CMYK TIFF — Print-Ready Raster for Offset Printing
Open BetaCMYK TIFF is a TIFF specialisation for the printing industry: the map is stored in the 4-channel Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Key model instead of RGB, at 300 DPI with lossless LZW compression. On osm2cdr.ru the map is rendered to PNG at 300 DPI and then Pillow converts it from RGB to CMYK. This is the final raster file a print house will accept for an atlas, poster or cover. If an ICC profile (e.g. FOGRA39) is supplied it is embedded in the file; without one a plain Pillow conversion is performed with no embedded profile — for accurate colour agree on a profile with your printer.
Key Features
About CMYK TIFF Format
A printing press lays four inks onto paper — cyan, magenta, yellow and black. A screen image lives in a different model, RGB, and the conversion between them is always someone's choice: either yours or the print service's automation. CMYK TIFF is a way to make that choice in advance and hand the print house a file where the channels are already split into inks.
The format is taken at the final step: the layout is approved, there will be no more edits, and a raster for offset or digital printing is needed. The map is rendered at 300 DPI, converted into four-channel CMYK and saved with lossless compression — quality does not drop after conversion, and any print studio accepts the file.
The limits are stated honestly. This is a flattened image: layers, labels and objects inside are no longer separable, so they have to be fixed before export. There is no bleed in the file — that is added during layout. And the color is accurate exactly as far as the profile is agreed: without an explicitly specified ICC, a basic conversion is performed with no embedded profile, so the profile is better taken from your printer.
What Program Opens CMYK TIFF Files
The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with CMYK TIFF — Print-Ready Raster for Offset Printing (.tif) files exported from OSM2CDR:
Format specifications
- Open standard
- 2D only
- Lossless (no quality loss)
- No attributes
- Output: 1 file
- A print-ready 4-channel CMYK TIFF at 300 DPI with lossless LZW; PNG converted to CMYK via Pillow, an ICC profile (e.g. FOGRA39) embedded only if supplied.
Who Uses CMYK TIFF Maps
How to Export CMYK TIFF
How to Open After Export
- Photoshop — File → Open, then Window → Channels: there should be four CMYK channels. The ICC profile is assigned or replaced there as well (Edit → Assign Profile).
- InDesign or Illustrator — place the map in the layout, add a 3-5 mm bleed and printer's marks, and export the final PDF/X.
- The print house — agree on the profile before printing (often FOGRA39 or ISO Coated v2) and check whether they want a TIFF or a PDF/X with the image embedded.
- Acrobat Pro — a preflight check of the assembled layout: color space, resolution, bleed.
- GIMP or Affinity Photo — they open CMYK TIFF if Photoshop is not at hand; for small edits that is enough.
Popular maps in CMYK TIFF
Get CMYK TIFF — Print-Ready Raster for Offset Printing map exports
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