Hmm... I guess I just don't see the benefit. Why RIP the job twice? Color is handled on the output device (and it's RIP), so why would I RIP the job, before RIPping it at output? Maybe it's just my workflow (Xerox 700 w/ Freeflow), but I pass it a PDF, which is the format my VDP solution supports (Printable Technologies), as well as host of other format's I haven't gotten around to using yet... But anyways, I've gotta RIP the file at the device, I can't plug my Prinergy into it and make it a dumb TIFF downloader like a platesetter, so passing it through something before my device RIP, needs to offer me some form of benefit, to risk it f'cking up the job on me.
What benefit, outside of some slick sounding marketing-speak, does it truly offer? That's what I don't see (could be me). I already have 2-file branches, the Prinergy Box isn't my primary file server (it's a RIP...), and I don't really use the freeflow for file management (it's just a RIP too...) I guess I can see some benefit to using just the Prinergy job manager (but then I've gotta make my HF's on the device wide-open/auto-print.. and that can get costly if someone pop's something in the wrong hotfolder). And if the job b0rks, I've gotta get up off my soft end and go to the machine anyways (or use it's browser-based job management system, just have to open a new tab)...
I just don't see a huge benefit (in my workflow), to introducing the extra step in the job process. There may be argument for a benefit, I'm not saying that it doesn't offer some things for other folks/shops/processes out there, I just don't see them for my situation. That's why I wanted to start a conversation about it, see what other folks are thinking/doing, maybe stimulate some creative thinking!
I'm a bit green to the digital side of things, so have a hard time filtering the marketing language sometimes, and find industry peers to be a great way to cut through the BS!
- Mac
