What are transparent backgrounds and how do I use them?

Digital Direct Printing

Pixel graphics are used as the master copy for Digital Direct printing . These graphics are printed on the shirt exactly as they were uploaded.

If your graphic contains a background, this will also be printed as it appears.

If you do not want the background to be printed on the shirt, you must crop your design (meaning to cut your design from the background.) By doing this, you make your design's background transparent.

Most graphics editing software shows transparent backgrounds as a white-gray checkerboard pattern. If you upload a graphic with a transparent background, the colour of the shirt will appear in those areas after the printing is finished.

Note: When you save your final cropped graphic, please choose the .png format.

Most of the other file formats, like .jpg, do not recognise transparent surfaces and give the cropped image a white background when it is saved.

Digital Transfer Overlay and the white border

Transparent backgrounds are recognised by the Digital Transfer Overlay printing technique, however, the design will be printed on the shirt with a 1-3 mm wide white border. This white contour appears as an outline around the design. Transparent areas within the design will also retain this white contour. If these areas are very small, they will not be cut out.

Explanation: For the Digital Transfer Overlay printing technique, the design is first printed on a white, opaque foil. The design is then cut-out from the foil and pressed onto the shirt. In order to prevent any confusion when the design is cut out, there should not be any white elements in the design .