Digital Photographer's Software Guide - Bertemes - Net

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The Digital Photographer's Software Guide
Harlequin RIP
Vendor: Global Graphics Software
Purpose: High-performance RIPping engine, sold only through OEM partners for different
branding
Description
The Harlequin RIP underpins an entire industry, being sold through the vendor’s OEM
partners who use its flexible architecture as the basis for their own products. Harlequin
technology is used for driving 100 output devices, from vendors such as Agfa Gevaert,
Hewlett-Packard, and Kodak. RIPs based on it include:
■ Express RIP, from Compose Systems
■ RipMate, from Esko Graphics
■ Fusion RIP, from Fusion Systems
■ Torrent RIP, from HighWater Designs
■ Prediction RIP, from Latran Technologies
■ Rampage RIP, from Rampage Systems
■ RTI Rip-Kit, from RTI (RealTimeImage)
■ JET Rip, from Song & Company
■ TorayRIP, from Toray Industries
■ Navigator RIP, from Xitron
Capabilities of the Harlequin RIP include PostScript interpretation, native PDF support,
JDF-enabled workflows, and integral color management, trapping, and imposition.
Version 8.0 of the Harlequin PLUS Server RIP, first shown at Drupa (the world’s main
printing event) in 2008, introduced several new features. It can now natively process
files in the new XPS print format (which allows users to create, share, print, and archive
documents) available with Windows Vista. It also supports PDF 1.7, the PDF/X-4
standard, JDF 1.3, and the HD Photo format with its extended dynamic range and
superior compression capabilities. All of these facilities will flow through to the
products that are based on the Harlequin RIP.
Pre-press specialist Hamillroad Software has developed a high-performance TIFF output
plug-in for the Harlequin RIP called Lightning TIFF. It’s designed to replace the
standard TIFF plug-in. It is worth noting because it can quadruple the performance of
the RIP.