How to get great print results with small details for transfer (DTF) prints

Small details, small text, and fine lines can be "tricky" details to handle for transfer printing and printing on demand.  The small details may not transfer well, or hold up well over time if they do transfer. 

The good news is that there is a really easy approach and simple ways to capture the fine details of your artwork and to get a great print result.  Simply add a stoke or background to your artwork file to "contain" the small details.

What is a stroke in graphic design?

"Adding a stroke" is a common term in graphic design which simply means to add space along the exterior of a shape or line.  Let's look at a quick example;

left side no stroke, right side has a 3px stroke in black, which reduces the fine details by "connecting" them with a background

How to add a stroke in graphic design

In most graphic design software the easiest way to add a stroke to all pixels is;

1. Select the transparent space
   
2. Invert the selection so all non-transparent pixels are selected
   
3. Grow the selection to add pixels around every non transparent pixel.
   
4. Create a new transparent layer and fill it with the color of border you want around your artwork.
   

Tips and considerations for adding strokes for transfer printing

When adding strokes and to images there are a few things that you should consider to achieve the aesthetic results that you want.  For example, you may think that you want to print your artwork exactly the way it is and that changing it will not create the aesthetic you want.  However, in many cases adding an outline can improve the overall aesthetic or contrast in the artwork and create a superior finished product.  Let's review some considerations;

The size of the stroke makes a big difference on the aesthetic of the finished product.  You want to make the background big enough to connect any isolated pixels, but not so much stroke that it effects the overall aesthetic. See example below.

the left has a very small 3px stroke to connect the fine details in the belly of the snake. The right has a 10px stroke which begins to become part of the design itself.

The color of the stroke makes a huge difference in how visible this technique will be in the final printed garment.  The most important factor in picking a color is what color garment you will be printing on.  To "hide" the outline effectively, set the outline color to be as close as possible to the color of the shirt or hoodie you are printing on.  See below

when a black stroke is added and printed on a coral color shirt, it's highly visible, setting the stroke as a pinkish color, then printing on coral is barely visible at all.

In the final printed artwork, we can see that the stroke is barely visible, if at all;

What is a background and why would I want one?

A background is an opaque color that is behind your artwork and it printed as part of your finished design.

In certain cases, we may not want to alter your artwork at all, but still want to achieve super high quality and durable prints and have fine details.  One common example is logos that contain small text or shapes.  We really don't want to alter the visual appearance of the logo with a border, so how should we proceed?  In these cases it can be best to add a complete background behind the artwork and rely on an easily distinguishable "shape" to contain the logo.

How to add a background to my artwork

Nearly all graphic design software allows you to easily set a background color within your artwork.  The easiest way to add a background to your artwork is to;

1. Add a new layer to your artwork file
   
2. Set the color of the new layer to be the background color you want to use.
   
3. Ensure your new layer is below your artwork layer.

Considerations for adding backgrounds to achieve good aesthetics

When adding solid color backgrounds to your artwork there are 2 important considerations that graphic designers and brand experts should keep in mind; shape and color.  

Select a shape that has good geometric balance, like a perfect circle, a perfect square, or a balanced rectangle.  Shapes that are too tall and narrow or too wide a short generally don't look as good.  Ensure that your artwork is also properly spaced within the shape.

on the left is an apliiq logo with no background, the outline of the shape is an odd rectangle. On the right we've centered the logo in a perfect white square, which achieves balance.

The second important consideration for adding a background is to utilize contrast to achieve your design goals.  For logo placements visibility is always key so setting good contrast will ensure logos are highly visible and details can be well seen.

Use strokes and backgrounds to create strong printable designs

Hopefully these tips and tricks can help you create artwork files like a pro and achieve highly visible, detailed prints that are extremely durable!

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