DTF transfers that crack or feel thick: total ink limit and black generation

Total ink limit (TIL)

A dark brown is cyan + magenta + yellow + black. Without a limit that pixel gets up to 400 % ink coverage plus 100 % white underneath — five layers of wet ink that never fully dry before the powder. The TIL caps the sum. On DTF film 250–280 % is the range; ZoroPrint defaults to 280.

GCR / black generation

Grey component replacement swaps the part of a colour that is “grey” (equal C, M and Y) for black ink. Higher GCR means less total ink for the same colour, sharper dark detail and a thinner film. 60 % is a safe default; 80 % for designs with a lot of dark shading.

Per-channel limits

Each ink has a point where more drops do not make the colour darker, they only make it wetter. The BlackBox-style defaults (C 80, M 80, Y 70, K 70 %) come from that point on typical DTF inks. If a solid colour looks puddled or bleeds into its neighbour, lower that channel by 10 %.

Symptoms → settings

• Cracks along dark areas after washing: TIL too high → 250 %.
• Transfer feels like a rubber patch: TIL and white density both high → 260 % and 80 % white.
• Dark colours look glossy and smear on the film: per-channel limits → −10 %.
• Dark colours look flat and greyish: GCR too high → 40–50 %.