How to Design Artwork for T-Shirt Printing: Placement and Size Guide

Where a design actually gets seen

A design placed without thinking about how a t-shirt is actually worn and looked at often ends up smaller, higher or lower than intended once printed. A left-chest logo is read at close range, in conversation or across a desk, while a full-back design is read from further away, across a room or down a street, so the size and level of detail that works for one doesn't automatically work for the other.

Common placements and what suits each

Left-chest placement suits a simple logo or small wordmark and gives a smart, understated look for staff uniforms or corporate wear. A full-front design works for a bolder statement piece, event shirts or a design meant to be the main feature of the shirt. Full-back print is the most visible option from a distance, useful for team shirts, event crews or anything meant to be read as someone walks away.

Sizing your file correctly

Sending artwork at the actual print size, or larger, avoids a design that looks sharp on screen but pixelates once enlarged onto fabric. A vector file (AI, EPS or PDF) scales to any size without losing quality, which matters most for logos and text, while a high-resolution photo or illustration works for a full-colour design as long as it wasn't saved from a website or social media, where images are usually compressed down to a size too small for print.

Colour and contrast on the garment

A design needs to hold its contrast against the actual garment colour it's being printed on, not just against a white background in a design file. A dark logo intended for a white t-shirt often needs a light or white outline added before it will read clearly on a navy or black garment, and it's worth confirming garment colour before finalising artwork rather than after.

Getting your design print-ready

Star Printers prints t-shirts using DTF (direct-to-film), which handles full colour and fine detail across cotton, polyester and blended fabrics. If you're not sure whether your file is print-ready, send it over and we'll tell you honestly whether it needs resizing or redrawing before going to print, as part of our free design service. See our t-shirt printing and branded t-shirts pages, browse the full t-shirt printing range, or contact us with your design.