Dropdtf
Make a design

Dropdtf guide

What makes a PNG DTF ready?

Three things: the background is truly transparent, the edge is hard, and nothing faint is left around the art. A DTF printer puts white ink under every pixel that is not fully clear, so anything faint prints.

Describe your designOne sentence is enoughMake a design

Free preview, no account. Pay only to download.

A koi fish among waves, in orange and teal, on a dark shirt color
A file made here. The shirt is a drawing.

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. A koi fish among waves, in orange and teal, on black
    01Look for real transparency.

    Open the file over black. If a box shows around the art, the background is in the file and it will print.

  2. A crop of the koi file on black after the edge pass: the edge is hard
    02Zoom in on the edge.

    At 400 percent or more the edge should go from ink to nothing in a pixel or two, with no pale band.

  3. A crop of the raw koi cutout on black: a pale band along the edge
    03Hunt for specks.

    Loose dots and haze away from the art get an underbase too. On black they show as grey dust.

What Dropdtf does to a file

It removes the background, clears the half-clear pixels at the edge and drops loose specks. One short smooth step is kept at the edge so curves do not look jagged.

Make a design and check its edge 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 skull wrapped in red roses, on a dark shirt colorThe fileHow do I fix a white halo on DTF transfers?A halo is the white underbase showing past the color. It has two causes: pale or half-clear pixels at the edge of the file, and a RIP that does not pull the white in. Fix the file first, then the choke setting.Read the guide A koi fish among waves, in orange and teal, on a dark shirt colorThe fileWhy do soft shadows and glows print badly on DTF?Because a fade is made of partly clear pixels, and the printer lays white ink under each of them. On a dark garment the soft shadow you saw on screen comes out as a pale smear around the art.Read the guide A round eagle badge with spread wings, on a dark shirt colorSizeIs my artwork 300 DPI?It depends on how large you print it. Divide the pixels by the inches: a 2048 pixel file is 300 DPI at about 6.8 inches wide and 150 DPI at about 13.6 inches.Read the guide