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What does RIP (Raster Image Processor) software do?

I have a large format HP printer, evryone keeps telling me that I should get RIP software for it, but they can't explain why.

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1. Hi, Here is your answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raster_image_processor good luck!
2. A printer engine can understand and use raster information only. Bit mapped data - a dot by dot representation of a page is called bit mapped data or Raster Image. However all the high end especially graphics printers uses a Process called POSTSCRIPT, which instead of bit mapped data contains information in Vector format i.e. information in coordinates. Therefore to print graphics data or image we would require a Vector to Raster converter. This conversion software or hardware or combination is called RIP or Raster Image Processor. In MS Windows a postscript image or file can be printed without a RIP also but in that case it would take the screen display image for printing and not the actual image. In your system without a RIP what ever quality image you are getting 100DPI or 600 DPI - its getting printed from the Monitor display image of 75 DPI only. Hope I could explain it clearly.