In short: choose a sheet size, upload your designs, size them for the garment, pack them onto the sheet with a small gap, fix anything the quality check flags, and export one 300 DPI PNG with a transparent background. A gang sheet builder does the packing and the export for you; Photoshop and Canva can do it by hand.
Before you start: what you need
- Your designs, ideally as vector files (SVG, PDF, AI, EPS) or PNGs with a transparent background.
- The sheet width your printer uses. In the US that is usually 22 inches; in Europe often 55 or 60 cm. Ask your DTF supplier if you are not sure.
- The print size for each design. A left-chest logo is around 3.5 to 4 inches wide, a full front around 10 to 12 inches. Our size guide has a full chart.
Method 1: in a gang sheet builder (fastest)
A gang sheet builder is made for exactly this job. In PrintReadySheets it looks like this:
- Start a sheet. Pick the length, or let the sheet grow as you add designs. The canvas is true to scale, in millimetres or inches.
- Upload your designs. PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG, AI and EPS all work. Each upload is checked by PixlPilot preflight as it arrives.
- Set the print size and quantity. Type the width you want; the aspect ratio stays locked. Set how many copies you need.
- Auto-fill. The builder packs everything onto the sheet with consistent spacing and as little wasted film as possible. Move, rotate or duplicate anything by hand afterwards.
- Check the quality feedback. Each design shows its effective resolution at the size you chose and anything that would go wrong on press.
- Fix, don't just accept. Where a typical builder stops at a warning, PrintReadySheets offers the repair: thicken thin lines, clean soft edges, remove a leftover background, or upscale low-resolution art. You see the fixed version on the sheet.
- Export. You get one print-ready PNG at 300 DPI with a transparent background, ready for your RIP or to send to your DTF printer.
This is the method we recommend if you make sheets more than once in a while. It is also what customers expect from a DTF shop's website: if you run one, the PrintReadySheets Shopify app puts the same builder in your store.
Method 2: in Photoshop
Photoshop gives you full control but nothing is automatic.
- Create the document at the sheet size and 300 pixels per inch. For a 22 × 24 inch sheet that is 6,600 × 7,200 pixels. Use RGB colour and a transparent background.
- Place each design (File, Place Embedded) and scale it to the print size. Check the info panel: if you scale a raster image up, its effective resolution drops.
- Arrange them with a gap of at least 0.25 inch (about 6 mm) between designs so they can be cut apart.
- Keep a margin of about 0.25 inch from the left and right edges of the sheet.
- Check every edge. Zoom to 100% and look for semi-transparent pixels, leftover white backgrounds and thin lines.
- Export as PNG with transparency. Do not flatten onto white.
This works, but it takes a skilled person 15 to 45 minutes per sheet, and nothing checks the artwork for you.
Method 3: in Canva
You can make a gang sheet in Canva, with limits. We wrote a separate guide for it: how to make a gang sheet in Canva. The short version: use a custom size in inches, place your designs, and download as PNG with a transparent background, which needs Canva Pro. Canva does not tell you when a design is too low in resolution for the size you set, so check your files first.
Spacing, margins and rotation
- Gap between designs: 0.25 inch (6 mm) is a common minimum for cutting by hand. Shops that cut with a plotter may ask for less.
- Side margins: keep about 0.15 to 0.25 inch clear on both sides of the sheet. Printers cannot print to the very edge of the film.
- Rotation: rotating designs 90 degrees often fits more on a sheet. It does not affect the print, only how you cut it.
- Don't overlap. Overlapping designs print as one shape.
The checks to run before you print
Run these on every design, or let the builder run them:
| Check | Why it matters | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution at print size | Below about 150 DPI the print looks soft or pixelated | A vector original, or an upscale made for artwork |
| Transparent background | Anything not transparent prints, including faint grey | Background removal |
| Semi-transparent edges | DTF puts white ink under them, which shows as a halo | Edge cleanup (choking the edge) |
| Thin lines and small text | Under about 0.5 to 1 mm, lines can crack after washing | Line thickening, or a larger print size |
| Colour mode | Most RIPs expect RGB | Convert to RGB before export |
Each of these has its own guide: file requirements, thin lines, halos and soft edges, and upscaling.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a gang sheet be?
Use the width of your printer's film, usually 22 inches in the US or 55 to 60 cm in Europe, and choose the length to fit your designs. Common lengths are 24, 36, 60 and 120 inches.
What DPI should a gang sheet be?
300 DPI at the final print size. A gang sheet builder exports at 300 DPI automatically; in Photoshop, set it when you create the document.
How much space should be between designs on a gang sheet?
Leave about 0.25 inch (6 mm) between designs so they can be cut apart cleanly, and about 0.15 to 0.25 inch from the side edges of the sheet.
Can I make a gang sheet for free?
Yes. You can build one by hand in free software such as GIMP or Photopea, or with a builder's free trial. PrintReadySheets has a 14-day free trial without a credit card, and you can check a single file for free in FileFixxr, Endorr's file checker.
What is the best way to make a gang sheet?
For one sheet, any tool works. If you make sheets regularly, a gang sheet builder saves the most time because it packs the sheet and checks every file automatically. One that repairs files, instead of only warning, saves the back-and-forth with customers too.