DTF artwork checklist: the checks that can be settled before the press
Most artwork problems are decided long before anyone loads a film, and a surprising number of them are decided by arithmetic. This is the order the checks are worth running in — cheapest and most decisive first — with the number each one produces. A file that clears all seven can still disappoint on fabric; what the list removes is the class of failure that was knowable in advance.
| Check 1 — pixel dimensions against ordered width | produces effective resolution in DPI |
|---|---|
| Check 2 — effective resolution against the threshold | 200 DPI clears, 150 DPI is the floor |
| Check 3 — smallest width worth proposing | 4 inches — 10.16 cm |
| Check 4 — transparency at the frame | 1 percent clean, above 5 percent refused |
| Check 5 — smallest lettering at print size | roughly 4 mm cap height |
| Check 6 — edge condition | stepped, soft or ringing — three different answers |
| Check 7 — is a vector source available | removes checks 1 to 3 entirely |
Why the order matters more than the list
The first three checks are divisions and settle the majority of incoming files in seconds without opening the artwork. Running them last means opening every file by eye first, which is where the shop's time actually goes. Nothing further down the list can rescue a file that fails check two at every width.
What the list deliberately leaves out
Several things that get argued about are not on it, because they cannot be settled from the file. Colour is the largest: how a value lands on a particular fabric with a particular white-ink setting is a property of the press and the substrate, and no amount of inspection of the file predicts it.
- Colour match on a specific garment and ink set
- How the hand feels after curing
- Wash durability over a season
- Whether the customer will like it
Running it as a message rather than an inspection
Each check produces a number, and numbers travel better than opinions. A reply that says a file covers eleven centimetres at the readable threshold and the order asked for twenty-five ends the conversation faster than a reply describing the file as low quality — and it tells the customer exactly what to go and find.
FAQ
- Can these checks be run without any software?
- The first three can: they are divisions on the pixel dimensions, which any file browser will show. The rest need the file opened, and the transparency check needs something that displays an alpha channel honestly.
- What if a file fails one check and passes the rest?
- That is the common case, and it is why each check has its own response. The list is diagnostic rather than a single pass or fail.
- Does clearing every check mean the print will be right?
- No. It means the failures that were visible in the file have been ruled out. What remains belongs to the press, the substrate and the design itself.