How to prepare a print-ready artwork file

The short version

A print-ready file is:

• 300 DPI or higher (or a vector file like SVG, AI, PDF or EPS)
• On a transparent background (PNG, not JPEG)
• Sized at the final print dimensions you want on the garment
• In the exact colours you want printed

If your file ticks those four boxes, we can print it. If it doesn't, keep reading.

Two ways to get a print-ready file

You've got two paths into a Printibly order, and they suit different starting points.

Easy Upload is for when you already have artwork. A logo from your designer, a poster you've made, a photo. Drop the file in, we'll check it on our end, and we'll send a digital proof within 24 hours.

Interactive Design Studio is our in-browser canvas. You design directly in the browser — add text, shapes, images, choose your colours, position everything on the garment. The Studio outputs a print-ready file automatically, so you don't need to worry about resolution or transparency. Best path if you don't have artwork already.

We don't offer a design service. If you need something built from scratch and the Design Studio isn't enough, you'll need a designer — but most customers find the Studio handles their needs.

Resolution — what 300 DPI means

DPI stands for dots per inch. The higher the number, the more detail the file contains, and the sharper it prints.

A photo straight off your phone is usually 72 DPI — fine for the screen, blurry when printed at A4 size on a t-shirt. A file at 300 DPI has roughly four times the detail, which is what we need for a crisp print.

If you've got a small JPEG from a website and you blow it up to fit a hoodie back, it'll print blurry. There's nothing we can do to add detail that isn't in the file. The best fix is to find a higher-resolution version, or rebuild the artwork in the Design Studio.

Vector files (SVG, AI, EPS, PDF) sidestep this entirely. They scale to any size without losing detail, which is why they're ideal for logos and text-based designs.

Transparent backgrounds

If you send us a JPEG of a logo on a white square, we'll print the white square too. JPEGs can't store transparency — the background is part of the image.

PNG files can store transparency. If your logo is on a checkered grey-and-white background in the file preview, that's transparency, and that's what you want.

Save your design as a PNG with the background removed. If you're not sure how, drop the file into the Design Studio and you can erase the background there.

Sizing — print it at the size you want it

Set your artwork to the final size in your design software before exporting. We'll match what you send — if you upload a 50mm logo and ask for it on the chest, we'll print it at 50mm.

Typical print sizes

These are the standard dimensions most customers go with — feel free to deviate if your design calls for something different.

• Left or right chest logo: around 85mm wide
• Full back print: around 280mm wide
• Pocket prints: around 100mm wide
• Sleeve prints: around 50-80mm wide (depends on garment)

If you're unsure of sizes, use the Design Studio. You'll see the artwork on a preview of the garment as you design, so the proportions are right before you check out.

Same print size on every garment in the order

This is important and often surprises customers: we print your artwork at the same physical size on every garment in the order — we do not scale the print up or down for different garment sizes.

A 280mm back print on a Small is the same 280mm back print on an XXL. The shirt gets bigger, the print doesn't. This is how every commercial printer works (DTF, DTG, screen, embroidery), but it's worth saying because the assumption is often the opposite.

What this means in practice:

• If your design fills a Medium nicely, it will look smaller and more centred on an XXL
• If your design fits an XXL nicely, it may run close to the edges on a Small
• Pick a size that works across your full size range. Medium is the usual reference point.

If you genuinely need different print sizes per garment size (e.g. shrunk-down design for kids' tees), that's a separate order per print size — get in touch and we'll set it up.

Colours

DTF printing reproduces colour very accurately. What you see on a calibrated screen is close to what you'll get on the garment, with two caveats.

Screens are backlit. Garments aren't. Bright neon colours look more saturated on a screen than they do printed on cotton.

Garment colour shows through faintly on lighter prints. If you print a pale yellow design on a black hoodie, the white underbase keeps it bright. If you print pale yellow on a navy hoodie without specifying, you might want to add a white base layer — we'll flag this on your proof.

You'll see colours on the digital proof we send before printing, so any concerns get caught before we hit print.