How to Prepare Your Artwork for a DTF Gang Sheet

A gang sheet puts many designs on a single strip of film so you can order them all at once. There is one thing to know before you start: we print your artwork exactly as submitted and do not alter or modify it, so the quality of your transfers is set before you click upload. This guide starts with a quick checklist, then covers each requirement in detail.

What Is a DTF Gang Sheet?

A gang sheet is one continuous piece of DTF film that holds multiple designs, such as logos, sizes, and variations, side by side. Our DTF Gang Sheet Builder sheets are 22 inches wide, with lengths from 12 inches up to 240 inches. You pay for the sheet and fit as many designs as the layout allows, then cut them apart before pressing.

The Quick Checklist

  • File format: PNG recommended; JPG, SVG, PDF, PSD, AI, and EPS are also accepted
  • Transparent background recommended, because anything that is not transparent will print
  • 300 DPI at the actual print size (recommended)
  • 22 inches wide for uploaded gang sheets
  • Not mirrored: upload designs facing the way they should read
  • Final and proofed, because we print your artwork as submitted

1. Choose Your File Format

Our upload tool accepts PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF, PSD, AI, and EPS files. We recommend a PNG with a transparent background. PNG keeps transparency, while JPG cannot store a transparent background, so the area around your design would print as a solid box. Whatever format you use, export your final file with transparency turned on where the format supports it.

2. Make the Background Fully Transparent

Anything in your file that is not transparent will print. A white background that looks invisible on screen will come out as a white rectangle on the film. Before exporting, check for:

  • Leftover background pixels or a faint halo around the edges after you remove a background
  • Soft shadows, glows, and feathered edges. Semi-transparent pixels may print differently than they appear on screen.
  • Stray marks or hidden layers outside the main design

Tip: preview your design on a dark background and then on a light one. Leftover pixels that blend into one background usually stand out on the other.

3. Use 300 DPI at Actual Print Size

We recommend 300 DPI at the size the design will print. Resolution only means something relative to that size: at 300 DPI, every inch of print needs 300 pixels. That works out to:

  • A design printed 10 inches wide needs 3,000 pixels across.
  • A full 22-inch-wide gang sheet needs 6,600 pixels across.
  • A 22 x 12 inch sheet is 6,600 x 3,600 pixels, and a 22 x 24 inch sheet is 6,600 x 7,200 pixels.

Why upscaling does not fix a low-resolution file

Changing the DPI number in your software, or stretching a small image to a larger size, does not add real detail. The print will still look soft or pixelated. Start from the original artwork or a vector file and export it at the size you want printed.

4. Set Your Canvas to 22 Inches Wide

If you are uploading a finished sheet through the DTF Upload Gang Sheet, build it on a canvas exactly 22 inches wide at 300 DPI.

Prefer not to lay out the sheet yourself? Upload individual files to the DTF Gang Sheet Builder, choose a sheet length, and arrange your designs there.

Leave space between designs

You will cut the designs apart before pressing, so leave room between them for your scissors or trimmer.

5. Do Not Mirror Your Artwork

Please do not mirror your images. Upload each design exactly as it should read on the finished product, with text reading left to right in your file. If you have used transfer methods that require flipping the image, skip that step here.

6. Check Fine Details and Color

  • Thin lines and small text: very fine details are harder to press cleanly, so avoid hairline strokes and tiny text where you can.
  • Color: colors on a backlit screen can look different in print.
  • White areas: intentional white elements will print, so remove any white you do not want.

7. Proof Everything Before You Upload

Since we print what you send, take a final pass at 100% zoom. Check spelling, dimensions, and edges. Also check your quantities: if you want five copies of a design on the sheet, place it five times.

Custom-printed transfers are final sale and cannot be returned for errors in the submitted artwork, so this last check matters. If an order arrives misprinted, defective, or damaged, email photos to info@dtfsirius.com within 7 days of delivery and we will reprint or refund it.

Which Ordering Option Fits Your Files?

The same file rules apply to UV DTF. Use the UV DTF Gang Sheet Builder, the UV DTF Upload Gang Sheet, or UV DTF Transfers by Size. Not sure which transfer you need? Read DTF vs UV DTF: Which Transfer Is Right for Your Project?

Ready to Build Your Gang Sheet?

Open the DTF Gang Sheet Builder and start placing your designs. When your transfers arrive, follow How to Press DTF Transfers for our heat-press settings. Questions about your file? Check the FAQ or email info@dtfsirius.com before you upload.

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