Design Resources
Artwork Preparation Guide
Direct-to-Film (DTF) printing produces stunning, photo-realistic colors and crisp details—but the final print is only as good as the file you provide. Follow these guidelines to ensure a flawless print.
The Golden Rule: Transparent Backgrounds
DTF printers print exactly what is in your file. If your logo has a solid white or black box behind it, the printer will print that box. Your artwork must have a strictly transparent background.
Resolution & Quality
All artwork must be created at the actual print size at 300 DPI (Dots Per Inch). If you design a logo that is 2 inches wide at 72 DPI, and we try to stretch it to 10 inches for a full front print, it will look blurry and pixelated.
- Always design your artwork at the exact dimensions you want it printed (e.g., 12" x 14").
- Never take a small, blurry image from Google and just "change the DPI" to 300. This does not restore lost quality.
Our design team offers artwork recreation and vectorization services starting at $25.
Accepted File Formats
| Format | Type | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| .AI / .SVG / .EPS | Vector | Perfect |
| .PNG | Raster (Must be 300 DPI) | Great |
| Mixed (Depends on contents) | Usually Fine | |
| .JPG / .JPEG | Raster | Not Accepted (No transparency) |
Avoid Soft Fades & Drop Shadows
DTF printing works by laying down CMYK color ink, followed by a solid layer of white ink, and then a layer of adhesive powder.
Because of this, DTF technology struggles with soft, semi-transparent edges (like drop shadows, glowing effects, or smoke fading into nothing). The printer has to decide whether a pixel gets white backing ink or not. If a pixel is 10% transparent black, the printer may put solid white ink behind it, resulting in a harsh, ugly white halo around your design.
If your design requires a fade, you must use a "halftone" effect. Halftoning converts transparent gradients into solid dots of varying sizes, allowing the white backing ink to print perfectly behind each dot.