File Types

Transparency

Think of transparency like a cutout. When your design has a transparent background, the transfer blends directly onto the shirt — no visible border. When the background is white (or any solid color), you'll see that color as a "box" on the garment.

For DTF transfers: always use PNG with a transparent background. If your file has a white background and you want it removed, reach out to us — we can clean it up for a small art fee.

DPI & Resolution

DPI stands for dots per inch — it's how many pixels are packed into each inch of your printed design. More dots = sharper image.

A quick way to check: in Photoshop go to Image → Image Size. On your phone, a photo from a modern camera is usually high enough — but logos copied from a website almost never are.

Size & Dimensions

Your file needs to be large enough to cover the print area at 300 DPI. Here's a simple formula:

Scaling up doesn't help. Stretching a 500 px image to 3,600 px just makes a blurry 500 px image — it doesn't create real detail. Always start from the highest-resolution source you have.

Color Accuracy

Your screen shows colors in RGB — a mix of red, green, and blue light. Printers use CMYK — cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink. These two systems don't cover the same range of colors, so what looks vivid on screen may print slightly different.

Most designs print just fine. But if your brand relies on very specific colors (Pantone colors, neons, electric hues), send us a note and we can flag anything that's likely to shift before we print.

Text & Fine Details

Small text and thin lines are the hardest things to print cleanly. A few rules of thumb:

When in doubt, zoom your design to 100% and squint. If details look muddy at that size, they'll print that way too.

Pre-Submit Checklist

Run through this before you upload:

Watch & Learn