RIP is short for Raster Imaging Process. This process “translates” the information being sent by the computer into a format that a printer can recognizes. That is, the RIP takes the digital information about fonts and graphics that describes the appearance of your file and translates it into an image composed of individual dots that the imaging device (such as your desktop printer or an imagesetter) can output. Since computers only “see” RGB (red, green, blue) and wide format printers work with CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black), this process needs to convert the format into CMYK so the printer can correctly print your image. The RIP comes in firmware, hardware, or software versions. Firmware RIP is built-in to the device, such as the PostScript RIP built-in to many desktop printers. The hardware RIP is a dedicated piece of hardware configured to process digital files. It often comes with specific types of devices, such as an imagesetter. The software RIP is an independent program that can work with many types of devices.