A Short Glossary

DTF transfer. A finished image on film with white and adhesive layers, ready to be transferred onto fabric.

CMYK. The four basic colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. In this book, "four-color printing" refers to the color image. The white underbase is counted separately.

White underbase. The white layer beneath the color image in the finished transfer. On the film, it is printed on top of the color layer.

Printhead. The component that applies ink as droplets. Often shortened to "head."

Nozzle. An opening through which a drop of ink leaves the head. Not the same as an ink channel.

Channel. A separate path for supplying and using a particular ink.

Nozzle check. A test pattern printed to assess nozzle performance.

Head alignment. Adjusting the relative positions of images produced by different printheads.

Damper. An ink-supply component immediately before the printhead.

Manifold. The part that distributes ink to the printhead.

Capping station. The parking assembly that seals against the head and participates in maintenance.

Sub-tank. An intermediate ink reservoir.

White ink circulation. Movement of white ink around a circulation loop. Not the same as mixing the ink in the tank or cleaning the head.

Shaker. The powder-handling unit in a production line. In everyday use, the term often refers to a combined unit that also includes the dryer.

RIP. Software that prepares an image for printing according to the device's capabilities and settings.

ICC profile. A description of a printing system's color characteristics, used in color management.

Linearization. A stage in setting the response of the print channels before building the color-management workflow.

Hot peel, cold peel, instant peel. Terms describing when the film is removed after pressing. Follow the material's instructions for the exact procedure.

Double-matte. Film with a matte surface on both sides.

Relative humidity. Water vapor content expressed relative to saturation at the given temperature, usually as a percentage.