The print jobs that are sent to a RIP server are usually full color, high-quality prints. These days, many RIP Servers are integrated directly into the printer hardware, so you’d never know the print job was being processed by a separate computer within your printer. If you hit File>Print in an application on your computer, the document would get processed by the RIP server, which was connected to the printer by an ethernet crossover cable, before it actually made it to the printer. In the old days (you know, like 5 years ago), a RIP server was an actual server computer that sat next to each high-end color printer in the office. Others will be a standard Windows or Linux computer that has only one task: Image Processing. Some RIP Servers are designed specifically for the RIP Software running on it.
WHAT IS PRINTER RIP SOFTWARE DRIVER
Hardware RIP Servers take all the image processing normally done on your print server by the print driver and transfer it to a dedicated piece of hardware. Have you ever heard the expression “Choose Two: Fast, Cheap, Good”? Software-based RIP can do Fast and Cheap, or Good and Cheap, but if you want Fast and Good, you’ll need to invest in dedicated RIP hardware. The downside of a lot of RIP software is that you can either get the print job done fast, but sacrifice image quality, or get a great looking print, but have it take a long time to be produced.
WHAT IS PRINTER RIP SOFTWARE DRIVERS
In most cases, RIPing is done via software, using print drivers and languages (aka PostScript) or a special application designed for certain types of printers. The basic concept of RIP has been around for a long time, and from a high level, it takes whatever documents or images you throw at it, and turns it into something your printer can understand. And, if you do any kind of production color printing, or printing of high-quality color documents on your office printers, chances are you’re using a RIP server without even knowing it. Just about every full color sign, brochure and billboard is printed using RIP technology. RIP in this case, actually refers to “Raster Image Processor” and are best known as the secret weapon of the color printing industry.
Contrary to what the name might suggest, a “RIP Server” isn’t what you call servers that have died.