Troubleshooting Guide

A well-prepared DTF gang sheet can save you time, reduce printing costs and help you fit multiple designs onto one continuous sheet of film.

However, creating a gang sheet involves more than simply placing several images next to each other.

Incorrect sizing, low-resolution artwork, poor spacing and hidden backgrounds can all affect the quality of the final DTF transfers.

Some problems only become visible after the gang sheet has been printed, making them expensive and frustrating to correct.

What causes most DTF gang sheet problems?
The most common causes are low-quality artwork, incorrect print dimensions, insufficient spacing, unwanted backgrounds, tiny details and failing to inspect the completed gang sheet before placing the order.

Whether you are ordering DTF printing in Cape Town, Johannesburg or anywhere else in South Africa, this guide will help you prepare cleaner, more accurate and more cost-effective gang sheets.

1. Your Artwork Is the Wrong Size

One of the most common gang sheet mistakes is uploading artwork without first checking its physical print size.

An image can look large on your computer screen while still being set to print at only a few centimetres wide.

The opposite can also happen. A small chest logo may accidentally be uploaded at the size of a full front print.

Before adding any design to your gang sheet, decide exactly how large it needs to be on the garment.

Common DTF print sizes include:

Small chest logo: approximately 70 mm to 100 mm wide
Standard left-chest print: approximately 90 mm to 120 mm wide
Children’s front print: approximately 180 mm to 230 mm wide
Adult front print: approximately 250 mm to 300 mm wide
Adult back print: approximately 280 mm to 350 mm wide

These are only general examples. The correct size depends on the garment, the design and the final placement.

Drop Of Colour Pro Tip Measure the actual garment before choosing your print size. Cut a piece of paper to the planned dimensions and place it on the shirt. This gives you a much better idea of how the finished design will look.

2. Your Artwork Is Low Resolution

DTF printing can reproduce detailed, colourful artwork, but the printer cannot restore detail that is missing from the original file.

A low-resolution logo may look acceptable as a small preview on your phone. Once enlarged for a shirt, it may become blurry, rough or pixelated.

For the best result, prepare raster artwork at approximately 300 DPI at the final print size.

Why Enlarging a Small Image Does Not Fix It

Increasing the width and height of a low-resolution image does not create real detail.

It simply stretches the existing pixels over a larger area.

This can produce:

Jagged edges
Blurry wording
Rough outlines
Pixelated faces
Loss of fine detail

Whenever possible, use the original high-resolution artwork or a vector version of the design.

Suitable formats may include:

High-resolution transparent PNG
SVG
PDF
AI
EPS
CDR

Important: Downloading an image from Facebook, WhatsApp or a website often reduces its quality. Always request the original design file where possible.

3. Your Artwork Has an Unwanted Background

Every visible part of the uploaded image may become part of the final print.

If your file contains a white, black or coloured background, that background may print together with the design.

This is one of the most common causes of unwanted boxes around DTF transfers.

How to Check for a Transparent Background

Open the artwork in a program that displays transparency as a grey-and-white checkerboard.

Do not assume that a background is transparent simply because it looks white on your screen.

A properly prepared transparent file should not contain:

A white square around the logo
A coloured page background
Leftover pixels from background removal
A faint outline around the design
Hidden objects outside the visible artwork

Drop Of Colour Pro Tip Place your artwork temporarily over a dark and then a bright-coloured background. This makes leftover white pixels and rough background removal much easier to see.

4. Your Designs Are Too Close Together

Fitting designs tightly together can reduce wasted film, but placing them too close makes the gang sheet difficult to cut.

If two designs touch or overlap, separating them may damage one or both transfers.

Leave enough room around every design for comfortable cutting.

As a practical starting point, leave at least 5 mm between simple designs. Consider leaving more space around complicated shapes or transfers that will be cut by hand.

Remember the Person Cutting the Sheet

A gang sheet may look perfectly arranged on screen while still being difficult to separate after printing.

Allow more cutting space around:

Detailed logos
Irregular shapes
Small neck labels
Designs with thin extensions
Artwork that requires individual packaging

A few extra millimetres of spacing can prevent accidental cuts through the printed design.

5. Your Designs Overlap

Gang sheet builders allow artwork to be moved, resized and rotated. During this process, one design can accidentally overlap another.

The overlap may be difficult to notice when the artwork contains similar colours or when the designs are placed very close together.

Overlapping artwork can result in:

One transfer printing over another
Part of a design being hidden
A white underbase connecting two designs
Transfers that cannot be cut apart

Zoom in and inspect every section of the completed gang sheet before submitting it.

Drop Of Colour Pro Tip Inspect the spaces between the designs, not only the designs themselves. This helps you spot small overlaps and unwanted pixels that may connect two transfers.

6. There Is Too Much Empty Space

The opposite of overcrowding is leaving large unused sections throughout the gang sheet.

You are paying for the length of film being printed, so unused areas increase the cost of each individual transfer.

A well-planned gang sheet should use the available space efficiently without making the designs difficult to cut.

How to Use Your Gang Sheet More Efficiently

Place larger designs first.
Use smaller logos and neck labels to fill open spaces.
Rotate artwork when the design allows it.
Keep similar-sized designs grouped together.
Check whether unused areas can hold additional copies.
Leave enough cutting space without creating oversized gaps.

For Drop Of Colour DTF gang sheets, the usable printing width is up to 550 mm.

Planning around the available width helps you reduce wasted film and calculate the most cost-effective gang sheet length.

7. Your Artwork Has Been Stretched

Resizing a design incorrectly can change its proportions.

A round logo may become oval, text may appear too wide, and characters or faces may look distorted.

This usually happens when the width and height are adjusted independently instead of maintaining the original aspect ratio.

Always Lock the Aspect Ratio

When resizing artwork, make sure the proportions remain locked.

If you increase the width, the height should adjust automatically.

Pay special attention to:

Round logos
Portraits
Company names
Product labels
Designs containing recognisable objects

Important: Once stretched artwork has been printed, it cannot be corrected without printing the design again.

8. Text and Fine Details Are Too Small

Very small text and extremely thin lines may look clear when viewed on a large computer screen but become difficult to print and read at the final size.

This is especially important for:

Care labels
Social media handles
Contact details
Fine signatures
Thin borders
Small decorative wording

Small gaps can close, thin lines can disappear and detailed text can become difficult to read.

Always inspect the design at its actual intended print size.

Do not judge fine detail while the artwork is enlarged to fill your computer screen.

Use a Test Print for Detailed Artwork

When a design contains very small text or important fine detail, order a test transfer before committing to a large production run.

A test allows you to check:

Text readability
Line thickness
Colour appearance
Print texture
Final garment placement

9. Soft Shadows and Transparent Effects Print Incorrectly

DTF printing uses a white ink layer behind the colour to make the artwork visible on light and dark garments.

Soft shadows, glows and partially transparent edges may therefore produce an unwanted pale or white outline.

Common problem effects include:

Drop shadows fading to transparent
Outer glows
Smoke effects
Soft transparent gradients
Feathered background removal
Low-opacity decorative elements

Bold designs with clean edges normally produce the most predictable DTF result.

Drop Of Colour Pro Tip View the artwork over several different background colours before uploading it. A soft white halo may be invisible on a white screen but clearly visible on a black shirt.

10. Some Designs Are Missing or Duplicated

Gang sheets often contain multiple sizes, customers, logos and quantities.

It is easy to leave out a design or add the wrong number of copies.

Before building the sheet, create a simple list showing:

The design name
The required print size
The quantity needed
The garment or customer

Compare this list with the completed gang sheet before placing the order.

Use Clear File Names

Names such as “image1.png” and “final-final-new.png” make mistakes more likely.

Use clear file names such as:

Company-Logo-Left-Chest-100mm.png
Company-Logo-Back-300mm.png
Neck-Label-Small-50mm.png
Customer-Name-Sleeve-80mm.png

Clear naming makes it easier to confirm that the correct artwork and sizes have been added.

11. The Gang Sheet Has Been Mirrored

Customers sometimes mirror their artwork because heat transfer vinyl is normally cut in reverse.

DTF artwork uploaded to Drop Of Colour should not be mirrored.

Our printing process handles the required print orientation.

If you mirror the artwork before uploading it, wording and logos may print backwards on the finished garment.

Important: Submit your artwork in its normal, readable direction unless you have specifically been instructed otherwise.

12. Colours Look Different From the Screen

Computer and phone screens create colour using light, while a DTF printer uses physical ink.

This means the printed colour may not look exactly the same as it does on your screen.

The difference can be affected by:

Screen brightness
Display settings
The artwork colour profile
The white ink underbase
The garment colour
The heat pressing process

Very bright neon colours, metallic effects and glowing screen colours cannot always be reproduced exactly with standard DTF ink.

For colour-critical branding, order a test before producing a large quantity.

13. The Wrong File Was Uploaded

Businesses often have several versions of the same logo.

You may have:

An old logo
A new logo
A version for light garments
A version for dark garments
A version with contact details
A version without contact details

Always open the exact file you plan to upload and inspect it before adding it to the builder.

Do not rely only on the file name or small thumbnail preview.

14. The Completed Gang Sheet Was Not Checked

The final inspection is one of the most important parts of building a gang sheet.

Once the sheet has been submitted for printing, the design layout may be treated as approved.

Before completing your order, zoom in and check:

Every design is included.
The quantities are correct.
The sizes are correct.
No designs overlap.
No artwork extends outside the printable area.
There is enough cutting space.
All backgrounds have been removed.
All wording is facing the correct direction.
No artwork has been stretched.
No unwanted pixels are visible.

Drop Of Colour Pro Tip Step away from the computer for a few minutes and then inspect the sheet again. A fresh look often helps you notice missing designs, duplicates and sizing problems.

Quick-Reference DTF Gang Sheet Troubleshooting Guide

Problem	Most Likely Cause	Recommended Solution
Artwork prints blurry or pixelated	Low-resolution image enlarged beyond its original size	Use the original high-resolution file or have the artwork professionally recreated.
A white or coloured box prints around the design	The background was not transparent	Remove the background and upload a properly prepared transparent file.
Designs cannot be cut apart	Insufficient spacing or overlapping artwork	Leave at least 5 mm between simple designs and more around complicated shapes.
Logo looks stretched or distorted	The aspect ratio was unlocked during resizing	Undo the resize and adjust the artwork with its proportions locked.
Fine wording is unreadable	Text or linework is too small at the final print size	Increase the text size, use a heavier font or simplify the artwork.
A pale outline appears around the design	Soft transparency, feathering, glow or leftover background pixels	Clean the artwork edges and remove unwanted semi-transparent pixels.
Wording prints backwards	The artwork was mirrored before uploading	Upload the artwork in its normal readable direction.
Transfer cost is higher than expected	Too much unused space on the gang sheet	Rearrange artwork and use small designs to fill suitable open spaces.
A design is missing from the order	The final quantities were not checked	Use a design, size and quantity list before submitting the gang sheet.
Printed colour differs from the screen	Screen settings or colour limitations	Order a test print for colour-critical artwork before producing a full run.

Your Final Gang Sheet Checklist

Use high-resolution artwork at the intended print size.
Remove all unwanted backgrounds.
Check the physical width and height of every design.
Keep the original aspect ratio when resizing.
Leave enough room between designs for cutting.
Make sure no artwork overlaps.
Keep every design inside the printable area.
Check small text and fine details at actual size.
Avoid unwanted glows and transparent edges.
Do not mirror the artwork.
Confirm every quantity against your order list.
Inspect the entire gang sheet before submitting it.

Frequently Asked DTF Gang Sheet Questions

What is a DTF gang sheet?

A DTF gang sheet is a continuous section of printing film containing multiple designs, sizes or copies arranged together. It allows you to use the available printing area more efficiently.

What width should my DTF gang sheet be?

Drop Of Colour DTF gang sheets use a printable width of up to 550 mm. Your artwork should remain inside the builder’s printable area.

How much space should I leave between DTF designs?

Leave at least 5 mm between simple designs as a practical starting point. Leave additional space when designs are complicated or will be cut individually by hand.

Should I mirror my DTF gang sheet?

No. Upload your artwork in its normal readable direction. Drop Of Colour handles the required print orientation during production.

Can I use images downloaded from the internet?

You can only use artwork that you have permission to reproduce. Images downloaded from websites are also often too small or compressed for professional garment printing.

What is the best file format for a DTF gang sheet?

A high-resolution transparent PNG is a practical option for most artwork. Vector formats can be better for logos and text because they can be resized without becoming pixelated.

Build Better Gang Sheets and Reduce Waste

A good gang sheet should balance three important things:

Print quality
Efficient use of space
Enough room to cut each transfer safely

Do not rush the setup process.

Taking a few extra minutes to check your artwork, sizing, spacing and quantities can prevent wasted film, damaged transfers and expensive reprints.

Once you have a consistent gang sheet preparation process, ordering DTF transfers becomes faster, easier and more cost-effective.

Ready to Build Your DTF Gang Sheet?

Upload your artwork, choose your print sizes and arrange multiple designs using the Drop Of Colour online gang sheet builder.

Build Your DTF Gang Sheet Read Our Artwork Guide