What File Format Do You Need for Screen Printing? (Art Requirements Explained)

Apparel decoration is pickier about artwork than flat printing, and it's not because printers enjoy being difficult. A poster is one pass of ink onto smooth paper. A screen-printed shirt is ink pushed through a mesh screen onto a woven, stretchy, textured surface — one screen per color, each one aligned to the others by hand.

That process is unforgiving about a few specific things. Here's exactly what it needs, and why.

Designing in Canva or generating art with AI? Start with our guide to exporting print-ready files from Canva and ChatGPT — then come back here for the apparel-specific requirements.

What's the difference between vector and raster art?

This is the whole ballgame, and it's simpler than it sounds.

• Vector art is built from math — points, lines, and curves. Scale it to billboard size and it stays razor sharp. It also separates cleanly into individual colors, which is exactly what screen printing needs. File types: .AI, .EPS, .SVG, vector .PDF.
• Raster art is built from pixels — a fixed grid of colored dots. Enlarge it past its native size and those dots get big and mushy. File types: .PNG, .JPG, .PSD, .TIF.

Vector is always the preferred handoff. Raster works fine — it just has to be big enough to start with, and it takes more work to separate into screens.

Which file types work for apparel decoration?

File Type	Screen Print	Notes
.AI / .EPS	Ideal	Separates into screens cleanly; keep text as outlines
Vector .PDF	Ideal	Great, as long as it holds vector art and not a scan
.SVG	Yes	True vector, common from web designers
.PSD	Workable	Keep layers intact — don't flatten before sending
.PNG	If high-res	300 DPI at print size, transparent background
.JPG	Poor	No transparency; compression softens every edge

One vector-specific note: convert your text to outlines before you send it. Otherwise the file looks for a font we may not have installed, and your carefully chosen typeface quietly becomes something else.

How big does your artwork need to be?

The rule is 300 DPI at the size it will actually print — not 300 DPI at thumbnail size. Those are completely different files. Standard apparel print dimensions:

• Adult full front or back: 11 to 12 inches wide — roughly 3,300 to 3,600 pixels across.
• Youth full front: 8 to 9 inches wide — about 2,400 to 2,700 pixels.
• Left chest: 3 to 4 inches wide — about 900 to 1,200 pixels.
• Sleeve or pocket: 2 to 3 inches wide.

Save it with a transparent background. A white box behind your logo becomes an actual printed white box on a navy shirt, and nobody approves that proof happily.

How do ink colors and screens affect your file?

Here's the part that's unique to screen printing: each ink color gets its own screen, burned and aligned separately. That has real consequences for both your art and your invoice.

• Fewer colors, lower cost. A 1 to 3 color design is meaningfully cheaper per piece than a 6-color one. Simplifying art is the easiest lever you have on price.
• Use solid spot colors where you can. Flat, defined color areas separate cleanly. Send PMS numbers if you need an exact brand match — we mix to those.
• Gradients and photos need halftones. Screen printing simulates smooth blends with tiny dot patterns. It works, but it adds complexity. If your design is photo-realistic, DTF or DTG is usually the better call.
• Dark garments need a white underbase. That's an extra screen laid down first so colors stay bright instead of sinking into the fabric. Factor it into your color count.

How thin is too thin?

Fine detail behaves differently on fabric than it does on paper. A hairline that looks elegant on your monitor can break up or fill in on a cotton weave. Safe minimums at final print size:

• Line weight: stay at 1 pt or heavier. Anything under about 0.5 pt is a coin flip.
• Text: 6 pt minimum, and 8 pt if it actually needs to be read across a room.
• Gaps between elements: tight negative space tends to fill with ink. Give shapes room to breathe.

Do embroidery and DTF need different files?

Yes, and the differences matter.

• Embroidery requires your art converted to a stitch file, a one-time process called digitizing that we reuse on every future order. Thread can't do fine detail, so simplify: keep lettering at least 1/4 inch tall, drop hairlines entirely, and expect gradients to become solid blocks of color.
• DTF and DTG involve no screens at all, so gradients, photos, and unlimited colors are no problem. Same resolution rules apply — 300 DPI at print size, transparent background.

The practical takeaway: a busy full-color design that's a headache for screen printing is effortless for DTF, and a clean 2-color logo that screen prints beautifully also embroiders beautifully. Match the art to the method and everything gets easier.

How do you send us your artwork?

Browse our custom apparel collection, pick your garment, and use the Add Decoration tool on the product page to choose your method, print locations, and quantities by size for instant pricing. Then send your file — vector if you have it, high-res raster if you don't. We'll tell you straight whether it prints as-is or needs work, before anything goes on press.

Frequently asked questions

What file format is best for screen printing?
Vector art is best. Send an .AI, .EPS, .SVG, or vector PDF file with text converted to outlines. Vector art separates cleanly into individual ink colors, which is what screen printing requires, and stays sharp at any print size.

What resolution does artwork need for a printed shirt?
300 DPI at the final print size. An adult full front print of 11 to 12 inches wide needs roughly 3,300 to 3,600 pixels across. A left chest print of 3 to 4 inches needs about 900 to 1,200 pixels.

Does the number of colors in my design affect the price?
Yes, for screen printing. Each ink color needs its own screen and setup, so a one to three color design costs less per piece than a six color design. Dark garments also need a white underbase, which counts as an additional screen. DTG and DTF print unlimited colors with no per-color charge.

How small can text and lines be on a screen-printed shirt?
Keep line weights at 1 pt or heavier and text at 6 pt minimum at the final print size. Thinner lines can break up or fill in on fabric. For embroidery, lettering should be at least a quarter inch tall.

Can you print gradients or photos on a shirt?
Yes. Screen printing reproduces gradients using halftone dot patterns, which works well but adds complexity and cost. For photo-realistic or full-color artwork, DTF and DTG are usually the better and more economical choice.

Can you match my exact brand colors?
Yes. Send your PMS numbers and we mix ink to match them for screen printing. Digital methods like DTG and DTF get very close but are not a guaranteed exact spot color match.