Troop Rip software with Apple Mac OSX?

[Tim Shaw]

The sales rep is correct.

You originate the artwork on OSX and send it to a hot folder on the pc which then prints it via the rip.

I am mac user, but Ibought a PC to run the software. The main reason
was when printing large area the PC became just a slave machine, doing nothing else. This meant I could carry on using the mac, without the worry of a crach killing the print process etc.

It also means you have a back up on the PC of everthing you print as well as on the mac.

You wont require a really hi-spec PC either, just put a good size memory in. As long as it as ethernet it will be fine.

No need to be on the internet either, so no hourly virus updating to be done. Just network the PC folder to the MAC save everthing in their and print from the RIP on the PC.

As a diehard MAC user I know it all sounds BAD, but just use the PC as a slave server and nothing else and it is not to bad. No need to use Windows OS in a big way, just use TROOP which is really easy to use.

On hot days the PC can also be used to hold open doors to let fresh air in , so now you have two uses to justify not sailing it out to sea in flames !!!!!

[Jamie Wood]

Arf. Same here, we run Macs, but had to buy a PC to run Onyx. That’s all it does here, apart from checking every few minutes to see if it’s got itself a new virus. Oh, and inexplicably shutting down the RIP just to see if I notice….

If you need to run a RIP on a Mac, look at Shiraz or Flexisign Pro…they have versions which run on OSX. Not sure if they will run a Cadet, but I see no reason why not, providing you have the correct drivers. It will be an extra expense, as I think Troop comes bundled with the Cadet, whereas you would have to buy the others separately.

PS The other alternative is a Mimaki JV3, which will definitely run with Shiraz or Flexisign Pro from a Mac.

Cheers,
Jamie.

[Phil Craddock]

cheers guys, I think that we will just get a small Dell Laptop to run the rip.Shame I can’t use one of our spare ibooks to do the ripping though, but as you both say it will be a slave unit.And I like the idea of a door opener 😀

[Tim Shaw]

Try getting a copy of Virtual PC on the ibook, troop does’nt appear to be OS intensive, and the printer is USB?. So it may be able to handle it.

The ripping is almost instantaneous, in fact it starts printing quicker than my epson desktop !!!

If you use the ibook to keep the door open, people will not kick it on the way in and twice on the way out !!!!

[David Rowland]

Hi, the only RIP software for a outdoor printer I have come across is Applied Image Technologys Shiraz RIP… it will work off PC, MAC and Unix style stations.

A lot of RIP software in Litho industry also runs on PC but mainly mac environments, they normally use specialist Print driver interfaces.

Are you are One mac environment? Or multiple mac user company (eg. Have a server like Microsoft Small Business Server)

I currently use it on the PC.

There is a member here that uses it with a Mimaki JV3

btw. I DONT reconmend using a DELL Laptop or any laptop to run any printer… I suggest getting a PC with a SATA RAID 0 stripe configuration and store no files on the computer… A Pentium 4 with HT should do it.

[Phil Craddock]

Dave, what would be any problems using a laptop?? And I’m only thinking laptop for space as we have a small’ish environment that we would be using. And we are at present a one mac environment.

As at present I am creating all the artwork and farming it out to suppliers for production…just want to regain control and do it to my timescales not theirs.

Tim, Virtual PC could be a route I haven’t thought of…good thinking young man.

I kenw I’d be speaking to the right people on here

😀

[David Rowland]

well our rip is running on a older P4 with HT… 1GB ram etc… its slow.. we are changing it as its too slow… a laptop is designed to be lo-power and low-processing to save on battery power also a laptop is not designed for 24 hour operation for heat dissapation.

A laptop is in theory 25% dearer then a PC.

When we was in a small room, we placed the RIP on a small table also the JV3 is a firewire device and not all laptops come with firewire.

I suggest a proper PC, you dont need Top spec but a damn fine £600-800 PC with small monitor is great. Also aim to 2GB and 7200rpm harddrives, cant really go wrong with that.

[Phil Craddock]

ah, cheers Dave, good food for thought.

[Jamie Wood]

Hello,
I can understand the suggestion that you may use virtual PC, but in reality,
you would suffer a large performance hit if trying to use a RIP, if indeed it would be a workable solution. Not trying to be contraversial, but in my opinion this is not a good option, respect to Tim for the suggestion though.

Dave gives a lot of good advice, regarding Shiraz, as he has an installed system, although running on a PC it would appear.

We have just installed a JV3 using Onyx running on a PC. However, I had an alternative quote on the same machine from AIT, running Shiraz directly from a Mac. For various reasons, the main one being that the supplier is only 15 minutes drive away if we have a problem, we chose the PC solution. I am pretty much a die hard Mac user, so this was a tough choice for me. I am now having problems with our machine supplier being able to provide profiles for the materials which they sell (I was told that all their materials were profiled – not true), and on ringing to order ink carts, was told that they were on back order, and they couldn’t guarantee a delivery date. I rang AIT, who despatched them overnight to arrive on Monday.

Bottom line is, if I were now in the market to buy a machine that had to run from a Mac, I would definitely go JV3 + Shiraz route.

Sorry to ramble on, had a couple of beers,and my suppliers crapness
kind of took hold for a sec. Back to my normal meek self in the morning.

Have to agree with Dave though, that the JV3 is a brilliant bit of kit…just my supplier letting me down.

Cheers,
Jamie.

[David Rowland]

you also got to think about dongles, I would also think any virtual type PC program would be unnecessary load.

[Phil Craddock]

Thanks for the comments Jamie.

It certainly looks like we will budget for a PC tower unit then not a laptop (cheaper anyway). It can sit on the floor!!! as space could be an issue due to the amount of mac items I have for doing other stuff!!

But what is it with suppliers in this country?? Most of our customers are in the USA and we always get back to them instantly and they regard the UK service as one of the worlds best…well we do our bit here anyways!

Right back to work, fitting a full set of mirror reflect viper stripes to a MINI in about an hour so need to get organised.

Cheers, Phil.
😀

[David Rowland]

ok, I don’t know Troop RIP and it’s Mac & PC environment setup but normally a MAC and PC don’t talk to each other without specialist software or a server or a special feature in the rip

[Phil Craddock]

Dave,most of my work, our stock items, will be on dvd so I can load onto the pc and not have to worry about the Mac talking to the PC. Just trying to keep it simple.We have an on-line catalogue of products which our customers order from then any custom work is done separately on the mac and when its signed off I can put on disk or email to the PC.

[John Childs]

Another die-hard Mac user who bought a PC to run a JV3. 🙁

What about an Intel Mac mini? Solve space and computer problem in one hit.

[David Rowland]

did u john?
Shiraz will install on a MAC

[Jamie Wood]

Unfortunately, they hadn’t been released when we bought the system. Bah.
Wish I’d gone with Shiraz on a Mac though.

[John Childs]

No I didn’t Dave. Like Jamie the Intel Macs hadn’t been announced when I bought.

Although Shiraz will run on a Mac, AIT convinced me that it was better on a PC and I agreed provided that I didn’t have to have anything to do with it. Like Tim, our PC is only used as a slave and all the clever stuff is done on Macs.