Hi all.
I'm relatively new to large format printing and I got a new project for a 6m x 1m banner. I've been trying to export the design to my RIP program but I can't find a format that works with the size. Normally I use a PDF or EPS, but for this size, they just don't want to work... I read somewhere about designing in a smaller size and enlarging the design in my RIP program but I'm not really sure of the theory behind it. Any advice?
I print to wide format HP printers on a daily basis running though my Fiery XF rip software. This is what I do for large banners. Design in Corel Draw at full size, choose export to my desktop. When the box opens for export to jpeg, I make sure CMYK is selected and quality is set to 80%. then export. Then I import it to my rip software and resize it in the rip software back to the original size. As an example your size being a 6M x 1M for me would be 236.22 x 39.37 in inches. When I import to Fiery XP the size is imported at 80% the original size as 100.00 x 16.670 inches. I then resize it to the original of 236.22 x 39.37. Then I print it. Sounds like a lot of work but it only takes a few clicks to accomplish. I understand your system may be totally different than mine but this is what works for me great!
I'm not understanding the reasoning behind sizing down on export. We design full scale in Corel, export at full scale as pdf , eps , or tif (never png or jpg). No resizing needed in the RIP.
Why export to desktop? Export to a hot folder which is nothing more than a print que. The Print Tech handles it from there all through the RIP.
p.s. export tif's using LZW compression. Virtually no difference in output but makes 1/2 the file size if not 3/4 less. That equals less rip time.
TIF seems to have a size constraint as well. So as long as my image fits into 254cm x 254cm I'm good but larger than that I have to use pdf, which also has constraints of 200 x 200 inches...