Exporting your files correctly

Updated on 15 September 2026

Your artwork looks perfect on screen, and yet a white box or a hidden layer turns up in the print? Usually the design is not to blame, the export is. In this article, we show you how to save your DTF file correctly, whether you work with Illustrator, Photoshop, CorelDRAW, Affinity or Canva, and how to check it before uploading.

The basic rules for every export

Whichever program you use, the same rules always apply to your print file:

• Save without editing capabilities. Otherwise your working file with all its layers is also packed into the PDF. The file becomes unnecessarily large, and hidden layers or a background can turn up in the print. The only exception is Photoshop, more on that below.
• PDF with transparency. Save as PDF/X-4 or with a compatibility of Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) or later. Older standards such as PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-3 cannot handle transparency and, in the worst case, place your design on white.
• Only one layer, no background. Delete everything that is not meant to be printed, including hidden layers. Your design sits cut out on a transparent background.
• Convert fonts to outlines, embed images. Then your text looks exactly the same in print as it does on your screen, and no graphic is missing.
• CMYK with ISO Coated v2 (ECI). For sublimation, ISO Coated v2 300% (ECI).
• One page at the ordered final size. We do not scale your file, and images need at least 300 dpi at this size.
• No gradients fading into transparency. They cannot be printed cleanly.

We accept PDF and PNG files. Ideally, export a vector graphic as a PDF. A PNG is always a pixel image and only knows RGB, which is why it is prone to white flashes and colour deviations. You can read more about this in Pixels and vectors compared and PDF and PNG files compared.

You have not installed the ISO Coated v2 (ECI) colour profile yet? Just drop us a line and we will be happy to send it to you. How do I install an ICC profile? shows you how to set it up, and we explain why colours look different on screen in RGB to CMYK.

How to export in your program

The menus are named slightly differently depending on the version, but the settings behind them are the same.

Adobe Illustrator

1. Switch to CMYK Color via File > Document Color Mode and, under Edit > Color Settings, choose ‘ISO Coated v2 (ECI)’ for CMYK.
2. Convert text via Type > Create Outlines and delete hidden layers.
3. Go to File > Save As and choose Adobe PDF.
4. Under General, deactivate ‘Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities’ and ‘Create Acrobat Layers from Top-Level Layers’.
5. Under Output, set Color Conversion to ‘Convert to Destination’, choose ‘ISO Coated v2 (ECI)’ as the destination and include the destination profile. This also converts placed images that have their own profile.

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop has one peculiarity: without editing capabilities, or with an older PDF standard, it often places your design on a white background when saving as a PDF. This is why you leave the option switched on here and tidy up the file beforehand.

1. Convert the file to ISO Coated v2 (ECI) via Edit > Convert to Profile and set Image > Mode to ‘8 Bits/Channel’.
2. Delete all layers that are not meant to be printed, including hidden ones, and the background layer. Your design then sits on a transparent background.
3. Go to File > Save As and choose Photoshop PDF.
4. Leave ‘Preserve Photoshop Editing Capabilities’ switched on and choose Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) or later under Compatibility.
5. Then open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat and use the transparency grid to check whether the background really is transparent.

If this does not work, save your design as a PNG with transparency via File > Export > Export As. The PNG will then be RGB, however.

CorelDRAW

1. Under Color Management, set CMYK to ‘ISO Coated v2 (ECI)’.
2. Convert text via Object > Convert to Curves (Ctrl + Q).
3. Do not place any white areas under your design and do without a page background, because white is printed as well in DTF printing.
4. Convert shadows or transparency effects into a bitmap via the Bitmaps menu, at 300 dpi, in CMYK and with ‘Transparent background’ ticked.
5. Go to File > Publish to PDF and choose the PDF/X-4 preset so that the transparency is retained.

If you export as a PNG, make sure you tick ‘Transparent background’ in the export dialog. Otherwise CorelDRAW saves a white background as well.

Affinity

1. Create your document in CMYK with the ‘ISO Coated v2 (ECI)’ profile or convert it afterwards via the Document menu.
2. Convert text via Layer > Convert to Curves.
3. Go to File > Export and choose PDF with the PDF/X-4 preset.
4. Under ‘More’, check that CMYK is output with ISO Coated v2 (ECI), the profile is embedded and nothing is rasterised.

Canva

Canva works with pixels and in RGB. For DTF printing, you therefore download your design as a PNG with a transparent background:

1. Create your design at print size straight away, using custom dimensions in millimetres or centimetres.
2. Go to Share > Download and choose PNG.
3. Tick ‘Transparent background’ (available with Canva Pro) and choose the highest value for Size.
4. Check the pixel dimensions: at 300 dpi, a design 10 cm wide needs a width of around 1,200 pixels.

Because Canva saves in RGB, we convert the colours to CMYK for printing. Bright colours may look slightly duller as a result.

If you use a different program, stick to the same basic rules. If it cannot output CMYK, we convert the colours when printing.

White background or boxes in the print?

We see two export errors particularly often. You can spot both before you order.

White background across the whole file

The file has a white background that cannot be hidden. The error usually happens when saving: a background layer has come along, ‘Transparent background’ was not ticked in Canva or CorelDRAW, or Photoshop placed the design on white when saving as a PDF. Delete the background, check the settings for your program above and export again.

White boxes behind individual designs

In the preview, you see white boxes that exactly frame individual designs. This usually means there is an image with a background in your file. Check the placed images:

• JPEG or PNG? A JPEG always has a background. Use cut-out PNGs or vectors.
• Imported correctly? Check whether the image kept its transparency when it was placed.
• Embedded? Embed all images, otherwise they will be missing from the PDF or displayed incorrectly.

Tip: After exporting, open your PDF again in a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat and check it for backgrounds and hidden elements. There, you can switch on the transparency grid under Preferences > Page Display, so that transparent areas appear as a chequerboard pattern.

Frequently asked questions

Help with your print files

Want to be on the safe side? You can add the Pro File Check to your order. We then check the format, the colour mode with colour profile and the main transparency of your gang sheet before production. The resolution and semi-transparent pixels in your design are not included. The Pro File Check is not available for express and designer orders.

If you have a problem with your file, do not hesitate to get in touch, we do not bite. Our customer service will be happy to help you by phone or by email at info@dtf-king.de. You can also find many answers in our FAQ.

Setting up print files correctlyView the Pro File CheckContact customer service

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Wishing you every success with your projects,

DTF-King Team