# Converting image from RGB to CMYK for DTG



## jasonsmith (Mar 30, 2011)

With direct to garment. Do you need your file to be in RGB or convert it to CMYK?

I've got an image I've used to make t-shirt transfers. But was thinking of having some shirts made up with direct to garment since the quality of transfers are not good.

It's a bitmap image I've copied/placed inside corel draw as I have some vector images with the graphic.

I may also have to see if they have it set up to print proofs to verify it looks right before having it printed on a shirt as that is expensive.


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## EricDeem (May 7, 2011)

It can depend on the RIP the printer is using. In my situation the artwork prints best if in RGB, the RIP will then make the adjustments to output the image in CMYK. This provides a much better WYSIWYG shirt scenario.


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## jasonsmith (Mar 30, 2011)

I had called around some shops and was able to get ahold of one shop that told me they like the file in .eps format and in RGB. Which actually works great as the file is in a Corel Draw program and in RGB.

I'll have to check out their stuff. As a shirt I got made DTG years ago looked very faded right off the printer. And the shirt was white too. You know that faded look like when you're out of ink and print something or set something to 60% transparency or something. Plus the colors looked way wrong. So I never looked at DTG again other than getting a shirt done from a different place. It was white ink on black. And the guy said he'd never do just plain white again. And he said you'd get 50 washes or something before it started to fade. But the thing faded badly after the first wash.

I've got some of those exactprint transfers stored away as I don't have a laser printer. But I'm going to see if I can use a laser printer at like staples or something to print some up off an SD card or something and do test shirts on to see what that looks like.


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## Justin Walker (Dec 6, 2006)

Some RIP software is profiles for RGB and some is profiled for CMYK; additionally, you will sometimes notices varying degrees of color accuracy, based on the input profile you select and the file format you use. Here are some quick notes regarding things to look out for when exporting artwork from CorelDRAW (see if it helps your color output - depending on who is doing the printing and what machine they are using, it may or may not help):

*----- sorry if it is generic; I am re-posting this from one of my other websites -----*

For the purposes of DTG printing, most shops require artwork to be submitted in a print-ready, “raster based” image format. There are considerable differences between the pixel-based raster format and its vector counterpart, however understanding these differences is not critical at the moment. This article is intended to remind everyone about the importance of double-checking and verifying all final artwork, prior to submitting it for printing – minor oversights can ultimately lead to inferior prints or unexpected results, and we want everyone to have the maximum opportunity to create the most stunning prints possible.

It is common in our industry for artists to create their custom designs in high-quality vector format, due primarily to the ability of these file types to dynamically resize to any proportions without loss in image quality; additionally, the prevalence of vector-based image programs such as CorelDRAW and Adobe Illustrator make it easy for artists of all skill levels to create eye-catching designs with relative ease. However, the color management techniques used by many vector-based editing programs is different than those used by raster-based editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop, so it is important to consider the resulting discrepancies which can potentially occur when converting a file from one format to another (or when exporting from a vector-based program to a raster-based program).

Below is an example of a design that was created in CorelDRAW – when viewed in Corel, the colors look solid and vibrant (as expected). However, notice the results after the file was exported into .PNG format and opened in Adobe Photoshop – the colors are now slightly more dull by comparison, which will affect the quality of the final print. You will also notice there have been some subtle color shifts (for example, look at the before-and-after on the purple colors).










Since most artists have spent a great deal of time trying to get their artwork to look as good as possible, it would be a shame to see the quality compromised during the file export stage simply because the client or artist was too hasty and didn’t bother to open the completed .PNG file in Photoshop, for review. If you take the time to double-check all of your artwork files prior to submitting them for printing, you can spot important color differences that would potentially affect your results.

If you do notice a slight color shift like the image shown above, you can always restore the vibrancy of the design by using the adjustment tools within Photoshop to tweak your new raster-based image to perfection! We tend to use the Levels and the Saturation adjustments to achieve the desired results, when we are creating or adjusting our own artwork files.


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## jasonsmith (Mar 30, 2011)

How does that work if saving the file to .eps? I believe that's a generic vector format.

The shop I called said they'd take any format, that they'd then have to convert it. But said they prefer .eps. So I guess they convert everything to .eps. but they didn't really go into detail.


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## Justin Walker (Dec 6, 2006)

Any time you change from one format to another you risk potential color changes; however, they might not be as noticeable in certain conversions. Most shops can take your artwork in a wide variety of formats, as they can general convert it into their "preferred" format very quickly; however, this does not mean they are checking for color accuracy after the conversion. It is important to find out as much as you can about how your particular print shop inputs the files into the RIP so you can make the necessary adjustments / conversions prior to sending your files - keep in mind that not all DTG print shops fully understand good color management practices, and they might not have done prior comparison prints to find out how different file types can affect their print results.

EPS format is nice for traditional print shops because of its small file size and universal portability, not necessarily for it's awesome color management capabilities (not saying vector files don't manage color well; it is simply different) - any time you feed a file through a RIP program, whether it is vector or raster format, it is interpreted into raster for duplication using thousands (or millions) of tiny ink dots on the garment.... Again this is just my opinion, but I always suggest that raster is the way to go for DTG; once you find out for sure whether your print shop has their machines profiled for RGB or CMYK colors, calibrate your artwork accordingly and maybe spend a minute playing with the various input profiles that are available to you in Photoshop... I LOVE the Adobe RGB (1998) color profile for most artwork files, and I find that my particular machine / RIP combination produces excellent results in this color space.

Good luck as you evaluate the DTG process!


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