How to Prepare Artwork for T-Shirt Printing and Embroidery

DTF printing vs embroidery: why the file matters

Most custom clothing today is decorated in one of two ways, and each one reads your file differently.

DTF (Direct to Film) prints your design onto a film with full colour and a white underbase, then heat-presses it onto the fabric. It handles gradients, photos and fine detail well. The catch is that it prints exactly what is in the file, including any white background you forgot to remove.

Embroidery rebuilds your design with thread. A digitiser converts your artwork into stitch paths, so clean shapes, solid colours and a limited palette work best. Photos, soft shadows and gradients cannot be stitched.

Minimum values based on the artwork guidelines published by Matter Studio, a custom clothing studio in Portugal. Always confirm the limits with your own producer.

Step 1: Remove the background

This is the most common mistake, and the most visible one. In DTF printing, white is a printable colour. If your PNG or JPG has a white background, it will be printed as a white rectangle around your design. On a black hoodie, that looks like a sticker someone forgot to trim.

If you have the original vector file, delete the background layer and export again. If all you have is a flat image, run it through a background remover:

1. Open the free Remove Background tool.
2. Drop in the logo. It detects the background colour from the image borders and removes it, with soft edge feathering.
3. Download the result as a PNG with transparency.
4. Zoom in to 200% and check the edges. Leftover halos of white pixels will show up on dark fabrics.

Background removal works best when the logo sits on a solid, even background. For a photo with a busy background, it is worth asking the client for the original file before spending time on cleanup.

Step 2: Get the pixel size right

Web designers think in pixels. Printers think in centimetres and DPI (dots per inch). The good news is that converting between the two is simple maths:

Pixels = print width in cm ÷ 2.54 × DPI

150 DPI is the usual minimum for DTF. 300 DPI is the target for sharp results. Here is what that means for common print areas:

That 400 px logo from the website header is not going to survive a full back print. And scaling it up in an image converter will not help: upscaling adds pixels, not detail. If the file is too small, ask for the vector original or redraw the logo as an SVG.

The DPI value stored inside the file is just metadata. What actually matters is the pixel count at the final print size.

Step 3: Export in the right format

For logos, typography and flat illustrations, send a vector file whenever you can: SVG, AI or PDF. Vectors scale to any size without losing quality and give the embroidery digitiser clean shapes to work from.

For raster artwork, follow these rules:

• PNG is the safe choice. It is lossless and keeps transparency.
• WebP is accepted by some DTF printers, but stick to PNG for embroidery.
• JPG should be avoided. It has no transparency and compression artefacts around edges become visible in print.
• HEIC and BMP are rarely accepted. Convert them first.

If a client sends a WebP from their website or a HEIC straight from their phone, use the Image Converter to turn it into a PNG in a few seconds. It also works in batches, which helps when a team sends you ten sponsor logos in five different formats.

Step 4: Lock down your colours with Pantone

The HEX code from your brand guide describes a colour on a screen. Fabric, ink and thread behave differently, so "#1E5B3A" means very little to a print shop. A Pantone reference gives everyone a shared, physical colour to match.

1. Copy the HEX or RGB values of each brand colour.
2. Paste them into the Pantone Converter to get the closest Pantone Solid Coated match.
3. Add the Pantone references to your order notes or artwork file.

For embroidery, the studio matches the Pantone to the nearest thread colour from their supplier's chart. Thread ranges are limited, so expect a close match rather than an exact one, especially for very saturated or neon tones. If colour accuracy is critical for the brand, ask for a photo of the thread options before production.

Step 5: Check thin lines and small text

Details that look crisp on a retina screen can disappear on fabric. Before you send anything, view the design at its real print size (set your zoom so 10 cm on screen equals 10 cm on a ruler) and check:

• Line weight: at least 0.5 mm for DTF and 1.5 mm for embroidery.
• Text size: at least 6 pt for DTF and 6 mm in height for embroidery.
• Gaps between elements: at least 0.3 mm for DTF, or they may fill in.
• Fonts: convert all text to outlines or curves, so the printer does not need your fonts installed.

Logos with a tagline in tiny letters are a classic problem for left chest embroidery. A good solution is a simplified version of the logo for small applications. If the brand does not have one, this is a great opportunity to design it.

Print-ready checklist

• Background removed, with no white halo around the edges
• Vector file (SVG, AI or PDF), or a PNG at 300 DPI at the final print size
• No JPG, HEIC or BMP files
• Text converted to outlines
• Lines and text above the minimum sizes for the technique
• Pantone references for each brand colour
• For embroidery: maximum 6 colours, no gradients, final size in cm noted

From file to finished garment

Once your artwork is ready, the last step is choosing where to produce it. Many print shops still ask for minimum orders of 20 or 50 pieces, which does not work for a single sample, a small team or a client who wants to test their merch first.

If you are in Europe, Matter Studio is a custom clothing studio based in Portugal that produces t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, polos, caps and bags with DTF printing and embroidery, with no minimum quantities. You choose the garment, upload your artwork in their online customiser and review the mockup before ordering. Their artwork guide is also a good reference to bookmark for the technical limits of each technique.

FAQ

What is the best file format for t-shirt printing?

A vector file (SVG, AI or PDF) is the best option for logos and illustrations, because it scales to any size without losing quality. For photos or painted artwork, use a PNG at 300 DPI at the final print size, with a transparent background.

Why does my print have a white box around the design?

In DTF printing, white areas in your file are printed as white ink. If the image has a white background instead of a transparent one, the background is printed too. Remove the background and export as a PNG with transparency.

How many pixels do I need for a full front t-shirt print?

For a 28 cm wide print, you need about 3307 px at 300 DPI, or at least 1654 px at 150 DPI. Use the formula: print width in cm divided by 2.54, multiplied by the DPI.

Can I embroider a logo with a gradient?

Not directly. Embroidery uses solid thread colours, so gradients and soft shadows cannot be reproduced. Create a flat version of the logo with a limited palette, ideally up to 6 colours.

Is a Pantone code enough to match my brand colour in embroidery?

It is the best starting point. The producer matches the Pantone reference to the closest available thread colour. The result will be very close, but thread ranges are limited, so an exact match is not always possible.