Should I upload a PNG, a JPG or an SVG?
Upload an SVG if your design is a logo or text, a PNG with a transparent background if it is anything else, and a JPG only if it is a photograph that fills its whole area. SVG is a vector format: it describes shapes with math, so it scales to any print size with perfectly crisp edges and has no background to remove. PNG is a pixel format that supports transparency, so a logo on a PNG can sit on the shirt with nothing around it. JPG cannot store transparency, which means a logo on a JPG comes with a white rectangle that would print as a white rectangle.
The Merch to Order studio shows a preview of PNG, JPG, WEBP, GIF, BMP, AVIF and SVG files, and also takes PDF, EPS, AI, PSD and TIFF, all up to 40 MB. If your designer gave you an AI, EPS or PDF, upload it as it is. The studio cannot show a preview of those files, but they are attached to your order and the proof shows the real artwork. The artwork guidelines page has the short version of file types, resolution and print areas.
How many pixels do I need for a t-shirt print?
You need 300 pixels per inch at the size the design will print, so a full-front tee print of 12" x 16" needs an image about 3600 by 4800 pixels. The math is width in inches times 300 by height in inches times 300. A left-chest logo four inches wide needs about 1200 pixels across. A hoodie front of 11" x 10" needs about 3300 by 3000.
Resolution cannot be added afterwards. Scaling a 600-pixel logo up to 3600 pixels in an editor makes a bigger blurry image, not a sharper one, so always export from the original source at the target size. Vector files (SVG) skip this problem entirely because they have no pixels until they are printed. The studio warns you when an image is too small to print sharp at the size you set, and the proof says so again if you go ahead.
- Full front tee, 12" x 16": about 3600 x 4800 px.
- Left chest logo, 4 x 4 inches: about 1200 x 1200 px.
- Hoodie front, 11" x 10": about 3300 x 3000 px.
Does my file need a transparent background?
Yes, unless you want the background printed. A print reproduces every pixel that is not transparent, including white, so a logo on a white square prints as a logo on a white square, which is very visible on a black shirt. Export as PNG or SVG with the background layer hidden or deleted, and check by viewing the file on a dark background before uploading.
If a design is meant to be a full rectangle (a photo, a poster-style graphic) then a solid background is fine, and a JPG will do.
What do I do about fonts in a vector file?
Convert all text to outlines (also called paths or curves) before exporting an SVG, so the letters become shapes that print the same on any computer. An SVG that still references a font by name will be substituted with a different font on a machine that does not have it, and your carefully chosen typeface turns into a default. Outlining fixes that permanently; keep an editable copy for yourself.
In Illustrator this is Type, then Create Outlines. In Figma it is Flatten or Outline Stroke on the text layer. In Inkscape it is Path, then Object to Path. Canva exports SVGs with text already converted on most plans.
Which color mode should I use?
Use RGB for files you upload, and note Pantone codes separately if you need a brand color matched on a screen-printed order. Screens display RGB, the studio and the proof render RGB, and our direct-to-garment printers convert from RGB. For orders of 24 or more we screen print and can match Pantone solid colors; put the codes in the order notes and the proof will note them. Avoid CMYK exports for the upload because the colors shift when they are displayed on screen, and never rely on a color you have only seen on a phone.
How do I export the right file from Canva, Figma, Illustrator or Photoshop?
The steps below are the general pattern in each tool; menu names move between versions, so look for the same words.
- Canva: set the design size in inches or to the pixel target, choose Share then Download, pick PNG, tick Transparent background (available on paid plans), and choose the highest size or quality setting. For logos and text, choose SVG if your plan offers it.
- Figma: select the frame, set its size to the pixel target, and in the Export panel choose PNG at 1x with the frame background turned off, or SVG for vector artwork with text outlined.
- Illustrator: set the artboard to the print size in inches, outline all text, then use Export As or Save As and choose SVG, or Export for Screens as PNG at 300 ppi with a transparent background.
- Photoshop: create the document at the print size in inches at 300 pixels per inch, hide or delete the background layer, and Export As or Save As PNG with transparency on.
- Any tool: open the exported file and check its pixel dimensions and that the background is transparent before uploading.
What does the proof catch that the file check does not?
The proof catches placement, scale, contrast and spelling, which no file check can see. Within 24 hours of ordering you get a digital proof of every print side on the shirt color you chose. A person looks at it too: we flag text too small to read on fabric, thin lines that will not hold ink, low-contrast ink on a similar shirt color, and designs sitting too close to a collar or a hoodie pocket. Nothing prints until you approve it, and changes are free until then.
Check the proof for the things only you know: the spelling of a name, the current version of the logo, the size breakdown, and that the back print is on the back. That five-minute look is the cheapest quality control in the whole process.