This video will show you ten simple tips to improve your design file. You can use these tips right away. You’ll find a tutorial that will help improve your designs if you wait until the end.
Let’s get started with the first tip.
1. Avoid glow and fade effects
Drop shadow and fade effects are not recommended for DTG prints. They can cause unexpected results. Semi-transparent parts on colored or black t-shirts can appear very pale, grainy, and discolored.
2. Simplify your embroidery designs
Our products have a very limited embroidery area, particularly for hats. Therefore, it is important to think big when it comes embroidery. Our guidelines don’t allow for small, detailed or complex designs. They won’t work with embroidery.
3. Do not increase the file size for low resolution files
An algorithm adds pixels to an image that has a lower resolution. The algorithm isn’t perfect so the image will end up larger and heavier, but it is still blurry.
4. Bright neon colors can be dangerous
The 80s look is in and bright neons are more popular than ever. You don’t have to be afraid of trying new things, but you should be aware that printed pieces might appear duller than they do on the screen.
These colors are mostly intended for display purposes and fall outside of the printable range. This means that they can’t be printed as brightly. Please remember that all colors will look slightly brighter on screens than they do on products due to the fact that screens are backlit.
5. Make sure you use the correct file dimensions and DPI
This means that you cannot create one print file of your design, and then reuse it for multiple products. Each product type may have a different fabric, texture and size. You may need to adjust certain elements in your design to meet these conditions. Our templates already have a pre-determined DPI and size. We recommend that you use them.
6. Full-bleed images are best
Full-bleed refers to an image that extends beyond the boundaries of the work area (or the safe print area) and doesn’t leave any margins. Uploading an image like this for an all-over product is important. You need to ensure that the image fills the entire safe print area, and the required size and DPI. If the graphic isn’t used, the uncovered area will be exposed when the product is printed and sewn together.
Make sure that all important elements of your design are included within the safe print area. This will ensure that the design elements are not sewn into seams.
7. Be sure to remove backgrounds correctly
It will be printed if something is visible on the screen. After removing the background, ensure that there are no pixels left around the graphic. This can be checked by either adding a brightly-colored background layer to the image or copying the layer with your design multiple times. You can then erase the semi-transparencies and make them more obvious.
8. Avoid tiny text
We mentioned embroidery previously that small designs, especially those with tiny text, don’t conform to our guidelines and can compromise product quality. This applies to DTG as well as other product designs. Even though tiny text might look great when you create the design on your computer’s screen, it can end up looking too complicated or busy when printed.
9. Add more contrast
Even the slightest of color nuances can be displayed on screens. Digital printers are still developing but they are still quite capable. You might lose detail if you use very similar colors in your design.
10. The file should be centered with the design
The button in our Design Maker allows you to automatically center the design. However, it will not help if the graphic has been not centered within your file. It can be frustrating to try and center each design manually. We recommend that you center the design before you export the print file.
