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DTF artwork check

Check artwork in your browser and see what may go wrong in print and how to fix it.

  • Will a faded shadow turn gray in print?
  • Will this line survive at print size?
  • What changes for DTG, sublimation or embroidery?

Sources checked: 2026-10-22

Supplier limits: line width and detail height

Defaults of 0.5 mm / 1 mm come from DTF Direct’s artwork advice, not an industry standard. Enter your supplier’s limits. DTF Direct (2026-10-22)

Images and file names stay in your browser and are never uploaded to a server. The URL contains only dimensions and options; choose the image again after sharing.

Choose an image to see its print risks.

DTF

—Waiting for a local image

A preflight hint, not production approval. Pass means this check found no risk in this analysis.

Resolution
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Semi-transparency
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Thin lines and dots
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Possible small text or details
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Transparent margins and canvas
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Garment contrast
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Preview on the garment color

Bright pink marks the selected issue. Switch to the original to compare. This preview does not simulate white ink, a RIP, fabric texture or printed color.

Same artwork, different process: what changes?

Common practices and supplier advice, not universal standards. Follow the product template and approve a physical sample.

Sources checked: 2026-10-22
CheckDTFDTGSublimationEmbroidery
Resolution300 PPI is a common target; follow the templatePrintful advises at least 150 PPI; 300 for more detailPrintful: 150 PPI for broad shapes, 300 for text/detailPixels are a starting point; embroidery needs digitizing
Semi-transparencyWhite ink may cause pale edges or patches; solid colors or halftones are common fixesThe underbase on dark garments can change faded effects tooGradients commonly work on light polyester; transparency is not white inkStandard thread embroidery uses shapes or digitized textures
Thin lines / small textDefaults here reference DTF Direct: 0.5 mm lines, 1 mm detailsInk spread, fabric and pretreatment affect detail; sample firstHeat transfer can soften detail; inspect at final sizeUsually thicken and simplify; DTF thresholds do not carry over
ColorsFull color, with gamut limitsFull-color photos, with gamut limitsFull-color gradients; fabric affects colorStandard embroidery uses supplier thread colors; gradients need revision or a special process
FabricCotton and synthetics need compatible film, adhesive and press settingsCotton is common; absorbency and surface affect detailLight polyester is common for apparel; do not reuse unchanged on dark fabricCheck fabric, backing, placement and stitch conditions

What each check tells you

A preflight hint, not production approval. Pass means this check found no risk in this analysis.
CheckPrint risk and fix
ResolutionPPI uses the final width of the whole canvas: ≥300 passes, 150–300 needs review, below 150 is a problem. These are the DPI tool’s advisory bands, not a standard. A DPI tag change adds no detail.
Semi-transparencyCount visible pixels with 0 < alpha < 255. Edge-only transparency needs review; interior transparency is marked as a problem. Normal antialiasing can trigger this too. Inspect the overlay before revising.
Thin lines and dotsEstimate the thinnest area of the alpha ≥128 mask. Below your line limit is a problem: lines may break or hold too little powder. Thicken and sample. Internal strokes on an opaque background are not detected.
Possible small text or detailsConnected-region height flags small elements for review. These can be parts of letters, dots or noise, not recognized text, font size or a readability test.
Transparent margins and canvasTransparent margins make the artwork smaller than the canvas size ordered. Trimming while keeping artwork size differs from trimming and enlarging to the old width. Opaque backgrounds also get a review warning.
Garment contrastEstimate visible pixels whose screen composite is close to the garment color. Any such region needs review. Change the base or outline and check a physical sample.

Worked examples

Synthetic example: a 4 × 4 px canvas contains a centered 2 × 2 px square with alpha=128 and transparent surroundings. At 0.04 cm canvas width: 254 PPI, 4 visible pixels, 100% semi-transparent, 25% bounding-box area, artwork width 0.02 cm. Crop and enlarge to 0.04 cm and resolution becomes 127 PPI.

Line example: only the middle column of a 5 × 5 px image is opaque. At 0.05 cm width each pixel is 0.1 mm. Estimated line width is 0.1 mm, below the default 0.5 mm. The connected region is 0.5 mm tall, below the default 1 mm detail height.

Practical example: 3600 × 4800 px printed at 30 × 40 cm gives 304.8 PPI. Artwork occupying half the canvas width prints 15 cm wide. Crop and enlarge it to 30 cm and resolution falls to 152.4 PPI.

Methods and limits

  1. The decoder and conversions reuse the DPI tool: 1 in = 2.54 cm exactly; effective PPI = original pixel width / print width in inches. File DPI tags are not used.
  2. After decoding, the longest edge is limited to 1200 px and analyzed in a Web Worker. Nearest-neighbor sampling avoids inventing transparency but can miss details. PPI always uses original dimensions.
  3. Percentages use sampled pixels with alpha > 0, without alpha weighting; transparent canvas is excluded. An edge semi-transparent pixel touches transparency or the canvas boundary in its eight-neighborhood. Quadrants describe distribution.
  4. For the alpha ≥128 mask, measure each pixel’s horizontal and vertical run lengths, convert each axis to mm and take the smaller value. Report the global minimum. This cross-section estimate is approximate for diagonals, tips and curves, not a true stroke measurement.
  5. Eight-connected-region bounding height × printed height per sampled pixel gives element height. Joined letters merge and separated strokes split. No text recognition or internal text detection on an opaque background.
  6. Bounding-box area share = box width × height / sampled canvas area, including holes inside the box. It is not ink coverage. Printed artwork width = canvas print width × box width / sampled width. If the cropped artwork is enlarged to the old width, PPI falls by the same ratio.
  7. The tool’s contrast heuristic composites RGB onto the chosen garment using alpha. A maximum channel difference ≤32 on the 0–255 scale counts as close. This is not a color-difference standard, WCAG ratio or print simulation.
  8. Downsampled transparency, line and small-element checks never pass merely because nothing was detected. Sampling coarser than half the smaller limit gets another warning. Fully transparent images do not pass; no artwork verdict is generated without a file.

Ask AI or your supplier with these results

Sources and verification date

Sources checked: 2026-10-22

Frequently asked questions

Are images uploaded?

Images and file names stay in your browser and are never uploaded to a server. The URL contains only dimensions and options; choose the image again after sharing.

Is all semi-transparency wrong?

No. Antialiased edges are also semi-transparent, and a transparent PNG is not inherently a problem. Inspect the distribution and overlay. Broad shadows and soft fades need underbase review; do not remove normal details just to silence a warning.

Can it identify a JPG background, text or internal fine lines?

It warns when there is no transparency but cannot distinguish a white background from intentional white artwork or recognize text. Line and element checks use the alpha mask, not color segmentation inside an opaque photo.

Why are large-image results approximate?

The longest edge is reduced to 1200 px and analyzed in a background worker. Nearest-neighbor sampling may miss lines or dots; the result reports sampling scale. Decoding still uses device memory. Crop unnecessary space in an editor if the file is too large.

Can it fix or export artwork?

This release only checks and highlights areas. It does not change the original. Thicken lines, crop, remove backgrounds or make halftones in an editor, then check again at the final print size.

Does Pass mean production-ready?

No. Color profiles, white-ink choke, powder, press settings, text readability and fabric behavior are not verified. Confirm the size, process and results with your supplier and order a sample.

Version history

2026-10-22: First release with local pixel checks, issue overlays and cross-process guidance.