# png vs jpg for DTG printing



## Zippy Doodah (Jul 10, 2011)

I've been playing around with different file formats for DTG printing and I think I see a slight difference between a png and a jpg at the same RGB/300ppi file size. Does anyone have a preference between the two? It seems as though the jpg is a bit sharper, but then again it could just be my eyes. Another thing, do you find any advantage to 16 or 24 bit over 8 bit as far as dialing in the color profile? I get close but not dead on. Any opinions?


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## SouthernEdgeEMB (Apr 22, 2013)

Usually Jpg is not as good resolution as PNG, But then again its what file your printer likes to print, what works for you may not work for every one else.


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## DAGuide (Oct 2, 2006)

I would go with a PNG because you can keep the transparent background - which most printing softwares (RIPs, drivers,...) will handle fades better than a white background.

Mark


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## Zippy Doodah (Jul 10, 2011)

DAGuide said:


> I would go with a PNG because you can keep the transparent background - which most printing softwares (RIPs, drivers,...) will handle fades better than a white background.
> 
> Mark


 Yes, I've pretty much stuck to using png files, if for no other reason than the transparent background. When printing CMYK only, I couldn't tell much difference in the two file formats as far as resolution. I thought, maybe I was missing something. As far as creating a new png file, does it make any difference as to whether it's 8 bit, or higher? As far as being related to DTG printing. Maybe I should ask that in a different catagorie. Thanks


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## equipmentzone1 (Nov 22, 2008)

Zippy Doodah said:


> Yes, I've pretty much stuck to using png files, if for no other reason than the transparent background. When printing CMYK only, I couldn't tell much difference in the two file formats as far as resolution. I thought, maybe I was missing something. As far as creating a new png file, does it make any difference as to whether it's 8 bit, or higher? As far as being related to DTG printing. Maybe I should ask that in a different catagorie. Thanks


JPEGs are fine for when you're printing on white or light garments. Make sure to save them at the highest quality setting and at 300 dpi. JPEG is a "Lossy" file format which means that it is possible to save it at a lower quality to take up less disk space; we want the highest quality for DTG. 

8-bit PNGs are smaller files because they do not support as many colors and don't support transparency. You should always use 24-bit PNGs. You'll use this file format for dark garments, unless your RIP supports Photoshop or TIFF files. 

-Alex

-Alex


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## Zippy Doodah (Jul 10, 2011)

equipmentzone1 said:


> JPEGs are fine for when you're printing on white or light garments. Make sure to save them at the highest quality setting and at 300 dpi. JPEG is a "Lossy" file format which means that it is possible to save it at a lower quality to take up less disk space; we want the highest quality for DTG.
> 
> 8-bit PNGs are smaller files because they do not support as many colors and don't support transparency. You should always use 24-bit PNGs. You'll use this file format for dark garments, unless your RIP supports Photoshop or TIFF files.
> 
> ...


 Thanks, Alex! When I would create a New File in Photoshop it has the option for 8, 16 and 24 bit. I've always just left it at 8 bit but with a Transparent background. Not sure if it changes it to 24 bit, but from now on I'll just save the pre-set at 24 bit. I know what you mean, the better the file the better the print. I'm self taught with Corel and Photoshop so, everyday I seem to learn something new!!


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## dellmerca (Jul 16, 2017)

PNG is a good choice for storing line drawings, text, and iconic graphics at a small file size. By converting a PNG file to JPEG you can save a lot of space, most of the time between 50-70%, which might be ideal if you are dealing with dozens or hundreds of images. However, if the focus is on image quality , PNG is certainly the best format.

JPEG's ability to reduce file size up to 15% without losing quality makes it useful for web pages especially for colorful photos. Unfortunately, JPGs don't support transparency . JPG files have an unlimited color palette, but they blend pixels together to reduce the size of the image. While PNG is more suitable for the web, JPEG is still the preferred format when it comes to photos and digital art.

More on....PNG Vs JPG

Dell


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