Apparel DTF artwork guide

• Confirm the approved version, spelling and artwork rights.
• Set final dimensions and quantities for each design.
• Export at 300 ppi at the actual printed size.
• Check transparency on light and dark backgrounds.
• Inspect small text and fine details at print size.
• Use normal reading orientation; do not mirror.
• For sheets, check boundaries, repeat counts and cutting gaps.

Reopen the final export, then keep it with your editable source. A clear filename such as chest-3x3-24copies.png keeps the size and quantity with the file.

State the printed width and height in inches, keeping the original proportions. Canvas size and artwork size are not always the same: trim excessive transparent margins around individual transfers so the dimensions describe the design. For a finished gang sheet, keep the full ordered canvas size intact.

Measure a real garment laid flat. Leave room around seams, collars, zippers, and pockets. Use the size and placement guide for starting dimensions.

Check pixels at the size you intend to print: inches × 300 gives the required pixel dimension for a 300 ppi export. A 3 × 3 in print needs 900 × 900 pixels; a 10 × 12 in print needs 3000 × 3600 pixels. Changing a resolution label or enlarging a small raster image does not restore missing detail.

Vector artwork uses paths and can scale cleanly. Keep the editable vector source, outline fonts and embed linked artwork. Export at the intended finished dimensions; transparent PNG is recommended, and the accepted print-ready vector formats can retain paths. Reopen the export to check it. Avoid screenshots, compressed chat images and photographs of artwork.

Accepted uploads: PNG, JPG/JPEG, SVG, PDF, PSD and AI/EPS. Transparent PNG is recommended. JPG backgrounds print. Outline vector fonts and embed linked artwork. TIFF requires export to an accepted format; changing the filename extension does not convert a file.

Check the exported file, not only the design-app preview. Open it over both dark and light backgrounds. Remove white rectangles, colored backgrounds, stray pixels and any checkerboard that has become part of the artwork. An editor’s checkerboard indicates transparency only if it is absent from the export.

Intentional white lettering and shapes are printable artwork. Keep them; remove only the background you do not want on the garment.

Use 0.02 in (about 0.5 mm) as the minimum preparation guideline for important strokes and isolated details at finished size. Inspect the actual artwork; this is not a guarantee that every detail will reproduce. Very fine lines, tiny dots, distressed specks, and small text can lose adhesive support or become hard to read. Enlarge them or simplify the artwork.

Inspect at actual print size. Use solid, clean edges. Soft shadows and partially transparent fades can reveal the white backing; use deliberate solid shapes or suitable halftones instead.

Reopen the export and check that text reads normally. Supply artwork in normal reading orientation; do not mirror it. Use a consistent sRGB export for raster files and keep the approved source. Screens emit light; printed ink and garment texture reflect it, so screen colors and print colors are not exact matches.

For a color-critical run, test the artwork and garment before committing to the full quantity. Fluorescent, metallic, and special-effect colors are not reproduced by standard full-color DTF ink.

Use a 22-inch-wide canvas at your selected final length. At 300 ppi, 22 × 12 in is 6600 × 3600 pixels. Arrange every design at its final printed size and leave at least 0.25 in between artwork edges for cutting. Keep all artwork inside the canvas.

Inspect the entire layout, confirm each design’s final dimensions and count every repeat against your order. Remove measurement lines, labels, background boxes, and template guides before export. Transparent unused space stays empty; any visible element in the final file is part of the print.

You buy printed DTF transfers on carrier film. Color ink, a white backing layer and heat-activated adhesive form the transfer. Apply it to your own garment with a heat press.

Submit artwork you own or have permission to reproduce. You authorize DTF One to reproduce the submitted artwork to fulfill your order. Check spelling, dates, logos, licensing, dimensions, and layout before submission.

We check for visible production defects; that does not replace your design approval, proofread, or license review. Read artwork responsibilities.