The single biggest thing that decides how your shirt turns out is not the printer or the shirt. It is the file you start with. A clean file prints crisp edges and bright colors. A small, fuzzy file prints exactly that, just bigger. The good news is that most problems are easy to spot and easy to fix before you order.
The two kinds of image files
Raster files: JPG, PNG, photos
Raster images are made of pixels. They are great for photos, but they have a fixed amount of detail. Stretch a small one to fill a shirt and the edges go soft and blocky. Phone photos, screenshots, most social media images and most logos downloaded from a website are raster files.
Vector files: SVG, AI, EPS, PDF
Vector files are made of shapes and math, not pixels, so they can be scaled to any size and stay sharp. Most logos made by a designer exist as a vector somewhere. If you paid someone for your logo, ask them for the "vector" or "original" file. For vinyl lettering, vector art is especially helpful, because our cutter follows the outline of your design.
Resolution: the 300 DPI rule
For printing, the target is about 300 pixels per inch at the size it will print, which is the same guidance you will find in most printing guides, like this one from Vistaprint. Here is what that means for common print sizes:
| Print location | Typical size | Ideal pixels | Usually OK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left chest | 3.5 to 4 in. wide | about 1,200 px wide | 800 px |
| Full front | 10 to 12 in. wide | about 3,600 px wide | 2,400 px |
| Full back | 11 to 12 in. wide | about 3,600 px wide | 2,400 px |
| 18 x 24 in. yard sign | full sign | about 5,400 x 7,200 px | 2,700 x 3,600 px |
The "usually OK" column is about 200 DPI. Many designs, especially bold text and simple shapes, still look good there. Photos and fine detail need more. A quick test: zoom your image to 100% on your screen. If the edges already look fuzzy or jagged there, they will on the shirt too.
Transparent backgrounds matter
If your logo is a JPG, it almost certainly has a white or colored box around it. On a white shirt you might not notice. On a black or navy shirt, that box prints as a solid rectangle. You want a PNG with a transparent background, which shows up as a checkerboard pattern in most editing apps.
If all you have is a JPG on a plain white background, tick "make white background see-through" in our designer and you will see the result on the mockup before you approve. For complicated images, like hair against a busy background, it helps to remove the background yourself with a dedicated tool first and upload the result.
Common problems and how to fix them
- "My logo is blurry." Find a bigger version. Check your original email from the designer, your business card printer, your sign shop, or the "brand assets" folder from whoever built your website. As a last resort, a simple text-based logo can be recreated cleanly.
- "There is a white box around it." You have a JPG or a PNG without transparency. Use a PNG with a transparent background or a vector file.
- "The colors look different." Screens glow and fabric does not, so bright neon colors on screen print a little calmer. Very dark colors on a dark shirt can disappear. Add contrast.
- "The thin lines disappeared." Lines thinner than about 1 millimeter at print size are risky on shirts and impossible in embroidery. Thicken them.
- "It is a screenshot." Screenshots capture your screen's resolution, not the original image. Send the original file.
- "I texted the photo to myself." Text messages often compress photos. Email or upload the original instead.
Special notes by product
Shirts and hoodies (DTF printing)
Full color, gradients and photos all work. Avoid huge solid rectangles of color, which feel heavier on fabric. Leave a little space between the design and seams, zippers and hoodie pockets.
Embroidery
Simpler is better: bold shapes, up to about 9 colors, and text that is at least about a quarter inch tall. Gradients and photos do not embroider. Your logo is digitized into a stitch file first, a one-time $35 fee per logo that is waived at 24 pieces or more.
Vinyl decals and lettering
Vinyl is cut from solid colored sheets, so each color is a separate layer. Designs need to be solid shapes without gradients or photos. Very small or thin pieces are hard to apply. If you are lettering a truck, our NJ truck lettering guide covers the text you may be required to include.
Yard signs and banners
Signs are printed in full color, so photos are fine, but they are read from far away. Big text and high contrast matter more than fine detail. Our yard sign guide has layout tips.
Fonts and text
If you type text in our designer, you pick from fonts we know will print well. If your design already has text in it, make sure it is spelled right before you upload. It sounds obvious, but a misspelled name on 24 shirts is one of the most common reprints in any shop. Read it out loud, then have someone else read it.
Where to find a better logo file
If the only version of your logo is a small image, it is worth a little detective work before you order. Good places to look:
- The email or folder from whoever designed the logo, often labeled "final," "vector" or "brand."
- The company that printed your business cards, menus or signs. They often keep a print-ready version on file.
- The person who built your website, who may have the original files.
- For schools and leagues, the athletic director, PTO president or league board.
What we check before printing
Every order shows you a mockup at the exact size it will print, and nothing is printed until you approve it. If we see something that will not print well, like a very low-resolution image or a background box on a dark shirt, we will reach out before going ahead. You can also text a file to 201-948-4433 and ask whether it will work. We would rather answer a quick question than reprint a box of shirts.
Ready to try it? Upload your file in the shirt designer, the sign designer or the vinyl designer and see how it looks.