printing gradients

[bsm]

I have searched the forum for this issue but must not be looking right so I will ask what has probably been asked countless times before.

Using a MutohVJ1604 with Shiraz rip server. Gradients sometimes print ok, sometimes dont. Get banding (not head issue banding) but clear bands running in direction of gradient. Have tried changing the rendering intent through the rip with no change. Also tried rasterising the gradient and printing the jpeg with no change.
Does anyone know possible soloutions to this issue?
Much appreciated in advance.

 

[bob]

I have searched the forum for this issue but must not be looking right so I will ask what has probably been asked countless times before.

Using a MutohVJ1604 with Shiraz rip server. Gradients sometimes print ok, sometimes dont. Get banding (not head issue banding) but clear bands running in direction of gradient. Have tried changing the rendering intent through the rip with no change. Also tried rasterising the gradient and printing the jpeg with no change.
Does anyone know possible soloutions to this issue?
Much appreciated in advance.

When a RIP is RIPing, often it does not know that a gradient is a gradient. It processes a single color until the gradient changes sufficiently to use another color. I.E. it steps through the gradient rather than recreating it.

The best way to avoid gradient gradient banding is to convert the gradient to a bitmap and add a bit of noise to it. The noise provides the RIP, but not your eye, with sufficient color variation on each scan line as to eliminate banding.

 

[SignManiac]

Thanks Bob. I was having the same issue recently and tried everything except for adding the noise to the bitmap. I'll give that method a try.

 

[bsm]

Thanks, I added some noise and then a gaussian blur to the gradient, came out pretty good. I would still like to solve the rip issue but it is passable.