This video will walk you through how to set up and calculate the ink cost in ColorGATE RIP software for RICOH DTG printers. This is a great starting point for estimating your printing costs!
Before we begin:
- Ensure your ColorGATE software is set up properly.
- You need to have your ink cartridges and their costs configured within the software. This allows ColorGATE to calculate ink usage based on the specific ink types and their prices.
- Load your design into ColorGATE: Import the artwork you want to print on a garment.
- Set the printing parameters: Specify the type of garment (material and color), printing mode (white underbase, etc.), and desired print resolution.
- Select Option on the main navigator, select "Cost Calculation" and then "Ink Prices".
- Create a new Ink profile by clicking the "+"
- Input the required information and select the appropriate Ink MIM for your printer.
- Input the Ink cost per ml. Simply use the total cost of the ink cartridge divided by the total amount of ink. For instance, the ink cost of the RICOH Ri 1000X is around $.31/ml (= $61/200ml) for Standard Size Cartridge and $.29/ml (= $145/500ml) for XL Size Cartridge. It is more cost-efficient when you apply the coupon code from our web store.
- Right-click on your design again. Apply both "Apply cost calculation" and "Calculate directly after rip" under the "Workflow" tab.
- After it ripped, right-click again and select "Cost Report"
- Review the cost breakdown: ColorGATE should display a report that details the estimated ink usage for each color, along with the total estimated ink cost for printing your design.