DTGRIP indeed gives the user the ‘’Roll Feed’’ option and this will work for the majority of Epson Printers.
At the right-hand size of the software’s panel, we find the Printer Tab. Under this Tab, next to Feeding, the user has two options. Either Sheet (for individual A4/A3/A3+ pretreatsheets/ transfer film) or Roll Feed, which is reserved for when Roll Paper/Film is employed.
Roll-printing is what concerns us in this discussion and we will see below why ROLLRIP is an excellent tool to work with when you employ a Roll Feeder.
Below you can see the DTGRIP Printer Tab settings that must be used in order to print directly to film using Roll Paper/Film.
While it is true that DTGRIP can and will print an individual sheet/film (1printjob=1sheet, by choosing the Sheet option), it gets more complicated if the user tries to print more than 1 copy of a specific printjob by using the Roll Feed setting.
Apart from the fact that DTGRIP does not give the user the option to print differing printjobs in one go, even if one tries to print multiple copies of the same print, there is no control over how much space will be left between each copy during roll-printing. More often than not, the Roll Feeder will keep feeding after the printjob has been completed, especially when the set printable area is not filled with image(s) towards the end of it.
This creates a problem as the extra film will need to be reversed back to the Roll Feeder, if we have a single printjob. If this occurs between printjobs, the user will have to cancel the whole print (1 execution for the whole printjob) in order to save film. Except from having to be physically on top of the printing process, the user will have to reverse the film (which might bend or get scratched during the process), perhaps dispose of film into which printing was being done when the process was cancelled and of course, prepare and re-initiate the entire printjob.
This results in waste of materials, as extra film is used between prints and it might also bulge or bend -if a lot of it feeds- while being reversed through the printer back to the Roll-Feeder.
It takes time. The user has to be always on top of the printing process to ensure that he will quickly cancel a print if a lot of film feeds between printjobs or post printing. In addition, one cannot simply create a queue with differing print files. ‘’Print’’ has to be pressed for an individual printjob for an X number of copies and when this is completed, it would have to be pressed again for the next printjob and so on.
Even if a user employing Roll Paper decides to print a single printjob containing multiple copies, if anything goes wrong during the process and cancelling of the printjob is required, there is no tell at which exact point of the printing process the printer will stop. Part of the print might be ruined and the user will have to (auto or manually) feed the transfer film back to the Roller.
This is where RollPIP comes in. The user creates a queue of printjobs. If there is any need for cancellation, he just clears the print queue. No extra film fed, no harm comes to a printjob.
This software is engineered in order to work in collaboration with DTGRIP. It takes care of roll-printing by solving all the above issues, providing roll feeder users with total control, efficiently allowing them to save time and money, for they can take advantage of ROLLRIP features to organize their printing output and have it done in one go, with the press of one button, START.
To summarize:
ROLLRIP gives the user the option to queue as many differing printjobs and copies as needed (group printing). One Print execution, all we be printed. DTGRIP does only one printjob at a time.
The user can opt to set the space that will be left between each printjob. Not more or less than required for maximum film economy and as small as 0.01mm. Minimum wasted film. This gets very important because the more printing is done, the more the value for the user. DTGRIP does not give you this option.
ROLLRIP instructs the Roll Feeder to stop feeding the exact moment printing is concluded. No matter the maximum printable area selected and no matter how small the printed image is in regards to it.
ROLLRIP prints PRN files. This means that its compatibility is not limited to the drivers available to DTGRIP, for increased value.