when not to use CSS sprites?

Question

I want to know when not to use CSS sprites. CSS sprites works great, but are there any occasions when they create a lot of headaches?

Answer 1

Using larger pic might be a headache... When pics are combined in smaller size, and neighbouring pics are just 1 or 2 px between each other, then CSS sprites can be a good solution. In our case, http://www.nbhuntop.com, we just use it for menu components including: Home, About, Products. And all the pics are in gif format, and no one will download these pics at all.