What is alpha channel cleaning and why does it matter for DTG?

Semi-transparent pixels around your design print as a visible fringe or halo on dark garments. Alpha channel cleaning removes all semi-transparent pixels, leaving only 100% opaque or 100% transparent areas. This eliminates halos and fringe that ruin DTG prints on dark shirts.

What is color correction for screen printing and DTG?

Color correction adjusts your artwork's color balance, saturation, brightness, contrast, white balance, and tonal range so it reproduces accurately when printed. For screen printing this means compensating for ink absorption and dot gain. For DTG it means correcting for the printer's specific color profile and pretreatment effects.

What DTG and DTF printer brands do you prepare files for?

We prepare files for all major brands including Epson F-series (F2100, F3100, F3070), Brother GTX and GT-3, Kornit Atlas and Storm, ColDesi COESP and DTG2Go, Roland DTF, and all other DTG/DTF systems. Each machine has specific ICC profile requirements and we optimize for your exact model.

DTG & DTF Artwork Prep + Color Correction

Service 1 DTG & DTF Artwork Preparation

Digital Garment Printing

Fix Your Files for DTG & DTF Printers

Direct-to-garment and direct-to-film printing demands properly prepared artwork. The most common problems — halos around designs, washed-out colors, color casts, and dirty prints — are almost always caused by improperly prepared files, not the printer itself.

Every DTG and DTF machine has its own RIP software with specific ICC profile requirements. A file that looks great on screen can print completely wrong if it hasn't been optimized for your machine. We fix all of that before a single drop of ink hits fabric.

What We Fix and Optimize

Alpha channel cleaning — remove fringe & halos

ICC profile assignment for your printer

Color mode conversion (CMYK/Lab → sRGB)

Background removal & transparency fix

Underbase mask for dark garment DTG

Resolution optimization (300–600 DPI)

Vectorization & redraw of low-res artwork

Output format setup (PNG/TIFF for RIP)

Compatible with all major DTG & DTF brands. We optimize for your specific machine — each printer has unique ICC profile and RIP requirements that dramatically affect the final print quality.

Epson F2100 / F3100 Brother GTX / GT-3 Kornit Atlas / Storm Roland DTF ColDesi DTG DTG2Go All others

Alpha channel cleaning — eliminates the #1 cause of bad DTG prints on dark shirts

DTG and DTF printer comparison — artwork prep requirements by machine type

Each DTG/DTF printer has different ICC profile and file requirements — we optimize for your specific machine

Service 2 Professional Color Correction

Color Correction

Professional Color Correction of Digital Images

You've seen it — the artwork looks perfect on screen, but the printed colors are off. Reds come out orange, whites are dirty, blacks look muddy. This happens because screens and printers speak different color languages, and without proper correction the translation is always wrong.

Our color correction service fixes your artwork before it goes to press — adjusting every tonal and chromatic parameter so the print matches your original intent as closely as the printing process allows. We work on files for screen printing, DTG, DTF, and sublimation.

Full Color Correction Services

Color balance correction

Saturation adjustment

Brightness & contrast tuning

White balance correction

Highlight, shadow & midtone control

Unwanted color cast removal

Red eye repair

Teeth whitening (portrait photos)

Color replacement

Image sharpening

Cropping & resizing

Image enlargement & upscaling

Professional color correction of digital images for screen printing — before and after

Professional color correction — balancing tone and color for accurate printing

Color correction result — removed color cast and adjusted contrast for garment printing

Before/after color correction — removed cast, corrected contrast and white balance

Common Problems We Fix

These are the most frequent color issues that ruin prints — and why they happen.

Problem

Wrong color mode (CMYK on a DTG printer) — DTG printers work in sRGB. Files in CMYK mode cause a color conversion in the RIP that shifts every color unpredictably, especially oranges, greens, and purples.

Fix

We convert to sRGB and assign the correct ICC profile for your printer model. Colors map correctly from screen to fabric — no unexpected shifts in the RIP.

Problem

White looks gray or dirty — Semi-transparent white pixels appear gray when the printer's underbase or background shows through. Whites need to be 100% opaque to print bright and clean.

Fix

We clean all semi-transparent white areas to 100% opacity and adjust the overall brightness to compensate for the natural darkening that occurs when ink hits fabric.

Problem

Colors look different on dark vs light shirts — The same file can print completely differently on black vs white garments without proper profile compensation per substrate.

Fix

We prepare separate optimized files for dark and light garments when needed — with appropriate contrast, saturation, and underbase adjustments tuned to each substrate color.

Our Workflow

One Submission — Full Artwork Prep

Send your file once. We handle color correction, alpha cleaning, profile setup, and delivery in a single fast turnaround.

Send Your File

Any format: PNG, JPG, PSD, AI, PDF, TIFF. Tell us your printer brand & model plus the garment color you're printing on.

Color Correction

We balance colors, adjust saturation and contrast, remove casts, and convert to the correct color mode and ICC profile for your machine.

File Optimization

Alpha channel cleaning, underbase creation for dark garments, resolution check, and output format setup for your RIP software.

Print-Ready Delivery

You receive a PNG or TIFF optimized for your printer, plus notes on any adjustments made and recommendations for best results.

Why Prep Matters

Bad Files Cost More Than Good Prep

A single run of wasted shirts or film can cost more than our entire prep service. Getting it right before you print pays for itself every time.

Eliminate Halos & Fringe

Semi-transparent pixels print as a visible gray ring on dark garments. Alpha cleaning removes this entirely — clean, sharp edges every single print.

Accurate Color — Screen to Print

Incorrect profiles cause drastic color shifts between what you see and what prints. We set the exact ICC profile for your machine model to minimize the gap.

Save Ink, Pretreatment & Shirts

Every wasted print is wasted pretreatment, wasted ink, and wasted garment. Proper prep typically pays for itself within the first reprinted shirt saved.

Common Questions

DTG Prep & Color Correction FAQ

Why do my DTG prints look different from what I see on screen?+

Screens display colors in RGB with a very wide color gamut. DTG inks have a narrower gamut and are also affected by garment color, fabric texture, and pretreatment. The biggest factor is usually an incorrect ICC profile — without the right profile, the RIP software performs a generic color conversion that can shift colors drastically. We assign the exact ICC profile for your printer model and adjust the file to compensate for the known printing characteristics of your machine.

What is alpha channel cleaning and why does it matter?+

Most artwork — especially files exported from Illustrator, Canva, or downloaded from stock sites — has semi-transparent pixels around the edges. On screen this looks like a clean edge. On a dark shirt, the printer reads those semi-transparent pixels and prints them as a faint gray or colored halo ring around your design. Alpha cleaning removes every semi-transparent pixel, leaving only 100% opaque or 100% transparent areas. The result is a razor-clean edge on any garment color.

What is the difference between DTG and DTF — do you prepare both?+

DTG (direct-to-garment) prints directly onto the fabric using specialized inkjet heads. DTF (direct-to-film) prints onto a special film with a heat-activated adhesive, then heat-presses the transfer onto the garment. Both require properly prepared PNG or TIFF files, but DTF transfers need slightly different alpha channel handling due to how the adhesive bonds to fabric. We prepare files for both — just tell us which method you're using.

Do you create the white underbase for dark garment DTG printing?+

Yes. For dark garment DTG printing, most printers require a white underbase channel that prints first to block the dark fabric. We create the underbase mask, properly choked to prevent visible white edges around your design, and set the correct underbase density for your printer's RIP software. This is included in every dark garment artwork preparation.

Can you fix low-resolution artwork for DTG or DTF printing?+

Yes. We can clean, enhance, and upscale low-resolution artwork for digital printing. For very low-resolution logos or artwork, we can also fully redraw and vectorize your design, which then allows for any print size without quality loss. We'll advise on the best approach when you send your file — if redrawing is needed we'll tell you upfront before starting any work.

What file formats do you accept and deliver?+

We accept any format: PNG, JPG, PSD, AI, PDF, TIFF, EPS, CDR. For DTG and DTF output we typically deliver PNG (with transparency) or TIFF at 300–600 DPI — whatever your RIP software requires. We'll confirm the exact output specs for your machine when you submit your artwork.

Screen Printing Services

DTG & DTF Prep
+ Color Correction