TIF vs JPG

TIF retains all pixel information, while JPEG records averaged colour and brightness values. TIF is a lossless format - all image information is retained when saving. JPEG, on the other hand, has lossy compression, which means that a certain amount of information is lost each time it is saved. How much depends on the type of compression. If you save the file at the right resolution and with high quality, the loss will be imperceptible.

Why JPEG?

It might seem that since TIF offers a higher recording quality, it is a better choice. However, it is important to remember that the more information a file contains, the more it increases in size. This results in TIF files that are often too large. Furthermore, the extra amount of information you get often turns out to be unnecessary and completely unnoticeable on the printout. A file saved in JPEG with the right resolution and in high quality will therefore have less information than a TIF file saved in this way, but this difference will not be noticeable to the eye. This was also confirmed by the tests we performed. They showed that the quality of correctly prepared patterns saved in JPEG is no different on print than those saved with the TIF extension.

Printing on fabric

The type of substrate is also worth considering. Printing on fabrics always involves a certain loss of detail because the fabric absorbs ink in a different way to paper. This is particularly noticeable with fleshy, high weight fabrics (e.g. minky) or those with a loose weave (e.g. muslin). It is for this reason that this additional information, which is stored in TIF format, is often unnecessary given the technology and type of printing.

What can I do to make sure I get a high quality print?

Create your design at a scale of 1:1, and when saving, select the appropriate resolution - 300 dpi (ppi) and the highest image quality. With a file saved in this way, you can be sure that you will receive a fabric with a clear and sharp print.