Use our gang sheet builder & receive DTF transfers at Just £8.50 +VAT per linear metre. Free delivery on orders over £150 +VAT
ARTWORK GUIDE
Artwork requirements for DTF transfers
Most of the artwork questions we are asked come down to the same few points. Here is what a print-ready file looks like, so that you can build your own gang sheets with confidence, what our designer will check for you free of charge, and where chargeable design work begins.
Open the gang sheet builder Email your artwork for a free check
What a print-ready file looks like
Vector files are always preferred, such as AI, EPS, PDF, or SVG. Failing that, a PNG with a transparent background at 300 dpi or higher will work well for us. The resolution needs to hold at the size you intend to print, so a small image enlarged to back-print size is unlikely to be suitable.
Please supply artwork with all fonts converted to curves, so that the fonts are not changed when the file is opened in our software. Save the file without any clear space around the edges of the design, as this may result in the artwork being sized incorrectly. There is no need to mirror anything, as our software does this automatically.
The widest we can print is 55cm, the width of our film, and a file wider than that may cause a problem when you upload it to the gang sheet builder.
The questions we are asked most
Each of these is easier to put right before a sheet is printed than after.
Is 300 dpi enough?
Usually, but resolution is not the only test. A low-resolution file printed large will come out blurry or pixelated. A file can also be high resolution and still not be clean artwork, with jagged edges or small holes that only show at larger sizes.
Does the background need to be transparent?
Yes. Only the design itself should be printed and pressed, so the background needs to be see-through and not white. Where a white background forms part of the artwork itself, and does not sit on a separate layer, it is not something we are able to simply remove.
Why avoid glows and shadows?
DTF transfers are printed with solid white ink behind any pixel that is not fully transparent, whatever its opacity. For that reason, please avoid semi-transparent effects, glow effects, gradients, and drop shadows around text or objects.
How fine can lines be?
We recommend that thin lines and details are no thinner than 0.1mm in white areas of a design and 0.35mm in colour areas. Printing a detailed design smaller makes the fine detail finer still, so if you are in doubt, going a little bigger gives it more room to reproduce cleanly.
What size should I ask for?
Give us one measurement, either the width or the height, and the other follows from it to keep the design in proportion. We would suggest measuring the garment itself, so that you can be sure the print will fit.
Will the colours match my screen?
We print the colours carried in your file and do not adjust them at our end, so please supply artwork without any embedded colour profiles. Printed colours may vary slightly from those shown on screen. If a colour has to match a brand reference, ask us for a printed swatch before the run.
Ordering with your artwork
Print-ready file? Use the gang sheet builder
If your artwork meets the requirements above, the quickest way to order is to upload it to our online gang sheet builder, set the sizes and quantities you need, and check out. There is nothing to email and nothing to wait for: your sheet goes into the print queue as soon as it is paid for, at the flat rate of £8.50 plus VAT per linear metre.
Not sure about a file? Email it for a free check first
If you are not certain a file is good enough, email it to info@raptorprinters.co.uk before you build, with the size you intend to print, and our designer will tell you whether it will work. Larger files can be sent through wetransfer.com using the same address.
Please attach the artwork file itself wherever you have it: images pasted into an email, screenshots, photographs, and links to private cloud folders often cannot be downloaded at full quality, or at all. Once you have the all-clear, or a redrawn file from us, go back to the builder to place your order.
What is free and what is chargeable
Looking at your file and telling you what we think is free. Changing the file is design work.
An artwork check
No charge. Email your artwork before you order and our designer will look over the quality and resolution, and let you know whether it is suitable or whether anything needs attention. If a file is not suitable, we will ask whether you have another version before suggesting anything else. There is no charge for advising on artwork suitability.
Changes to your artwork
Quoted per job. Background removal, vectorising, resizing, colour separation, and redraws are chargeable design work. We cannot confirm whether any of them is possible until our designer has examined the file. Depending on how the artwork has been created, a change may be straightforward or it may need some manual work. Simple redraws start from £14.95 plus VAT, and we will give you a price before any work is carried out.
Artwork uploaded to the gang sheet builder goes to print as supplied. Full details: Are gang sheets checked?
If you would prefer us to size and arrange your artwork for you, our layout service is charged at a higher rate than the gang sheet builder. Full pricing is on our DTF Transfer Printing page.
If your artwork needs redrawing
Where a file cannot be used as it stands, our designer may be able to redraw it as a vector file and bring it up to a print-ready standard. We will quote for this first, and payment is required before the designer begins.
We usually turn a redraw round within 24 hours, but please allow 2 to 3 working days as standard. If a job is more complex and likely to take longer, we will say so when we quote.
When the redraw is complete, you will receive the artwork files along with a proof. Nothing is printed until you have approved the proof, so please check the wording, spelling, and sizes on it carefully.
Please bear in mind that a redraw may not be an exact copy of the original. Our designer will work to match it as closely as possible, but some areas of fine detail may need to be simplified or thickened so that the design prints reliably.
Ready to order? Open the gang sheet builder.
If your artwork is print-ready, upload it to the builder and check out. Not sure about a file? Email it first and we will take a look, with no charge for the advice. If you have not pressed our transfers before, request a free sample pack and test them on your own press and garments first.
Open the gang sheet builder Email your artwork Request a free sample pack