# DTG printing from photoshop file with CMYK



## buckcreek (Aug 13, 2007)

I have a design I created in Photoshop CS5 and I want to get it printed on a DTG printer. I took the file to the shop and was told I needed to use CYMK and that the white must be changed to cyan 1% to get the printer to print white. I don't really know what they are talking about since I have never used a DTG printer. Can anyone tell me how to change this?

I use RGB for everything I do so I changed the mode from RGB to CMYK and I'm hoping the colors will not come out different. It seems strange to me that an RGB file can't be printed. I'm not sure what DTG printer he has but it's a newer one.
Thanks,
Joan


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## JrLey05 (Mar 16, 2012)

buckcreek said:


> I have a design I created in Photoshop CS5 and I want to get it printed on a DTG printer. I took the file to the shop and was told I needed to use CYMK and that the white must be changed to cyan 1% to get the printer to print white. I don't really know what they are talking about since I have never used a DTG printer. Can anyone tell me how to change this?
> 
> I use RGB for everything I do so I changed the mode from RGB to CMYK and I'm hoping the colors will not come out different. It seems strange to me that an RGB file can't be printed. I'm not sure what DTG printer he has but it's a newer one.
> Thanks,
> Joan



Most Printers use CYMK format to print. Even if you give them RGB, they still have to convert the file to CYMK and the colors depending on which ones used will indeed change. Mostly, CYMK seems to me slightly duller than RGB but that's because CYMK has less colors to choose from than RGB.

It probably will be an extra fee for them to convert the colors over as they may have to match them as close as possible and that can be extra time and resources used. Just make a copy of your file, convert one using the mode function to CYMK, apply the settings he told you using color selection and adjust the colors accordingly. That way, you will have a copy of the original and the revamp just incase you run into someone who can do RGB. Hope this helps.


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## 23spiderman (Jun 26, 2008)

the majority of the Epson based direct-to-garment printers that i've heard of create in, and use, the RGB color space to print. yes, the actual inks are CMYK, but RGB has a wide color gamut and many of the RIP's take the files in RGB. i've used 2 different RIP programs and they both did best receiving the files in RGB. i'm also not sure why the shop didn't just convert the file for you and send you a proof to approve. this takes very little time to do. you may be better off finding someone else to work with.


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## dazzabling (Sep 21, 2011)

PM me the file and I can have it DTG ready for you with instructions and re-post on the forums so others will know its not the hard to learn. You just have to know a majority of the RIP programs do not recognize 100% white hence the 1% needed in the Cyan. 

Your printer may not be able to get into your file and change it. This sometimes happens when printers don't have Photoshop or Corel. But, again its no hard to do but its easier on the printer to have a print ready file.


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## GraphixGuys (Jan 16, 2012)

Here is how you can change your white to a 1% cyan.

Go to the Select tab in the Menu bar. Under it select the option "Color Range...". This will bring up an option box that shows a black and white image of your document. Click over white in the small box and you will be able to adjust how much of a threshhold of white is selected by using the Fuzziness slider. Then click ok. This will select everthing that is white. Once that is done right click inside the selection and select "layer via copy". This will add a new layer of your white. Then just select that layer and add a color overlay of the 1% cyan for the layer and you now have your white.


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## GraphixGuys (Jan 16, 2012)

CMYK is not duller than RGB ( in 4 color process printing).

This is usually due to the fact that the RGB conversion done by the RIP software picks better colors than people do when choosing CMYK colors. If you use a Pantone to process book or a gamut book of your printers color range you will get your true color when adding your values in CMYK. This really is the best way to print in 4 color process because you know exactly what color your printer will print. 

If you have a 6 or 8 color printer that uses Green and orange then RGB is the better gamut to work in as you will be able to go outside the CMYK gamut and you will actually be able to print in that wider gamut because you have more colors to get to those out of gamut colors.


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## kevrokr (Feb 26, 2007)

The easiest way to add some color to an image that needs the white pixel data to have some color added to it is through the Levels. In the image attached, you can see that the white area on the left has been changed to have 1% of CMY (for even tonality) by changing the slider on the bottom of the Levels panel from 255 to 250. Voila!


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