Because ink deserves better than “close enough.”
DTF doesn’t guess. It doesn’t fix. It prints exactly what you send.
That’s great news if your files are clean. That’s chaos if they’re not.
So let’s get you dialed in.
THE GOLDEN RULES
Tattoo these on your brain.
PNG. Transparent. Period.
If there’s a background hiding in there, it will show up. Fabric is a snitch.
300 DPI at final size.
Not scaled up later. Not “it looked fine on my screen.”
If it’s 10 inches on the shirt, build it 10 inches from the start.
RGB only.
I run wide-gamut ink for a reason.
Don’t choke your colors before they even hit the press.
Zoom in like a maniac.
300–400%.
If the edges look fuzzy on your screen, they’ll look worse on cotton.
FILE PROBLEMS I SEE ALL THE TIME
None of them are personal. All of them are fixable.
Pixelated designs
Screenshots. Tiny files. Wishful thinking.
Fix it by exporting from the source or rebuilding it properly.
Soft edges
Usually from resizing or over-saving a file.
Export once. At size. Clean.
Tiny details vanishing
Fabric moves. Ink spreads. Physics wins.
Use thicker lines. Bold text. Give your art some muscle.
White boxes or weird halos
That’s fake transparency.
Drop your file on a dark background. If you see a box, it’s wrong.
Sad, muted colors
Almost always a CMYK problem.
Stay RGB. Let the ink do its thing.
ABOUT AI ART
I’m not anti-AI. I’m anti-lazy.
Most AI files need love before they’re print-ready.
Upscale intentionally. Sharpen carefully. Zoom in and inspect everything.
If it barely holds together on a screen, it won’t survive fabric.
BEFORE YOU UPLOAD
Quick gut check.
• PNG with real transparency
• Built at final size
• 300 DPI
• RGB color
• Edges checked up close
• No screenshots
• No “eh, it should be fine”
If that list annoys you, good.
That’s the sound of better prints coming.
THE DEAL
I bring the ink, the film, and the magic.
You bring clean files.
Meet me there and your prints come out loud, crisp, and retail-ready.
Miss it and the press will tell on you.
Now fix the art.
Then let me print it like a boss.
