Screen and print have different requirements. An image that looks sharp on a monitor can look soft on a printed page. The difference is resolution, and it is the most common mistake when preparing cutouts for print.
Print requires 300 DPI at the final physical size. This is the industry standard. Some print shops accept 200 DPI but 300 is the safe minimum.
DPI is a relationship between pixels and inches. A 3000 by 2400 pixel image at 300 DPI prints at 10 by 8 inches. The same image at 150 DPI prints at 20 by 16 inches but with visible pixelation.
To determine the pixel dimensions you need, multiply the physical size in inches by 300. A 4 by 6 inch print needs 1200 by 1800 pixels. An A4 print needs 2480 by 3508 pixels.
PNG is the correct format for transparent images in print. It preserves the alpha channel and produces no compression artifacts.
TIFF is also acceptable for print and is preferred by some print shops. If your print shop requires TIFF, convert the PNG using an image editor.
JPG should not be used for transparent images because it has no alpha channel. Saving a cutout as JPG fills the transparent region with white.
Screens display colour in RGB. Printers print in CMYK. The conversion between the two is not linear. Some RGB colours are not printable in CMYK and get approximated with visible results.
Bright greens, vivid oranges, and certain blues are the common problem areas. If your design uses these colours, ask your print shop for a proof before the full run.
Background removal does not change the colour profile of the file. If the original was RGB, the cutout is RGB. The print shop handles the conversion.
Merchandise printing, whether t-shirt, mug, or sticker, uses a different process than paper print. Most merchandise uses direct-to-garment or sublimation, both of which are more forgiving of the file.
The standard requirements: 300 DPI at the print size, transparent background, and no compression artifacts.
For t-shirts, the print area is typically 12 by 16 inches on the front. That is 3600 by 4800 pixels at 300 DPI. Most cutouts produced by Remova at full resolution meet this.
Print at home first if you can. A quick home inkjet print at the intended size will reveal resolution issues before you pay for a professional run.
Look for pixelation at the edges. Zoom into the cutout and check whether the edge is smooth or jagged. If it is jagged, the resolution is too low.
Check the colour. Home prints are not colour-accurate but they reveal obvious problems. If the greens look off, the print shop may have trouble with them.
A 24 by 36 inch poster at 300 DPI needs 7200 by 10800 pixels. For large format prints, 150 DPI is often acceptable because the viewing distance is longer.
Modern phone cameras produce around 4000 by 3000 pixels. That is enough for a 13 by 10 inch print at 300 DPI. Larger prints need a dedicated camera.
No. Leave the file in RGB. The print shop handles the conversion. Converting yourself without a colour-managed workflow introduces problems.
Print does not have transparency. The transparent region of a cutout needs a background colour. When you send a cutout to print, specify what colour the transparent region should become, usually white.