Photoshop

[Signgrl]

I have a question that most will think is stupid but I really need an answer. I have used SignLab for 15 yrs and Flexi for 2 yrs. I just purchased Photoshop and need to know if I need to purchase a RIP program for output to my 48" Mutoh ValueJet. If I do, does anyone know which one works great for Photoshop?

Thanks! Andrea

 

[J Hill Designs]

they are standalone softwares...they dont work with any program...

 

[Signgrl]

I have tried printing but it does nothing.

 

[J Hill Designs]

yeah you need a RIP...what I'm saying is no RIP works with photoshop..they are standalone

or if you have flexi cut/print, drag/drop your psd files into the prod mgr

 

[SignAnnex]

Do you still have Signlab or Flexi?

 

[Signgrl]

Yes, I still have SignLab & Flexi. The problem is, a clients file is an Adobe Photoshop with the exact colors they want. Whenever I use Flexi production Mgr or Signlab RIP, the colors are not correct. So I tried printing directly from Photshop and my Mutoh didn't do a thing. Never received the data. So I am stumped.

 

[J Hill Designs]

you cant print directly from photoshop...

try exporting the photoshop file as a tiff

 

[signcrafters london]

What version of flexi? If you have 8.x, or higher you can play with the Color Settings under the Edit tab, then use Soft Proof from the View menu to see what your print should look like.

 

[jc1cell]

I would suggest getting a Rip.

IMHO it provides for the most flexibility when printing and trying to maintain color consistency with profiles.

jc

 

[bayshorecreations]

http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/rip/a/rip.htm

Your printer does not have an internal rip and photoshop is not rip software. You need to rip the file through flexi to get it to your printer.

 

[Signgrl]

Thank you all for the suggestions

 

[tbaker]

if you have flexi, you can minimize the impact that flexi has on the image by dropping the file directly into production manager. Provided your output profile is good, you should get little variation in output, but remember that it IS large format printing and variations WILL happen.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Did you use the correct profile in flexi or signlab?

I get the impression you are new to the digital world, so start by reading this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_management

to get a rough understanding of color management. There is a lot to know and a lot of ducks have to be in a row to get good results, it's not like printing to a desktop printer. Invest some serious time researching and learning how color management works so you can understand on your end why a file prints the way it does and what you need to do to fix it.

 

[Edserv]

We use Adobe CS3 and FlexiSign Pro 8.5. We do experience occasional color problems, and I'm not sure of any direct to rip programs directly from Adobe. However, our biggest issues occur when try to import Adobe Illustrator files directly into Flexi. We've had success saving the Illustrator files as EPS files and then importing (works most of the time.)
As far as Photoshop, it's a project by project basis. And it largely depends on your client's "picky-ness." We don't usually have problems and have a very high residual experience.
Hope this helps,
Chris
Lets Go Banners

 

[threads1]

I don't have flexi but, it seems to me you could save a small version of your art in whatever format your printer recognizes and do some test prints until you get a color match (or close to it). Where do you save the files you create in house.

 

[AUTO-FX]

This looks like a good book. I am ordering on myself.
http://www.sign.com/SAi_Training316.asp?product=219

 

[visual800]

I dont own a printer but when i design something in illustrator and drag it back over to flexi there is a world of difference! I wonder why they wont make it so you can print directly out of adobe programs