Shrinkage Compensation

Applying shrinkage compensation in the AVA Digital Print RIP


Shrinkage Compensation is designed to combat printed textile size distortion after the finishing processes, shrinkage compensation allows users to measure, compare and calculate the amount of distortion, and enter a compensation scale for all prints in a particular queue. 


Finishing processes such as washing and steaming can have a shrinkage or expansion effect on printed textile samples. The effect can vary between samples and specific materials.

How to workout your Shrinkage Compensation

  1. Open and print a design on a specific textile substrate.
  2. Put the printed design through the relevant finishing processes.
  3. Measure the physical width and height of the printed textile design after finishing.


How to setup your Shrinkage Compensation

  1. Select the relevant queue window and go to Queue Menu > Shrinkage Compensation or click on the Shrinkage Compensation Settings button in the toolbar.
  2. Enter the original design width and height, as stated in the digital AVA file, in the Expected Size fields.
  3. Enter the printed design width and height, as measured after finishing, in the Actual Size fields.
  4. Click on Calculate Scale. The actual scaling will be entered in the Horizontal and Vertical Scale fields at the top of the window. 
  5. Click OK and the shrinkage compensation is now set for the selected queue.

This will mean that after printing / finishing the final file will be the correct size (size sent to print). You can repeat steps for other queues / substrates and processes requiring different scaling compensations.


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