Need Help Just starting up! Need some input

[polzin06]

I have a Roland VG2-540

I use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

I am in need of an operating system that will work best in the long run after I learn some things and get going. Currently the computer crashes when using the adobe programs and keeps saying not responding. What things do i need to consider when looking for a different computer?

I was also told to use PANTONE solid coated and was given some files with the Pantone color charts that go with the printer. I would like to see these colors on my monitor. What monitor would be best for this? What size also is more useful?

Any other suggestions would be welcome also
thanks

 

[Adam Vreeke]

Best OS is usually a matter of opinion, but I am sure 95% of people will agree on Windows OS.

Somethings to consider for PC specs: There are a lot of things to consider, but my basic advice will be to concentrate on processing power, have at least 8gig RAM, and a somewhat ok graphics card. You won't be 3D modeling or playing video games so the graphics card can be a somewhat afterthought. Processing power and RAM very generally mean faster saving, opening and RIP'ing times.

As for the screen everyone has their preferences, monitors for what you need are a dime a dozen now. Personally I like Asus for a second monitor and LG for main. Only thing to consider really is making sure that the monitor handles a resolution of 1920 x 1080, this is the High Definition resolution and you don't really see monitors around that don't support that. You can find monitors under $200 for a 24". Just make sure your monitor is color calibrated. Keep in mind too the color you see on screen will never match what is printed. That would be the difference between RGB and CMYK. I get almost all of my PC stuff at www.newegg.com Very good pre-built machines you can use for things like this.

To get to your PMS swatches in Illustrator go to Window > Swatches, at the bottom left of that pop-up it looks like books on a shelf. Click that Color Books > PANTONE+ Solid Uncoated and that will bring up all of your PMS colors.

 

[Solventinkjet]

I agree with above. Also, make sure to put your RIP's work folder on an SSD and these days for a design and RIP computer in one I would say 16GB should be a bare minimum for RAM. As mentioned above, a good graphics card isn't absolutely necessary but the better one you have, the smoother your design experience will be.

As far as Pantones go, just keep in mind that with CMYK process printing you can only hit like 50 or 60% of Pantone colors. There are some special ink sets that can do better Don't expect to see a color you want, especially very bright or neon looking colors, to look perfect when you print it. In fact, do a lot of research on Color Correction. Color is a very complicated topic.

 

[rjssigns]

Adobe's website will have minimum requirements for PC and Mac. That being said I prefer a Mac when using Adobe products. OS is more stable without all the asinine "upgrades" and bloatware of Windows. YMMV.

On the RIP side(Flexi) I use a made to order PC from a local shop. They actually interviewed me to make sure they got it right. It's been on point from day one.

If you're going PC check Adobe for minimum requirements then find a build to order shop in your town. Be prepared to pay a ton of money for a graphics card.(thanks cryptocurrency miners)

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Be mindful with Win 11 just around the corner (Oct I think for general availability?) the min requirements for that OS have gone up (I think doubled, gone from 2 to 4). That's a red flag right there (I have to wonder what all wonderful bloat that has been added to cause that increase of min requirements). I'm no lover of Mac either, it has it's own concerns.

One has more options with Windows with regard to hardware, no way around that. But I do think that the min thought of 8GB of ram, may want to be expanded upon given the new min requirements of Win 11. Even if you get a new computer now that has Win 10, that is still going to be something to think about if you want to upgrade to Win 11 when it comes out (not something I would advise, I would keep Win 10 until 2025, but that's just me, not to say an update for Win 10 wouldn't make it a moot point though as some features can creep into there that causes the same issue). In a lot of ways it's Sophie's Choice, just depends on what suits you more.

Now, I will say this and it will catch some flack. Depending on what is causing the crash, I'm an advocate of true workstation hardware. Xeon processors, ECC RAM. Not your consumer type of hardware. It's costly, but a lot of uptime and most of the common types of crashes can be mitigated, depending on what those crashes are. Not all crashes apply to this. Some will say that this is overkill, but I'm a firm believer of "better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it". But it isn't cheap that is for sure.

As far as GPU goes, don't fall into the trap of looking at Gaming Cards. Cards that are better suited for CAD work are different then those that are suited for gaming. Gaming cards, powerful enough, can work, but it's not necessarily the most efficient way to go about it either.