Print File Checker for T-Shirts and Merch
Choose your artwork and the garment it will go on. The checker reads the real pixels in your file, works out how sharp it will be at the size it prints, and tells you how many pixels you need for 300 pixels per inch (PPI). It runs in your browser, so your file never leaves your device.
Regular T-Shirt, front print area, drawn to scale.
Your image stays on this device: it is read by your browser and nothing is uploaded.
PNG, JPG or WebP. You can also drop it on the print area.
Regular T-Shirt front: 12 in × 16 in. Filling it at 300 PPI takes 3,600 × 4,800 px.
Based on the Bella+Canvas 3001 blank.
This checks pixels and transparency only. Your printer's own template, file rules and review decide whether a file is accepted.
Want the print file made for you? In the iPhone app, ThreadCam Pro exports transparent 300 DPI PNGs from the design you placed on the garment.
What size and resolution does a t-shirt print file need for Printful?
Enough pixels for the size it prints at, and a transparent background around the design. The print areas in this checker are based on the Printful blank for each garment. The Regular T-Shirt (Bella+Canvas 3001) front is 12 × 16 inches, so a file that fills it at 300 PPI is 3,600 × 4,800 pixels. A design that prints smaller needs fewer pixels: multiply its printed width and height in inches by 300.
Other garments have different areas, so the same file can be sharp on a cap and soft on a hoodie. Products and templates change, so check the current template for your exact product before you order.
| Garment | Area | Size | Pixels at 300 PPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular T-Shirt | Front | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Regular T-Shirt | Back | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Boxy T-Shirt | Front | 14 in × 16 in | 4,200 × 4,800 |
| Boxy T-Shirt | Back | 14 in × 16 in | 4,200 × 4,800 |
| Cropped T-Shirt | Front | 10 in × 10 in | 3,000 × 3,000 |
| Cropped T-Shirt | Back | 10 in × 10 in | 3,000 × 3,000 |
| Oversized T-Shirt | Front | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Oversized T-Shirt | Back | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Long Sleeve | Front | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Long Sleeve | Back | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| V-Neck T-Shirt | Front | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| V-Neck T-Shirt | Back | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Classic T-Shirt | Front | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Classic T-Shirt | Back | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Hoodie | Front | 14 in × 14 in | 4,200 × 4,200 |
| Hoodie | Back | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Full Zip Hoodie | Front | 15 in × 10 in | 4,500 × 3,000 |
| Full Zip Hoodie | Back | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Sweater | Front | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Sweater | Back | 12 in × 16 in | 3,600 × 4,800 |
| Shorts | Each leg | 7 in × 8 in | 2,100 × 2,400 |
| Sweatpants | Each leg | 3.5 in × 14.5 in | 1,050 × 4,350 |
| 5 Panel Cap | Front | 5 in × 2 in | 1,500 × 600 |
| 6 Panel Cap | Front | 5 in × 2 in | 1,500 × 600 |
Caps and bottoms have small areas: see 3D cap mockups and 3D shorts mockups for how designs sit on them.
Pixels decide the detail, not the DPI label
A file's DPI value is a note in its header. Setting a 1,024 pixel image to 300 DPI tells some programs to show it about 3.4 inches wide, but it still has 1,024 pixels of detail. Stretch it across a 12 inch chest and it has about 85 pixels per inch, whatever the label says.
That is why the checker ignores the label when it rates your file and divides your real pixels by the printed inches instead. It shows the label too, so you can see when the two disagree.
An AI t-shirt design tool that exports 300 DPI PNG print files
In ThreadCam you can describe a graphic in AI Design Studio, place it on a 3D garment, and with Pro on iPhone export the print file: a transparent PNG at 300 DPI, with your artwork at the size and position you set. Read how photo, video and print file exports work.
The print file canvas is 300 DPI, but the detail still comes from the artwork you place on it. A 1024-pixel image has 256 pixels per inch at 4 inches wide, but only about 85 pixels per inch at 12 inches wide. Run the artwork through this checker at the size you plan to print.
Start designing in ThreadCamHow to check a print file
- Choose your PNG, JPG or WebP, or drop it on the print area.
- Pick the garment and the print area: front, back or leg.
- Keep "As large as fits", or choose the width you will print it at.
- Read the pixels per inch, the pixels you need for 300 PPI and the transparency notes.
Want to see the design on a shirt as well? The free t-shirt mockup generator puts it on a 3D tee in your browser.
Questions
Is the print file checker free, and is my file uploaded?
It is free and needs no account. Your file is read by your browser on your own device and is not sent to ThreadCam or anyone else.
What resolution should a t-shirt print file be?
300 pixels per inch at the size it will print is the common target. For the 12 × 16 inch front of a regular tee, that is 3,600 × 4,800 pixels. A smaller print needs fewer pixels: a 4 inch wide chest logo needs 1,200 pixels across.
Will changing the DPI setting make my file print sharper?
No. The DPI value is a label in the file header. Changing it in an editor without adding pixels leaves the detail exactly as it was. Only more pixels, from your original artwork or a larger export, add detail.
Does a good result mean my printer will accept the file?
No. The checker measures pixels and transparency only. Your printer's own template, file rules and review decide what they accept, so check their spec for the exact product before you order.
Why does my file show solid with no transparency?
JPG files can't store transparency, and many PNGs are saved with a white or coloured background. On a shirt that background prints as a rectangle. Export the design as a PNG with a transparent background.
Make the print file in ThreadCam
Design on a 3D garment, then export mockup photos and videos, plus transparent print files on iPhone.