#file formats
6 posts tagged file formats.
PSD/PSB vs TIFF for DTF Spot Channels: Editable Handoff or Direct-to-RIP File?
Choose between a Photoshop-readable flattened composite with production spot channels and a direct-to-RIP multi-channel TIFF without confusing editability, container limits, or compatibility.
Why Long Gang Sheets Crash RIP Software: Pixels, Channels, Memory, and File Limits
A reproducible way to estimate decoded raster memory, separate compression from working set, identify TIFF and Photoshop container boundaries, and test a long DTF sheet safely.
Transparent PNG for DTF from Canva: export and alpha cleanup
How to export a transparent PNG from Canva without inventing controls, inspect low-alpha residue and hidden RGB, and preflight the artwork before building a DTF gang sheet.
DTF spot channels explained: white, varnish, names, and RIP handoff
A technical guide to colour, alpha, white and varnish planes; TIFF and PSD/PSB representation; channel naming; polarity; and what to verify in the target RIP.
DTF file requirements: resolution, transparency, colour, and export
A practical artwork-intake specification for DTF shops: containers, effective PPI, clean alpha, colour-space handling, spot-channel boundaries, and a repeatable preflight checklist.
TIFF vs PNG for DTF gang sheets — when to use what
Send TIFF when the file has to carry a separate white or spot channel and an embedded CMYK-side ICC profile; PNG with clean alpha is fine when your RIP generates its own white from transparency. That is the whole rule — the rest of this post is the reasoning and the edge cases.