one right now. I rent an old house that can barely support my flash and I can't do any electrical work to the house as per the land lords requests.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

Greatzky said:


> ...and couldn't use one right now. I rent an old house that can barely support my flash and I can't do any electrical work to the house as per the land lords requests.


I can imagine that. But how are your exposures/was out turning out? 

You seem to have everything thought out and the main issue is the cost of Accurip. If you have the budget for a RIP and don't expect future equipment to be a burden, then bite the $500. You may still not need it now but it won't really be a mistake. A cost item that should be easily recouped.


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## ChameleonPrints (Apr 7, 2007)

Greatzky said:


> I've been avoiding going through the process of getting my business all legit and licensed.. I think that is the real thing that is holding me back at this point. Earlier this year it was my health and cold weather keeping me back, but now that I'm healthy again I'm anxious to print.
> I need to talk with someone who knows which road i should take for my business(LLC, LLP, sole proprietorship, etc)


Why are you avoiding getting a legit business license? It's a very simple process. If you are overthinking the LLC, LLP, C corp or whatever, then atleast get started as a sole proprietor so that everything you do is legit. You can change your type of business later.

As for your original question about Accurip being worth the investment... I can tell you I am a happy Accurip user but I would say it is a "nice to have" type of thing and not a necessity ( just my opinion). I have a 1400 and found when I first got it that the film made a huge difference in the quality of my printed film. I was able to get nice dark dense prints for spot colors without accurip. But now that I have accurip, I do like it and use it, but I wouldn't make it a high priority if you have other items you need to make your shop more efficient.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

Thanks Kris. That's what some people(including me) are trying to say. It's not a top priority thing. I am not sure if I interpret this correctly but Scott seems to be thinking that sooner or later, he is likely to get one but is just hesitant because of the cost. He seems to be thinking that since he is not planning for any other immediate upgrade or purchases, why not now than later.

For me I'd like to see upgrades on the exposure unit first but since Scott mentioned a tight space, which is also my problem, the RIP seems like a more likely immediate upgrade. Something like having some free funds and wanting to upgrade slowly, but having a what to upgrade dilemma.

I hope I am right Scott.


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## nation03 (Sep 2, 2008)

I honestly don't use accurip that much. I had issues with solid spot colors not being dark enough in photoshop so accurip would automatically convert random areas in my seps into halftones. If I just output the same image directly to my 1400, it comes out great. This is mostly my own fault and lack of knowledge about accurip, but I still get great films without it.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

I got all my new supplies in(including more Output film).
What I'm goign to do is run the free trial of Accurip and see how it works out for me. If I notice a dramatic difference then my choice will be easier.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

That would be one way to do it. Good luck Scott.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

BroJames said:


> That would be one way to do it. Good luck Scott.


Thx.. I just printed my first film with accurip and it can lay down a lot of ink.. it seems to be the equivalent of me printing a film twice or stacking 2 films on eachother. So that's a plus...

Would switching all of my cartridges over to black ink make an even bigger difference? it seems the only reason it does 6 cartridge black printing is to not deplete a single cartridge so there is less refilling. Am I wrong in that?


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

I think the more ink deposit, hence darker black, is inarguable. You should try exposing the film to compare with your ripless films/exposures.

I am not really sure about the benefits of the all blank cartridge or if you are supposed to print in full colors with them(to blend the CMY colors which are now actually black). But if you print only black with your printer with all original colors in, the nozzles of the unused colors will clog.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

BroJames said:


> I think the more ink deposit, hence darker black, is inarguable. You should try exposing the film
> 
> I am not really sure about the benefits of the all blank cartridge or if you are supposed to print in full colors with them(to blend the CMY colors which are now actually black). But if you print only black with your printer with all original colors in, the nozzles of the unused colors will clog.


I've been lucky with this printer so far.. I don't print with it very much lately and yet I did a full color print last night and there were no problems whatsoever.

I tried to run all 6 cartridges by clicking the all black system checkbox, but the film came out very light.. probably because it is using an equal amount of each color instead of a lot of black.

I'll figure something out. I am thinking about getting another printer just for output films because this printer is great for high quality prints and that is something that my girlfriend and I have been considering doing for a little while now.

Can you switch back to color ink (from all black ink) even if I switched to brand new clean cartridges? will I have to do a bunch of test prints to clean out the print heads first? If it doesn't ruin the printer it might not be a bad option at the moment. I've been meaning to buy another set of refillable cartridges anyway.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

Inkjet are really best if printed with at least once daily. There may be some brands or models that needn't be printed with daily but unless you know the model, it is best to turn them on and do at least 1 print. Actually, in the case of my model, I was told that you do not have to actually print but only press "head cleaning. I am not sure with other models although I think that is a standard feature.

Try search for the proper printer setting for all black ink systems

If you are using CISS, let's say pigment ink, you can switch to dye inks with no problems. But the first several prints will be used to clean out the remaining ink residues.


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## clubfred (Mar 10, 2008)

i am not a salesman but 1000% positive accurip will help you!!!! what ever you draw if you have a good printer and a good single light source you will make your prints look wow, as long as you do a good seperation so small or not buy it, we are a small shop and would be lost without it.


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## cornpopps (Jan 8, 2010)

Greatzky said:


> Thx..
> Would switching all of my cartridges over to black ink make an even bigger difference? it seems the only reason it does 6 cartridge black printing is to not deplete a single cartridge so there is less refilling. Am I wrong in that?


If you have all Black carts Accurip it will speed up your print time per film and pull ink equally from all carts.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

so the one film I outputted Exposed really well. I used a different emulsion too, but I'm sure the accurip helped..

I already encountered a problem with accurip though. This new design for some reason starts printing halfway down the page and Ihave to turn the printer off because it will keep printing on nothing(it still thinks it's printing on the film). I have the paper size set to legal in Illustrator and I also have it set for Legal in Accurip.. For some reason every time I try to print the file from illustrator it feeds the page halfway through before it starts printing.. 
It's my first Halftone print with accurip so I wonder if that is what the problem is. I will try printing it in Photoshop I guess next.. Glad I just bought 75 more films this week becuase I'm sure I'm going to run through a lot of them just in testing.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

have you tried theri customer support? Don't know if they have one for trials but may be woirth asking.


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## rawbhaze (Jan 29, 2011)

Greatzky said:


> I've been avoiding going through the process of getting my business all legit and licensed.. I think that is the real thing that is holding me back at this point. Earlier this year it was my health and cold weather keeping me back, but now that I'm healthy again I'm anxious to print.
> I need to talk with someone who knows which road i should take for my business(LLC, LLP, sole proprietorship, etc)


Rhetorical question as the answer is none of my business but something that needs to be answered by you, for you- What is the plan should you have health issues again?

What's the plan for next fall or winter when it gets cold again?


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## ak47paul (Jan 6, 2011)

I was going to buy Accurip, But after reading this post I think I will save my money and see what kind of results I get without it.....Thanks for the info


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## littlejoe79 (Oct 12, 2010)

I do not have accurip but I have a 1400 epson printer and I use R-FILM WaterProof Positive Film . On my printer settings on (quality options) I go with best photo. and on (type) I go with Ultra premium photo paper glossy and the ink lays down dark. I hope this works good luck.


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## Dante2004 (Aug 23, 2010)

The program works fine...but it is a pain in the neck if you ever want to transfer the software to another computer. You can't just un-install it from one machine and install on the other...or install on two machines. You have to "transfer" the license. Fine...this wouldn't be a big deal if it worked. But just about any kind of virus software will render this "automatic" process - useless and you will have to do it manually. No problem, just call them, right? Wrong. They never answer the phone. 

You have to open a menu in the software, get a code and email it to the them. BUt wait, you can't close the window in the mean time...which means you have to leave you computer on until they email you back. This means you have to do it during THEIR business hours, not YOUR business hours. And certainly not on the weekend.

But what if you don't have access to the old computer because it crashed? You're SOL...back to the email routine and calling the number they don't answer.

Seems like a big pain for a software package with a hefty pricetag. Maybe a dongle isn't such a hassle afterall.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

Depending on the circumstances, a dongle can also be a hassle. At least it was to me.

Has anyone tried $50 Quadtone RIP or QTRIP? I think it is programmed for DTG printers but you can open separated or spot color files and print them. It does not support my printer model but still prints darker inks. It is free to try so maybe worth trying if you have one of the supported printers. *If it works*, even if I have to color sep manually, plus the added step to open the file and then print, $50 seems like a very good deal for a small shop.


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