Work out RIP scale factors to compensate for fabric shrinkage in dye‑sublimation
DISCLAIMER: This calculator is a guide only. Shrinkage in polyester fabrics varies by construction, weave or knit type, and stenter pre‑fixation temperature — always confirm with a test fit on your frame system before production.
Fabric shrinks when heat is applied — through a calendar heat press or fixation unit — so printed output comes out smaller than the file. Work out your shrinkage below, then enter the resulting scale factor into your printer or RIP software so the finished piece lands on size. Works with any printer, RIP or calendar.
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Units
Shrinkage Input — Physical Test Print
Print a 1000 × 1000 mm test file, run it through the calendar / heat press under production conditions, then measure the result between registration marks on each axis (average three readings). Weft (X) runs across the roll; warp (Y) along it — mark the axis directions on the file before printing.
Your RIP works the correction out from the physical sizes — e.g. EFI Fiery XF Media Size Correction or Caldera Print Size Discrepancies. Type the expected and measured sizes into those fields and let the software derive the factor. This is the most robust approach — no percentage maths to get wrong.
Scale Factor — enter in RIP / printer
X (Weft / Width)
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× —
Y (Warp / Length)
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× —
⚠ Check your RIP field type. Some RIPs take a percentage (e.g. 102.670, as in Durst Workflow Scale Factor, Caldera Media Parameters or Onyx job scaling), others a decimal multiplier (e.g. 1.0267). Entering 102.67 where a multiplier is expected will massively over‑scale the output.
