Men’s Fitted T-Shirt

Must-follow guidelines

1. Submit files in PNG or JPEG format with at least 150 DPI
   We recommend using PNG for designs with a transparent background. For other designs, we advise preparing files in JPEG instead.
2. Create files in sRGB color profile
   To ensure your design looks the same when printed as it does on screen, make sure you create your print file in sRGB color profile.
3. Remove print file template guidelines
   If you use our downloadable templates, delete the guide layers before saving your files. If you don’t delete them, they’ll show up on the print.

Tips for best results

• Avoid semi-transparent designs
  Semi-transparent graphics (or elements with lowered opacity) don’t translate well in DTG printing. We advise using solid colors, or simulating semi-transparency by halftoning (for more information, see our video tutorial).
• Create designs with the necessary DPI
  Simply typing in a new resolution value into the file won’t result in a higher resolution print. If your graphic’s resolution is too low, the best solution is to recreate it.
• Use transparency to your advantage
  Black ink will appear gray on black garments because of the white underbase used during printing. Leave these areas fully transparent when designing for black garments.
• Avoid borders when designing sleeve prints
  We advise against using graphics with perfect borders for sleeve printing, since the print can warp slightly when the sleeve is being pulled off the pallet.

DTG disclaimers

• We don’t print white ink on white garments. Any designs containing white color will have areas with no print on them.
• Light ink elements on bright-colored garments might look tinted. This is most evident on Red, Maroon, and other similarly colored garments.
• There might be slight discrepancies in print placement.
• Read more about DTG printing here.

Embroidery types

Flat embroidery

*3D puff is not available for shirts.

• Flat embroidery is a technique where stitches are embroidered flat on the shirt
• Minimum thickness for shapes: 0.05″ (1.3 mm)
• We use satin stitch for shapes between 0.05″ (1.3 mm) and 0.5″ (12.5 mm)
• We use tatami stitch for shapes thicker than 0.5″ (12.5 mm)
• Minimum height for lowercase letters: 0.25″ (6.4 mm)
• Minimum height for uppercase letters: 0.3″ (7.6 mm)
• Any text smaller than 0.25″ (6.4 mm) in height will be a run stitch

Must-follow guidelines

1. Design true-to-size graphics
   The graphics you upload must be true to their size on the end product.
2. Use solid shapes and colors only
   Don’t include photographic images, gradients, fade or blend effects. Elements like these cannot be embroidered.
3. Use transparent backgrounds
   Graphics should include transparent backgrounds. Elements outside the main design will be picked up and result in unwanted embroidery stitches on the end product.
4. Outline your fonts
   All fonts should be converted to outlines unless your graphic is in PNG format. That way you don’t have to send us the font files.
5. Submit vector files in PDF format
   We highly recommend submitting your embroidery graphics as vector files (PDF). Raster graphics (PNG) can be used as well if the resolution of the graphic is at least 300 DPI.
6. Stay within the maximum stitch count
   If your graphic covers a very large part of the embroidery area, it may exceed the maximum limit of 15,000 stitches. In such case, your order will be put on hold.
7. Remove embroidery file template guidelines
   If you use our downloadable templates, delete the guide layers before saving your files. If you don’t delete them, they’ll be embroidered.

Digitization

Digitization is a process that converts your design file to a format that supports embroidery.

• Text-only designs made with the text tool in our mockup generator cost only $3.95 (€3.70) to digitize.
• For other designs digitization costs $6.50 (€5.75) per file. Each embroidery type (flat/3D) requires a separate digitized file. You can re-use your digitized files for future orders of the same embroidery type.
• Stitch density and direction differ in hat and apparel embroidery. If you want to use hat files for shirt embroidery and vice versa, the files need to be adjusted for $2.95 (€2.50) per file. 3D puff files can’t be adjusted, so they have to be digitized from scratch for $6.50 (€5.75).
• We only digitize files when they’re part of an order.
• Our digitization process is designed to match our machine capabilities, so we don’t accept files that have been digitized elsewhere.

Tips for best results

• Order samples
  The best way to make sure your embroidery design looks the way you want is to order a sample of your work. We also recommend ordering an embroidery sample to learn about our techniques and stitch types.
• Follow our embroidery guidelines
  Check out this page for tips on how to create perfect embroidery files.
• Create embroidery-unique designs
  Embroidery is not printing, so most graphics that work on other products won’t be suitable for embroidery.
• Keep it simple
  Clean designs with bold lines and text work best for embroidery. If your design is too complex (e.g. contains gradients or intricate details), your order will be put on hold.

Embroidery disclaimers

• If it’s physically possible to digitize your graphic, we’ll digitize it. If your design doesn’t meet our guidelines, we can’t guarantee desirable results.
• We use a run stitch for fine details in flat embroidery.
• The generated preview on the mockup is for visual reference only and will not always match the final result.