Home / Artwork Guidelines
Artwork that prints.
What we need from you, why we need it, and how to check your file before you upload it.
Check before you upload
Is your artwork big enough?
Resolution only means something at a given print size. Enter your file's pixel dimensions and how wide you want it on the garment.
- Print height
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- Max width at 300 dpi
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- Pixels needed here
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Get it right once
What we need, and why.
DTF is unusually forgiving about what you print — colour, gradients, fine detail, any fabric. It is much less forgiving about what you send us. Almost every reprint we have ever seen traces back to one of three things: a file too small for the size it was printed at, a background that was never actually transparent, or artwork exported from a screen rather than for print.
File format
Send PNG with a genuine alpha channel. Not a JPEG. Not a PNG that merely looks like it has no background because the background happens to be white.
The distinction matters because DTF prints a white underbase everywhere your file has pixels. A white background is pixels. It will print as a white rectangle around your design, and you will not find out until the transfer is pressed.
If all you have is a JPEG, run it through background removal in the builder before nesting it. That strips the background properly rather than hoping it goes away.
Resolution
Resolution on its own is meaningless. 2000 pixels is superb at 60 mm wide and poor at 400 mm wide. What matters is dpi at final print size, which is what the checker above works out.
We print to 300 dpi. Below roughly 150 dpi, edges soften visibly and small text starts to break up. Between the two it will print, but you will see the difference next to a properly exported file.
Enlarging a small file does not add detail. Nor does upscaling in Photoshop, whatever the dialog implies. If the pixels were never captured, no amount of interpolation invents them — it just makes a bigger blurry file.
Colour
Work in RGB and let us handle the conversion. DTF printers have their own colour profile, and a file pre-converted to CMYK usually comes back duller than the designer expected.
Screen colour and printed colour are different mediums. Very bright saturated greens, oranges and blues sit outside what any pigment ink can reproduce, so they will shift slightly. This is normal and not a fault.
Sizing and detail
Set your artwork at the exact size you want it pressed. Sizing on the fly in the builder is fine, but a file built at final size removes a whole class of surprises.
Very fine lines and small text are where DTF shows its limits. Hairlines thinner than about 1 mm, and text below roughly 4 mm cap height, are at risk of breaking up or filling in.
Halftones
If your design has large solid areas, consider running it through the halftone generator first. It converts solids into a dot pattern, which uses less ink, presses softer, and flexes with the fabric instead of sitting on top of it like a patch.
Halftones suit distressed and vintage looks, large fills, and anything going onto stretchy fabric. Leave fine text and small logos solid.
If you read nothing else
The short version.
Do this
- PNG with a real transparent background
- 300 dpi measured at final print size
- RGB colour, and let us convert it
- Artwork built at the size you want it pressed
- Halftones on large solid fills
- Check the file in the checker above before uploading
Not this
- JPEGs, or PNGs with a white background
- Screenshots, or images pulled off a website
- Upscaling a small file to make it fit
- Pre-converting to CMYK yourself
- Hairlines under about 1 mm
- Text below about 4 mm cap height
Still unsure
Questions about files.
What file format do you need?
PNG with a genuine transparent background, at 300 dpi measured at final print size. The builder flags anything below that before you check out.
My artwork was rejected. Why?
The two usual causes are resolution below 300 dpi at print size, and a file saved without a transparent background. Both get flagged at upload rather than after printing.
Can I send a PDF or an AI file?
Yes. Send AI, EPS, PDF or PSD in the order notes and we'll convert it for free.
Can you fix or redraw my artwork?
Yes, we can redraw your artwork for an additional fee. We’ll confirm the cost before proceeding.
Do you check my file before printing?
Resolution and transparency are checked automatically at upload, and anything below the threshold is flagged to you there and then.
