Colour Channel DTF Printing

[ECLMB]

Hello all,

I am somewhat new here and recently purchased a DTF printer that requires me to use spot or colour channels. I have found some great videos on how to do it but the are for single images. We use what is called a gang sheet that is 15" X 60" that our clients that we print for, can add as many logos or prints they can fit on it for a per sqft price. Is there any way they we can spot channel the entire 15"x60" Gang Sheet? 

If there is anyone who knows or is familiar and can help, it would be greatly appreciated!

I have provided a video of what I need to achieve with channels below for refrence as well as an example of a file that we would need to perform the spot channel on.

If there is more information needed, let me know.

Thanks in advance.

Video: https://youtu.be/tw6upSVbi7c?si=dKva77Dh4SyH4wKj

[ECLMB]

Also, this is the video the manufacturer gave me

[DTG Pro]

Hey @ECLMB, welcome to the DTF community!

Great question — you're definitely not alone in trying to figure out how to handle spot/white channels for gang sheets. It's a common hurdle, especially when you're dealing with larger layouts like 15" x 60". The good news is that yes, it is possible to spot channel an entire gang sheet in Photoshop — it just takes a few extra steps.

Essentially, you want to create a custom white ink channel (spot color) across the full canvas. Here’s a quick breakdown:

1. Open your gang sheet file in Photoshop.

2. Merge all your visible artwork layers (if needed).

3. Select your designs using the “Select > Color Range” tool or manually with the Magic Wand tool to isolate what you want printed.

4. Create a new channel (usually named “White” or “Spot_White” depending on your RIP software's requirements).

5. Fill your selection with white in that new spot channel.

6. Make sure to save the file in a compatible format (like TIFF or PSD) depending on your RIP.

The workflow is the same as for a single image — just scaled up for the gang sheet. Some RIPs (like AcroRIP or DigiRIP used with DTG Pro [Link removed by moderator]) handle gang sheets better than others, so check if yours supports spot channels on large canvases.

If you're using Photoshop regularly, it might be worth creating a quick action to automate part of the process — saves a ton of time.

Let me know if you’d like a step-by-step with screenshots or if you're using a specific RIP software — happy to help out!

[Stephen Marsh]

@ECLMB 

An old post that I missed! There are two options:

1) Create a large gang-sheet and then create a base spot white channel for each image. This has already been described by @DTG Pro where the transparency channel would be used.

2) Add the spot white to the individual images, then use the DFE/RIP features to gang/nest the separate images with spot white at print. This second option would be my preference.

Whether working on separate images or a gang-sheet, I agree that automating the process via an action or script is best.