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Design guidelines

These guidelines will help you create high-quality designs for Direct to Film (DTF) printing using our designer on the sellshirts system. Following them ensures the best print results and reduces any potential issues during printing.

All garments on our platform are printed using DTF technology.

Print Area & Size Limits

Maximum Print Size

  • 60 × 100 cm
  • Actual available print area depends on the physical size of the garment.

Garment-Based Size Variations

Smaller garments have reduced print areas:

  • Bra tops
  • Shorts
  • Children’s garments
  • Cropped styles

Your available print area will be:

  • Automatically shown in the designer
  • Dynamically adjusted per garment type and size

Recommended File Specifications

File Formats

Best formats:

  • PNG (preferred)
  • JPG (high resolution)

Not supported:

  • PSD
  • TIFF
  • PDF
  • GIF
  • SVG

Resolution

  • 300 DPI at final print size (recommended)
  • Minimum: 240 DPI
  • Designs below 200 DPI may appear blurry or pixelated
  • Scaling up low-resolution images will reduce print quality.

Colour & Colour Mode

Colour Mode

  • RGB (preferred for DTF workflows)

We handle the colour conversion during the production printing process.

Colours & Vibrancy

  • DTF prints are vibrant and opaque, including on dark garments
  • Very bright neon or fluorescent colours may appear slightly muted

Subtle gradients are supported, but:

  • Extremely soft gradients may show a halo banding effect
  • Add slight contrast for best results

Transparency & Backgrounds

DTF supports full transparency.

Recommended:

  • Transparent backgrounds
  • Clean cut edges

Avoid:

  • Flattened backgrounds when transparency is intended
  • White / black backgrounds unless they are part of the design

Line Thickness & Detail

To ensure durability and clarity:

Minimum Guidelines

  • Minimum line thickness: 0.5 mm
  • Minimum text size: 6 pt (at final print size)

Thin lines, micro text, or fine textures may:

  • Break during printing process
  • Wear faster after washing

Text & Typography

Best practices:

  • Use bold or medium-weight fonts
  • Maintain adequate spacing between letters

Avoid:

  • Very small text on the garment, as very tiny items do not adhere very well to the texture of the garment
  • Extremely thin fonts
  • Overlapping text effects at small sizes

White Ink & Opacity

DTF printing includes a white ink underbase, automatically applied.

  • You do not need to add white layers manually
  • Semi-transparent areas will appear lighter on dark garments
  • Fully opaque designs provide the most consistent results

Prohibited Content

The following content is strictly prohibited and will NOT be printed:

Copyright & Trademark Infringement

  • Logos, artwork, or brand names you do not own or have licensed
  • Designs referencing well-known brands, companies, or products
  • Celebrity names, likenesses, or signatures without permission
  • Fan art, movie, TV, game, music, or sports-related designs without authorization

Counterfeit Products

  • Replicas or imitations of branded apparel
  • Designs intended to appear “official,” “authentic,” or “licensed” when they are not
  • Use of brand-style typography, logos, or symbols meant to mislead customers

Illegal & Restricted Content

  • Content that violates local, national, or international laws
  • Hate speech, extremist symbols, or incitement to violence
  • Sexually explicit content involving minors
  • Content promoting illegal activities, drugs, or weapons

Please refer to our Content policy for full details.

File Preparation Checklist

Before submitting your design, make sure:

  • The correct garment is selected
  • The design fits within the print area
  • The resolution is 300 DPI (for best results)
  • The background is transparent (if needed)
  • All text is readable and sized correctly
  • No unnecessary borders or crop marks (these will appear in the final print)

Final Notes

  • What you see in the designer preview is the closest representation of the final print
  • The colours seen on a screen vary slightly to colours when printed. We cannot offer an exact colour match as colours vary from screen to screen.
  • Minor colour variations in the print may occur due to fabric type and the colour of the garment
  • We do not check or modify your artwork. If the guidelines have not been followed we will print and dispatch your order as this is an automated service.
  • Changes can not be made to the order after it has been placed, unless you have been contacted specifically about a change.