I needed to convert an image to PNG format so I have a transparent background. Unfortunately, CMYK isn’t supported by the PNG format. I just wanted an image with a clear background so I can have that image alone in my design. I chose CMYK because I’m currently designing a book to print. Help.
Answer
Why?
Because PNG is a lossless raster image format developed for the web, and ultimately for display screens which are RGB.
However the format was never intended or designed to be a print format, and therefore doesn’t need to support CMYK colour, and so it’s entirely the wrong format to use for CMYK printing – i.e printing where separations are required for making CMYK printing plates/screens, such as in lithography, or screen printing, etc.
The de facto standard raster image format for CMYK printing is TIFF.
Note: Even though TIFF does support transparency, there’s rarely a need for that when using it for CMYK printing. Everything that is white in a CMYK image is non-printing, because white ink is not used in that printing process.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Faz Azmi , Answer Author : Billy Kerr