that helps ensure customers always get
what they expect, with no surprises.”
Prepress tools integrated into the RIP
soft ware make little real diff erence now
that every single RIP provides more or less
the same signage functionalities, Fabre
says. “As has always been the case in the
past, Caldera innovations drive the RIP
market, and printers should consider the
ecosystem that Caldera off ers to help them
grow and become effi cient,” he adds. “Caldera
proposes a production infrastructure,
instead of just a RIP; it off ers coherence,
fl exibility, and fault tolerance with its
client-server architecture based on Mac OS
and Linux systems, and integration with
all the other company departments with
Nexio or StreamLive products.”
June 2017 Wide-Format & Signage 19
of their equipment. “In today’s
market, you should expect the
ability to run your entire site with
a single solution,” he says. “Many
shops today have a variety of RIP
soft ware packages in the shop,
depending on the equipment they
have purchased.
“It is easy to underestimate the
cost of having your production
employees learn and use multiple
products. With a single solution
and the right production tools,
problems of matching the color
output from one device to another
can virtually disappear.”
Wanlass also believes a holistic
view must be taken before buying.
RIP soft ware is about more than
just achieving outstanding color,
she notes. Because it is, each shop
must look for a RIP fi tting its
production and order processing
workfl ow. “In today’s market, RIP
soft ware needs to have automation
features that can easily be
customized, are scalable and will
work with an entire collection of
printers,” Wanlass says.
“Shops with large operations
oft en have their production set up
in such a way that no one actually
touches the RIP soft ware. All of
the production is done via the
network where jobs are RIPed and
printed through hot folders or
using a custom HTML page.”
Such a workfl ow operation
trims errors and boosts output/
productivity, she says.
In Moloney’s view, purchasers
should focus on RIPs at industry
standards. “A graphic-arts standards
focus will give you better,
more consistent results that will
allow you to produce more consistent
and accurate results, resulting
in keeping customers happy,”
she says. “What that’s translating
to is more consistent, higher-quality
predictable results. We are
seeing shops being more focused
on printing industry standards,
regardless of the size of the shop
or the customer. Th at’s because
Make the Right Choice
Choose Printable Magnet
from Magnum Magnetics
• Quality printable magnetic material, made in America
• World-class service, not lip service
• Industry leading delivery times
• Custom solutions to fit your magnetic printing needs
Call us today at 800.258.0991
800.258.0991
magnummagnetics.com
sales@magnummagnetics.com
For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/10006517
