Print files
Printify print file size and DPI
A standard t-shirt front is 4500 × 5400 pixels — 15 by 18 inches at 300 DPI — as a PNG with a fully transparent background. The rest of the detail, and the four mistakes that cost people a reprint, are below.
Specification
What Printify needs
From Printify's own file requirements. Check the product creator for the exact numbers on anything that is not a t-shirt front.
| Requirement | Value | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 300 DPI | 120–150 DPI is accepted on large items like blankets and leggings |
| Format | PNG | JPEG works where you do not need transparency. SVG is accepted too |
| Background | 100% transparent | No semi-transparent pixels — they print as a grey haze |
| Color profile | sRGB | CMYK files get converted, and the conversion is not in your control |
| Max file size | 100 MB | 20 MB for SVG |
| T-shirt front canvas | 4500 × 5400px | 15 × 18 inches at 300 DPI |
What goes wrong
Five mistakes that reach the customer
None of these look wrong on screen, which is why they get printed.
Semi-transparent edges
A soft shadow or a feathered edge looks right on screen and prints as a dull grey box on a dark shirt, because DTG lays white underbase under anything that is not fully transparent. Flatten soft edges before you export.
Upscaling a small file
Enlarging a 1000px design to 4500px does not add detail, it adds blur — and blur that was invisible on screen is very visible on fabric. Start at print size or start again.
Near-white on white
White or very pale artwork on a white garment prints as almost nothing, because there is no ink contrast to carry it. Check the design against the lightest color you have enabled, not against your canvas.
Designing to the full print area
The print area is the maximum, not the target. A design that fills it sits enormous on a small and cramped on a 3XL, because the print scales with the garment.
Forgetting the placement is per product
Printify shows the exact requirement for each print area in the product creator. A hoodie front is not a t-shirt front, and a file sized for one is wrong on the other.
After the print file
The placement you set is the placement you show
Once the file is right and positioned in Printify, that placement is worth reusing rather than recreating. Importing a product here brings the artwork and the exact print placement across, so the mockup shows the design where it will actually print — not where it looked right on a blank canvas.
- Artwork pulled straight from the product
- The print placement you already set, not a guess
- Only the colors you have enabled for sale
- Every color rendered from that one placement
FAQ
Print file questions
- What size should a Printify t-shirt design be?
- 4500 × 5400 pixels for a standard front print, which is 15 × 18 inches at 300 DPI. Printify shows the exact requirement for every other print area in the product creator, and they differ by product.
- What DPI does Printify need?
- 300 DPI for most products. Large-format items such as blankets, tapestries and leggings are accepted at 120–150 DPI, because the viewing distance is different and the file would otherwise be enormous.
- Does the background have to be transparent?
- For anything printed on a garment, yes — a fully transparent PNG with no semi-transparent pixels. Partial transparency is the single most common cause of an unexpected white or grey patch around a design.
- What is Printify's maximum file size?
- 100 MB for PNG and JPEG, and 20 MB for SVG. Hitting it usually means the file is far larger than it needs to be rather than that the design is too detailed.
- Will a bigger file print better?
- Only up to the print size. Beyond 300 DPI at the physical dimensions being printed, the extra pixels are discarded — the printer cannot use them, and the file just takes longer to upload.
- Do my mockups need to be the same size as my print file?
- No, they are unrelated. The print file is what gets printed; the mockup is a photograph of a garment with your design drawn on it, and it only has to meet Etsy's image requirements.
Mockups from the placement you already set. See pricing