Dropdtf
Make a design

Dropdtf guide

What file format do DTF printers need?

A PNG with a transparent background, sized for the print, is what most DTF shops ask for. Some also take PDF or TIFF. Ask your supplier what its RIP software expects before you send a batch.

Describe your designOne sentence is enoughMake a design

Free preview, no account. Pay only to download.

A round eagle badge with spread wings, on a dark shirt color
A file made here. The shirt is a drawing.
What a shop may askA Dropdtf file
Transparent PNGYes
300 DPI at print sizeUp to about 6.8 in wide
CMYK or a color profileNo
PDF or TIFFNo

Before you start

You need
One sentence that describes the design.
You get
A transparent PNG with the edge cleaned for film, up to 2048 pixels.
Time
Usually under a minute.
Cost
The preview is free, five a day. The print file is one from a pack.

Step by step

  1. 01Ask the shop or read its upload page.

    Note the format, the size limit and whether it wants a color profile.

  2. A round eagle badge with spread wings, on black
    02Check that the background is really clear.

    Open the file on black. A box around the art is a background that will print.

  3. A round eagle badge with spread wings, on a dark shirt color
    03Check the size in inches.

    Pixels divided by 300 is the width it prints at full quality.

What Dropdtf files are

An 8-bit RGB PNG with alpha, up to 2048 pixels on the long side.

Make a PNG and look at it on black.

The preview is free.

Describe your designOne sentence is enoughMake a design

Free preview, no account. Pay only to download.

More guides

A ghost in a cap riding a skateboard, on a dark shirt colorThe fileHow do I remove the background from an image for DTF?Taking the background out is half of it. For film the edge must also be hard and the haze around it gone, because a general background remover leaves soft edges that look fine on a screen and print as a pale rim.Read the guide A skull wrapped in red roses, on a dark shirt colorSizeHow do I put designs on a gang sheet?Use your supplier's gang sheet builder or your own layout software. Dropdtf makes the single designs, one PNG each; it does not build the sheet.Read the guide A koi fish among waves, in orange and teal, on a dark shirt colorSizeHow big can I print a 2048 px design?About 6.8 inches wide at 300 DPI, and about 13.6 inches at 150 DPI. Bold shapes take 150 DPI well. Fine type and thin lines do not.Read the guide