How to Order Custom DTF Transfers: A Complete Beginner's Guide

If you have never ordered a DTF transfer before, this page will walk you through the whole thing. What the product actually is, how to get your artwork into the right format, how to use our gang sheet builder, and how to press the transfer once it’s ready.

This covers everything you need to place an order start to finish. If you have a question it does not answer, give us a call and we will walk you through it.

Written by Creative Design & Supply — Bossier City, Louisiana
Last updated August 7, 2026

---

The Quick Version

If you already know what you are doing and just need the requirements:

1. File type: For our gang sheet builder, use a PNG with a transparent background
2. Resolution: Aim for 300 PPI at the size you want it printed. You may also see this labeled DPI in print-ordering tools
3. Color: RGB and CMYK files are accepted. If a brand color is critical, contact us before ordering and include a Pantone reference if you have one
4. Build your sheet: Go to the gang sheet builder on creativedesignsupply.com, upload your PNG, size it in inches, and arrange your designs to fill the sheet
5. Press it: For transfers printed by Creative Design & Supply: 285°F, preheat garment 5 seconds, press 15 seconds, hot peel, then press 5 more seconds to seal

Everything below is the long version.

Already know what you need? Build a gang sheet or order a transfer by size. Otherwise, keep reading — the full walkthrough starts below.

---

What a DTF Transfer Actually Is

DTF stands for direct to film. It is a printing method where your design gets printed onto a sheet of clear plastic film, then coated with an adhesive powder and cured. What you receive is a printed sheet of film with your artwork on it, ready to press.

You apply it with a heat press. The heat melts the adhesive, the design bonds to the fabric, and you peel the film away. The design stays on the shirt.

What it works on

DTF is one of the more flexible decoration methods available. It works on:

• 100% cotton
• 100% polyester
• Cotton/poly blends
• Tri-blends
• Canvas, tote bags, aprons
• Most fleece and hoodie material

It works on light garments and dark garments equally well. DTF prints include a white ink underbase, which is a layer of white printed underneath your colors. That underbase is why a bright design still looks bright on a black shirt instead of going dull and see-through.

Why there is no weeding

If you have used heat transfer vinyl, you know weeding. You cut the design, then sit there with a pick tool pulling out every little piece of negative space, every letter counter, every gap.

DTF has none of that. The printer only puts ink where your design is. Everywhere the design is transparent, nothing prints. You get a sheet of film with your art on it and nothing else. Cut it out with scissors and press it.

This is why DTF handles detailed artwork, photographs, gradients, and multi-color designs that would be impractical or impossible in vinyl.

---

Getting Your Artwork File

Before anything else, you need a digital file of your design. Here is where most people’s artwork actually comes from, and what to do in each case.

You made it yourself in Canva, Procreate, Photoshop, or Illustrator

Good. You have the original project file, which means you can export a clean PNG at whatever size you need. Skip to the file type section below for exact export steps.

Someone else designed your logo

Go back to them and ask for the source file. The specific thing to ask for is: “Can you send me a high-resolution PNG with a transparent background, sized for print at 300 PPI?”

If the designer still has the original source files, they should usually be able to provide this. If they also have the original vector file (a file ending in .ai, .eps, or .svg), ask for that too. Vector artwork can be scaled to different sizes without the pixelation that happens when a small raster image is enlarged, which makes it useful to keep on hand long term.

You only have a JPEG or a screenshot

This is the most common situation, and it is usually fixable. It helps to know which of the two problems you are dealing with, because they have different answers.

A JPEG has no transparency. It always has a background, even if that background is white. A screenshot is usually low resolution, meaning it does not have enough detail to print at a decent size.

Your options:

• If the design is simple (text, a solid shape, a clean logo), a background can usually be removed and the file may be usable
• If it is a screenshot pulled off a website or social media, resolution is usually the limiting factor, and the design may need to be rebuilt at a printable size
• If you are unsure which situation you are in, the gang sheet builder will flag resolution problems for you once you upload the file

You only have a physical printed logo or business card

A scan or phone photo of printed artwork usually is not ideal for direct printing. It can pick up paper texture, halftone dots, lighting, shadows, and other artifacts that become more obvious when the image is enlarged.

Simple logos can sometimes be cleaned up or recreated from the scan. More complex artwork may need to be rebuilt digitally. That is design work rather than basic file prep.

---

File Type: Why We Need a PNG

The short answer is a PNG. Here is why the other formats run into trouble.

Why PNG

Our gang sheet builder uses PNG because the format supports true transparency. That means the file can have areas that are genuinely empty, not white, not any color, just nothing. When our printer sees an empty area, it does not print anything there.

PNG is also lossless, meaning it does not degrade the image quality to save file size the way JPEG does. Your edges stay crisp.

Why JPEG does not work

A JPEG cannot store transparency. Every JPEG is a solid rectangle of pixels. If your logo is on a “transparent” background in your design program and you export it as a JPEG, the transparent area gets filled in with white.

That white does not disappear when we print it. It prints as white ink. You will get your design with a visible white rectangle around it.

JPEG also uses lossy compression, which means it throws away image detail to make the file smaller. On text and sharp edges, this creates visible artifacts, fuzzy discolored pixels around the edges of your design. Those artifacts print.

PDF, AI, EPS, and SVG

These are all fine as source files. They are usually vector formats, which means the artwork is stored as mathematical shapes rather than pixels, so it can be scaled infinitely without losing quality.

The catch is that our gang sheet builder needs a PNG. So if you have one of these, open it in the program that made it and export a PNG at your intended print size, aiming for 300 PPI. Instructions for that are below.

If you are not sure how to export from your program, the step by step settings for the most common ones are in the next section.

Files pulled off a website

If you right clicked an image on a website and saved it, it is almost certainly too low resolution to print. Website images are compressed and downsized on purpose so pages load fast. A logo that looks perfectly sharp on a web page is often only 400 or 500 pixels wide, which prints about an inch and a half at usable quality.

Same goes for images saved from Facebook, Instagram, or a text message. All of those platforms compress images heavily.

Exact export settings by program

Canva

1. Click Share in the top right
2. Click Download
3. Under File type, select PNG
4. Check the box for Transparent background (this requires Canva Pro)
5. Turn on Size and set it to at least 2x, or manually set the width in pixels
6. Click Download

Transparent background export requires Canva Pro. Without it, you can still download the PNG and remove the background using one of the free tools listed below.

Adobe Photoshop

1. Make sure your background layer is hidden or deleted, so you see the gray and white checkerboard behind your design
2. Go to Image > Image Size and confirm resolution is set to 300 Pixels/Inch and the width and height match your intended print size
3. Go to File > Export > Export As
4. Set format to PNG
5. Check Transparency
6. Click Export

Adobe Illustrator

1. Go to File > Export > Export As
2. Set format to PNG
3. Check Use Artboards if you want the export cropped to your artboard
4. Click Export
5. In the PNG Options dialog, set Resolution to High (300 ppi) or use Other and type 300
6. Set Background Color to Transparent
7. Click OK

Procreate

1. Tap the wrench icon in the top left
2. Tap Share
3. Tap PNG
4. Save it to your files or photos

Important note for Procreate: your canvas size is locked in when you create the document. If you started with a small canvas, you cannot export it larger without losing quality. For print work, start your canvas at 300 DPI at the size you intend to print.

---

Transparent Background

This is the single most common problem we run into with customer files, so it gets its own section.

What transparency means

A transparent area in an image file is genuinely empty. Not white. Not a color. Nothing at all. When you place a transparent PNG over a colored background, the background shows through those empty areas.

For DTF, transparency tells the printer where not to print. Everywhere your design is transparent, no ink goes down.

How to check if your file actually has it

Open the file and look at the background. In most design programs and image viewers, transparency displays as a gray and white checkerboard pattern.

If you see checkerboard, you have transparency. If you see solid white, you do not. Another thing to keep in mind. Even if you tell AI to create you a transparent PNG image, sometimes it puts a false checkered background that appears to be transparent but isn't. Usually you can tell because the gridlines are uneven and don't appear to be straight.

A quick test on Windows or Mac: open the image and place it over something dark, or drag it into a program with a dark background. If a white rectangle appears around your design, there is no transparency.

What happens without it

A visible rectangle of white ink prints around your design. On a white shirt you might not notice much. On any colored or dark garment, that white rectangle is clearly visible around the design.

The gang sheet builder is self-serve and prints what you upload, so checking the background before you build is the step that prevents this.

How to remove a background

Canva: Select your image, click Edit image, then BG Remover. Requires Canva Pro.

Photoshop: Select the subject with Select > Subject, then click the layer mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. For clean logos on solid backgrounds, the Magic Wand tool or Select > Color Range often works faster.

Free online tools: remove.bg works well for photos and reasonably well for logos. Photopea is a free browser-based Photoshop alternative that handles this too.

Any of these will get you a usable transparent PNG in a few minutes. Whichever tool you use, check the result against the fake transparency issue described below before you build your sheet.

Watch out for fake transparency

This one is easy to miss. Sometimes a background removal tool leaves behind a fringe of white or off-white pixels around the edge of the design. Or the tool creates a transparent layer but the original white background is still sitting on a layer underneath it.

The result is a design that looks transparent in the preview but prints with a white halo around every edge.

How to check: put the image on a dark background and zoom in on the edges. If you see a light outline tracing the shape of your design, you have leftover pixels that need to be cleaned up.

---

Resolution and Sizing

What 300 PPI means

For a raster artwork file, the measurement that matters is PPI, or pixels per inch. DPI technically refers to the printer’s output dots, although the terms are often used interchangeably in print-ordering software.

For best results, aim for about 300 pixels for every inch of the final printed size. For example, an 11-inch-wide transfer should be about 3300 pixels wide.

Why something that looks fine on your phone prints blurry

A screen can make a small image look sharp because you are viewing it at a relatively small physical size. That does not mean the file contains enough pixels to reproduce cleanly as a large print.

Your phone screen is also small. Blowing that same image up to 11 inches wide on a shirt magnifies every flaw, which is why the file’s actual pixel dimensions matter more than how sharp it looks on screen.

How to check pixel dimensions and effective resolution

Windows: Right click the file, select Properties, then click the Details tab. Look for Dimensions to see the pixel width and height.

Mac: Right click the file, select Get Info, and look under More Info for the pixel dimensions. You can also open the file in Preview and go to Tools > Adjust Size.

The pixel dimensions are the important part. A DPI or PPI number stored in the file metadata does not create extra detail by itself. Use the math below to compare the pixels in the file with the size you want to print.

The math

Multiply your desired print width in inches by 300. That is how many pixels wide the file needs to be.

• 10 inch wide print needs 3000 pixels wide
• 12 inch wide print needs 3600 pixels wide
• 4 inch wide left chest print needs 1200 pixels wide
• 3 inch pocket print needs 900 pixels wide

If your file is 1000 pixels wide, the largest it should print at full quality is about 3.3 inches.

Why you cannot just make a small file bigger

Enlarging an image does not create detail that was never there. The software just stretches existing pixels and guesses at what goes between them. You end up with a bigger, blurrier version of the same image.

Some AI upscaling tools do a decent job on photographs. On logos and text they tend to produce weird artifacts. If your file is too small, the honest fix is to get the original at a larger size or recreate it.

Common print sizes

Use these as a starting point:

Placement	Typical width
Left chest	3 to 4 inches
Adult full front	10 to 12 inches
Adult full back	11 to 13 inches
Youth front	7 to 8 inches
Sleeve	2 to 3 inches
Hat front	3 to 4 inches
Pocket print	3 inches

Adult full front at 11 inches wide is the most common size we print. When in doubt, that is a safe default.

---

Design Considerations Specific to DTF

DTF handles almost anything, but a few things are worth knowing before you finalize a design.

Thin lines and small text

Very thin lines can break up or disappear. As a general rule, keep lines at least 1 point thick, and ideally 2 points or more for anything that needs to survive a lot of washing.

For text, 8 point is about the practical minimum, and that is pushing it. 10 point and up is safer. Script fonts with thin connecting strokes are the most at-risk, since those hairline connections are exactly what tends to fail.

If your design has a lot of tiny text, like a full paragraph or a list of names on the back of a shirt, sizing the whole design up is usually the fix.

Fine detail

DTF holds detail better than most decoration methods. Fine linework, small halftone patterns, and intricate illustration all print well.

The limit is usually at the very small end, where individual detail elements get thinner than the minimum line width above.

Gradients and drop shadows

Both print well. This is one of DTF’s real advantages over vinyl or screen printing, where gradients require special handling and extra setup cost.

One caution: gradients that fade to fully transparent can leave a slightly rough edge where the fade ends, because there is a point where the ink coverage gets too thin to lay down cleanly. Fades to a solid color are cleaner than fades to nothing.

Color

RGB and CMYK files are accepted.

RGB describes color for screens, while CMYK describes a four-color ink model used in many printing processes. DTF production also depends on the printer, ink set, RIP software, media, and color profile, so simply converting a file from RGB to CMYK does not guarantee that the printed color will match what you see on a monitor.

Screen previews are not color proofs. Phones and monitors can display the same file differently, and some highly saturated screen colors fall outside what a particular printer and ink set can reproduce.

If a brand color is critical, contact us before ordering. If you have a Pantone reference, include it in your order notes. A hex code can still be useful for identifying the intended screen color, but it should not be treated as a guarantee of an exact physical print match.

Avoid white backgrounds behind your art

Covered above, but worth repeating here since it is a design decision as much as a file decision. If your design genuinely needs a white background as part of the look, that is fine, just make sure it is intentional and shaped the way you want it, not a leftover rectangle.

Distressed and grunge textures

These work well and are popular. A few notes:

• Distressing made of tiny scattered specks may lose the smallest specks
• Distressing made of larger irregular shapes and scratches reproduces reliably
• Heavy grunge overlays across an entire design print fine

If your distressed texture was created by overlaying a texture image in “multiply” or “overlay” blend mode, flatten it before exporting and double check that the flattening did not introduce a background.

---

Using the Gang Sheet Builder

What a gang sheet is

A gang sheet is one large sheet of film with multiple designs arranged on it. Instead of ordering each design as its own transfer, you pack as many designs as you can onto a single sheet.

You pay for the sheet, not the number of designs on it. So the more efficiently you fill the space, the less each individual transfer costs you.

This is where the savings are. A customer who fills a sheet edge to edge is getting a substantially lower per-transfer cost than someone who puts three designs in the middle of a sheet and leaves the rest empty.

Step by step

1. Choose your sheet size

Sheets are 22 inches wide and sold by length in feet. The length selector is in the top left corner of the builder, and the price updates as you change it. Pick based on how much artwork you are printing. If you are not sure, start with a shorter sheet and see how much fits, since you can change the length at any point while you build.

2. Upload your files

Click to upload and select your PNG files. You can upload multiple designs at once. Each one appears in your library so you can place it on the sheet as many times as you want.

3. Size each design

Set the size using the numeric fields in inches rather than dragging the corner to eyeball it. Typed sizes are what keep a left chest print at a clean 4 inches instead of landing at 4.2 and reading slightly oversized on the shirt.

4. Duplicate as needed

If you need twelve of the same design, place it once, set the size, then duplicate. That way every copy is identical.

5. Arrange to fill the sheet

Move designs around to minimize wasted space. Rotate them if it helps them fit. Nest smaller designs into the gaps around larger ones.

There is an Auto Nest button in the top right that will pack everything for you automatically. It is usually a good starting point, and you can still adjust by hand afterward.

The spacing field at the top sets the gap between designs, and it defaults to 0.5 inches. That gap is what gives you room to cut the transfers apart, so leaving it at the default is the safe choice.

6. Review and add to cart

The builder has two checkboxes on the left that do the reviewing for you.

Show Resolution Lines outlines each design in a color based on how it will print at the size you set. Green means 300 DPI or better and will print sharp. Yellow means 250 or better and is still good. Red means the resolution is too low for that size, and black marks anything at the 72 DPI floor. If you see red or black, either shrink the design or go back and get a higher resolution file.

Show Overlapping Lines marks any designs that are sitting on top of each other in blue, which is the easiest problem to miss when a sheet gets crowded.

Once everything reads green and nothing is flagged as overlapping, add it to your cart.

Common mistakes

Leaving big empty gaps. The sheet is priced by length regardless of how much of it you use. A sheet with designs covering half the space costs about twice as much per transfer as a full one.

Sizing by eye instead of by inches. Drag-to-resize feels faster but produces inconsistent sizes across copies of the same design.

Uploading the wrong file type. A JPEG will print with a white box around the design. Confirming the file is a transparent PNG before you build saves a reprint.

Forgetting to account for cutting. Designs packed too tightly are hard to separate cleanly.

Not checking the preview. The preview shows exactly what will print, including any overlap or cropping at the sheet edges.

---

Gang Sheet Builder vs Transfer by Size

Two different products for two different situations.

Use the Gang Sheet Builder when you have multiple designs, or multiple copies of one design, and you want to maximize value by packing them onto one sheet. This is the better choice for most orders with any volume to them.

Use Transfer by Size when you need one design at a specific size and do not want to think about layout. You pick the size, upload your PNG, and skip the arranging step. Simpler, and better for one-off orders and small quantities.

If you are ordering a single 11 inch front print for one shirt, Transfer by Size is easier. If you are ordering twenty transfers for a team, use the gang sheet builder.

Know which one fits? Build a gang sheet or order a transfer by size. Turnaround times and pressing instructions are further down.

---

What Happens After You Order

Turnaround

Most orders print same day or next day. We guarantee within 24 to 48 hours.

We do not print on weekends. Orders placed Friday afternoon through Sunday go into production Monday morning. Plan accordingly if you have a deadline.

How your transfers arrive

Your gang sheet arrives as a printed sheet of film, rolled or flat depending on size. Individual designs are not pre-cut, so you will cut them apart with scissors.

Store transfers flat, out of direct sunlight, and somewhere that is not humid. They keep for a long time under normal conditions.

Pressing instructions

Temperature: 285°F for every step.

Step 1: Preheat the garment. Press the blank garment by itself for 5 seconds.

This drives moisture out of the fabric and flattens wrinkles. Fabric holds ambient humidity, and moisture turning to steam under a transfer interferes with the adhesive bonding. Skipping this step is one of the most common causes of transfers that lift or wash out early, and it only takes five seconds.

Step 2: Press the transfer. Position the transfer where you want it, film side up, and press for 15 seconds with medium to firm pressure.

Step 3: Peel the film. These are hot peel transfers, so peel immediately while the transfer is still hot. Start at a corner and pull across at a low angle in one smooth continuous motion rather than straight up. Do not let it cool first.

Step 4: Press again to seal. After the film is off, press the design for 5 more seconds.

This final press sets the print into the fabric weave, improves wash durability, and knocks down the glossy finish for a softer look and feel. It is a small step that makes a real difference in how the print holds up over time.

A note on pressure

Medium to firm. If your press has a pressure adjustment, you want enough that the design bonds fully but not so much that you are crushing the garment. If you see the outline of the platen pressed into the shirt afterward, back off slightly.

---

Troubleshooting and FAQ

My file is a JPEG. Now what?

It depends on the design. If it is a simple logo on a plain background, removing the background with one of the tools above will usually get you there. If it is a photo, a complex image, or something saved off a website, resolution is the bigger problem and no amount of background removal will fix it. The builder will tell you whether the resolution holds up at your chosen size.

The builder says my image is low resolution.

Your file does not have enough pixels for the size you are trying to print. Either print it smaller, or get a higher resolution version of the file. Check the resolution math above to see what size your file can support.

I do not have a logo yet.

Canva has free templates that export cleanly for print, and it is the fastest starting point if you are making something simple yourself. For a real brand identity you will want a designer.

Can you fix my file for me?

We print files, we do not edit them. The background removal and export tools covered above handle the large majority of what people run into, and they are free or close to it. If your artwork needs to be recreated from scratch, that is design work and you will want a designer rather than a print shop.

How small can text be?

8 point is the practical floor. 10 point and up is safer. Script fonts with thin strokes need more size than block fonts.

Will this work on a dark shirt?

Yes. Every DTF print includes a white underbase layer beneath the colors, which is what keeps colors bright on dark garments. Black shirts, navy, maroon, all fine.

How fast can I get these?

Usually same or next day, guaranteed within 24 to 48 hours. No weekend printing.

Do you sell blanks too?

Yes. We stock blank apparel alongside the transfer business, so you can get shirts and transfers in one place instead of coordinating two vendors.

---

DTF Transfers in Bossier City & Shreveport

We are a family-run shop in Bossier City serving Shreveport, Bossier, and the surrounding area. Everything in this guide is built so you can get a good file ready on your own, and the gang sheet builder will flag resolution problems before you check out.

If you would rather talk it through with someone, or you want to see printed samples and feel the finished product before you order, come by the shop. We are happy to walk you through the builder in person.

Creative Design & Supply
3030 Knolin Dr, Bossier City, LA 71112
Phone: (318) 584-7210

Hours
Mon – Tue: 9am – 5pm
Wed: 9am – 7pm
Thu – Fri: 9am – 5pm
Sat: 9am – 12pm
Sun: Closed