I have only printed from film to Accurip like 2 times maybe. So I'm no expert.
So what I am saying here, is a combination of three components for discussion reference. You will need to "try it" and see if it does it.
My background is a lot with the Color Print RIP, a lot with printing out of Illustrator (separation setup)...and only a couple times of actually using Accurip to do that out of Illus Sep setup.
So, for what it's worth,
I am more so, trying to get you to be able to set this up and print unique positions correctly such as a left chest but then obviously any other non standard placement.
The other benefits will come from being able to use dot gain control in AccuRip.
I've found that older versions of Illustrator (CS3) don't have this option (in the same location) as the newer versions as I've never located it. It's also possible that the older versions just don't do this at all until maybe version CS4 or higher.
Create your Illust. template to your max imprint area wide and could be .25" wide on each side. Just so you know not to butt up against the edges. Place the art in the odd location.
KNow that the typical location in the template for setting the top of the art will be in the 2" area (or less), so that the art land on the pallet area correctly. (Try and adjust as needed) for your press and pallet position you prefer.
You want to make use of locking in the art into that non uniform position like a left chest. How you do that is in the feature of saving the art with the art board in mind. When you save the art (USE ART BOARD), that feature will lock the art. If not, it jumps to default (TOP and CENTER) of the printers full live area.
There are two file saving methods that enable the (USE ARTBOARD) option that I know of. That is either EPS or PDF. There could be a few more but for now, try both of these.
SAVE the art first, as an EPS. (done for all I-IMAGE printers) and Color Print...but it's an ILLY thing, not a Color Print thing.
Once you SAVE AS an EPS. you then get the added feature at the bottom left of the save window...of (USE ART BOARD, RANGE 1). CLick the USE ART BOARD box and also select RANGE1. While working and saving as an .ai, or other options, this is grayed out or not available. This is why most people have never seen the benefits of this.
Now, here is where it gets different from I-Image users with Color Print...and what you want to do. Typically, I-Image users save the file as an EPS and then move the actual file into a hot folder tha tis set up to transfer that file into Color Print...or they can open that eps directly from Color Print in oder to RIP it.
YOU, however, will want to try opening that EPS or PDF file back up into Illustrator...so that you can try to make use of or load that pdf or eps into the Separation Setup, then the AccuRip.
I'm not sure iof it will work that way or not, but worth a shot. Would be a great thing if it does.
WHATS A RANGE?
Ranges are nothing but telling the saved output file (what page you are saving this for). Art boards are "additional pages" within the document. So if you had multiple artboards Lets say it was a left sleeve artboard, and then a full front artboard (in the same art file), you then need to tell the eps file what page aka what range you are saving this output for. Every time you create a new Illust. doc. that is Range 1. The 2nd, range 2.
