The RIP-Engine (Formerly called RIP-Server) is the module of the program that actually processes Job files. It rasters images, applies color management and translates images from their original color space into the printers color space.
Usually the RIP Engine can fullfill its purpose just fine by running in the Background, not requiring user interaction. The default setting of the ErgoSoft RIP will launch two instances of the RIP Engine automatically when the RIP launches. This allows you to process two Jobs at the same time (One RIP-Server can process one Job at a time). More instances of RIP-Engine can be launched manually or be set to launched automatically in Control Center > RIP & Programs. Note that your ErgoSoft RIP license may limit the amount of RIP-Engine that you can start at one time. The regular JobComposer basic includes 2 RIP-Engine with the option to purchase additional RIP-Engine instances, while the Job Composer Production comes with unlimited RIP-Engines by default.
RIP-Engines will usually open as minimized tasks in the Windows Taskbar, identified by a black gear icon. To open the RIP-Engine window, double-click the gear icon.
If no RIP-Engine is being started automatically, you might want to check in Control Center > RIP & Programs and make sure that Count of RIP Servers automatically started is set higher than 0.
You can also start RIP-Engines individually from the JobComposer from Tools > Modules > RIPServer or by using the appropriate button in the Toolbar.
The RIP-Engine window can be roughly separated into 3 segments:
Menu bar: Houses the Edit, Tools and Help menus to perform basic operations like toggle the RIP-Engine Online/Offline in Edit > Online and access the RIP Engine Options in Tools > Options.
The RIP Engine Options in Tools > Options let you configure the RIP-Engine by setting the location for Temporary Raster files using Change Folder..., delete temporary raster files through the Empty Folder... button, view and limit space consumption for temporary raster files, configure automatic deletion of raster files to conserve space, as well as set compression of raster data and set PostScript Buffer size. Note that it is generally recommended to leave Postscript Buffer size at the default value, as higher values can lead to errors during the rastering process, depending on system resources and files that are being processed.
Toolbar: Gives quick access to essential features for the RIP-Engine: The cancel Button aborts the Job that is currently processed and sets the RIP-Engine to offline. The progress bar is only visible while a Job is being rastered and shows the progress of the process. Note that Postscript files require two steps/progress bars, the Postscript Interpretation and the rastering process. Finally the two round button to the right allow you to quickly toggle the RIP-Engine from Online (Left/Green) to Offline (Right/Red).
Log: Shows a history of this RIP-Engines operations and processed Jobs with timestamps, Ids and performed operations. It will also display specific error message should a Job fail to process which can provide valuable insight into potential problems and how they might be solved.