A white box around the design
The background was still in the file. Hide the background layer and export again as a PNG.
Resolution, Format, Background and Width
If your file ticks those four boxes, it'll print exactly the way it looks on your screen. If you're not sure, send it to us and we'll check it for you.
Resolution
300 DPI
At the size you are printing it
File type
PNG
Vector files work too
Background
Transparent
White prints as white
Max width
22.25 in
Length is up to you
DTF File Types We Accept
Send what you have and we'll do our best with it, though some formats hold fine detail better than others.
PNG
The one we ask for most. It carries a transparent background and keeps clean edges on any color of garment.
Vector files, meaning AI, EPS, SVG or PDF
Scale a vector from a left chest print up to a hoodie back and the edges stay as sharp as they started.
JPG
Good for artwork that fills a rectangle. A JPG carries a solid background, so shaped designs want a PNG.
Sizing Artwork for a DTF Transfer
Set your canvas to the finished print size, then work at 300 DPI. A 12-inch back print comes out at around 3,600 pixels wide.
Enlarging a small file afterwards spreads the same detail across more inches. Send us the small version and we will tell you the largest size it holds at.
The numbers
- Maximum print width, 22.25 inches
- Length, as far as you need
- Resolution, 300 DPI at final size
- Thinnest line, 1pt
- Smallest text, 6pt
- Smallest element, 0.02 inches
DTF Transfer Sizes by Placement
Standard sizes for adult apparel, with the pixel width your file needs at 300 DPI.
Left chest and sleeve
3 to 4 in
900 to 1,200 px
Pocket print
3.5 in
1,050 px
Youth full front
8 to 9 in
2,400 to 2,700 px
Adult full front
10 to 12 in
3,000 to 3,600 px
Adult full back
12 to 14 in
3,600 to 4,200 px
Oversized back
up to 22.25 in
up to 6,675 px
Transparent Backgrounds on PNG Files
A design sitting on a white square prints with the white square attached. On a black t-shirt, that arrives as a white box with your logo in the middle of it.
Export as a PNG with the background layer hidden. A chequerboard pattern behind your design means it saved the way we need it.
Checking your export
In Canva, tick Transparent background on the export screen
In Photoshop, hide the background layer, then use Export As and choose PNG
A logo saved from a website often looks transparent against a white page and turns out to be a JPG
Exporting a Print Ready File From Your Design App
The settings are the same everywhere. These are the menu paths in the apps our customers use most.
Canva
Custom size in inches, then Share, Download, PNG, and tick Transparent background. Push the size slider to 2x.
Adobe Photoshop
Image, Image Size, set inches at 300 PPI. Hide the background layer, then File, Export, Export As, PNG.
Adobe Illustrator
Set Document Color Mode to RGB, size the artboard to the print, outline your text, then Export As PNG at 300 PPI.
Procreate
Start the canvas at print size and 300 DPI, hide the background layer, then Share, PNG.
Photopea, free in a browser
The same menus as Photoshop, it exports transparent PNGs at full resolution, and it needs no account.
How Screen Colors Come Out in Print
Screens build color out of light and we build it out of ink. Most shades land close to where you expect. Neons and glowing gradients move the most, since a backlit screen reaches further than pigment does.
Design in RGB and send it in RGB. Eight inks get us closer to what you see on the screen than a four-color press manages. For an exact match, send a Pantone reference or a printed sample, and we will work to that.
Setting Up a Gang Sheet File
A gang sheet is one sheet with several designs laid out on it, priced by the area it uses. The builder handles the layout for you, and these are the rules if you'd rather build the file yourself.
- Keep the sheet within 22.25 inches wide, with the length up to you
- Leave a quarter inch of clear space between designs so the cut has somewhere to go
- Keep a quarter inch clear inside the outer edge of the sheet
- Every design still needs 300 DPI at its own finished size
- Group similar sizes together, which uses the sheet more efficiently
- A full sheet lands between 50MB and 150MB, so send it uncompressed
Why a File Comes Back Before Printing
These are the problems we see most, with what each one looks like once it's on fabric.
Soft or pixelated edges
The file was under 300 DPI at print size. Go back to the source and rebuild at the finished size.
A pale outline tracing the artwork
A cutout left a fringe of light pixels. Zoom to 300 percent along the edge and tighten the selection.
Fine lines dropping out
Anything under 1pt, or text under 6pt, breaks up on the film. Thicken the strokes or scale it up.
A gradient that fades to nothing
Below about 25 percent opacity the white underbase goes patchy. Build the fade out of halftone dots.
A screenshot instead of a file
A screenshot captures at screen resolution and lands near 72 DPI. Export from the app you designed in.
Checks Before You Upload
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Canvas set to the finished print size
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300 DPI at that size
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Background transparent
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Nothing important within a quarter inch of the edge
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Text outlined, or the font sent with the file
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Saved as a PNG or a vector file
Common Questions About DTF Artwork
What DPI do DTF transfers need?
300 DPI at the printed size. A file measuring 300 DPI at two inches wide drops to 60 DPI once it is stretched to ten inches, so set your canvas to the finished size first and work from there. The gang sheet builder flags files that fall short.
Can I use a Canva design for DTF transfers?
Yes. Download it as a PNG and tick Transparent background on the export screen. Canva's standard download puts a white background behind the artwork, which prints as a white block on a colored garment. Everything else about a Canva file prints fine.
Can I send a JPG for a DTF transfer?
Yes, for artwork that fills a rectangle. JPGs carry a solid background, so a circular logo arrives as a circle on a square and prints that way. For any design with shaped edges, send a PNG or a vector file and the cut follows your artwork.
Do you check artwork before printing?
Every file gets looked at before it goes on the press. Anything that would print soft, or that has a background where it should be transparent, comes back to you first. [link to: contact page] if you want a file checked before you place the order.
What is the smallest text you can print on a DTF transfer?
Around 6pt, in a font with some weight to it. Hairline serifs and thin scripts start to break up at that size, since the ink needs a certain width to hold on the film. Solid lines hold down to about 1pt.
Do DTF transfers need bleed?
Bleed is not needed. The cut follows your artwork, so nothing gets trimmed off the edges. Keep anything important a quarter inch clear of the outer edge and the design sits comfortably within the sheet. Full bleed backgrounds print fine where the design calls for one.
Check Your File Before Printing
Drop your artwork into the builder and it will flag anything that would print soft before you pay.
Build Your Gang Sheet →