How to Create the Best Quality Images for Printing

Hi guys, my name is Matthew, I'm the owner of Super DTF, and today I'm going to show you how to create the best quality images for printing. Let's dive right in and start with a low-quality image as an example. Suppose you're browsing online and you find a heart image that you like. It's 1400 by 1400 pixels, and it looks good at first glance. But here's what you need to know to ensure it prints well.

The Importance of Image Quality

When it comes to printing, the quality of your image is crucial. An image like the heart example might look great on your screen, but it has a lot of shading and gradients. Gradients transition from one color to another, like from red to pink to white, and these can be challenging to print well. Additionally, watermarks can be tough to remove.

For instance, if I take this image into Photoshop and make a gang sheet of 22x22 inches at 300 DPI, the quality might look acceptable at first. However, when I enlarge it, the pixels look terrible, and there's not much you can do to fix it. But don't worry, there are ways to make it look a lot better.

Tools for Improving Image Quality

I use several tools daily to help people with their prints. While I'm getting busier and can't assist everyone personally, I want to empower you to learn these skills yourself. One of the tools I highly recommend is Vectorizer.ai. This tool isn't just an image enhancer; it actually vectorizes your images, creating SVG files that you can edit and adjust.

Removing Backgrounds

Before vectorizing, you need to remove the background. If you haven't seen my background removal video, I suggest you watch that first. It will make this process much easier to follow. Here's a quick rundown: use the wand tool to select everything you don't want and press delete.

Using Vectorizer.ai

Now, let's talk about Vectorizer.ai. I'm not sponsored by them, but I love their service and use it every day. It takes your image, analyzes it, and line traces it using AI. Unlike other tools, it provides an SVG file, allowing you to edit paths and make precise adjustments. This tool is invaluable if you work with client images daily and want high-quality prints.

For images with gradients, vectorizing might not work perfectly, but it's still a significant improvement over low-resolution prints. Even with a challenging image, vectorizing can enhance the quality substantially.

Practical Example

Let's say you have an image that's 19.44 inches at 72 pixels per inch. When you zoom in, the quality is poor. However, using Vectorizer.ai, you can see a notable difference in quality. The vectorized image will look much better on a shirt or any other print.

Final Thoughts

I love seeing high-quality uploads from you guys. There are many talented designers out there, and I want to help you create the best prints possible. The extra effort, like using Vectorizer.ai, makes a huge difference. It takes just a few seconds more, but the quality improvement is substantial.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me. I'm here to help you learn and create amazing prints. Thank you for watching, and happy printing!

Have a good one and thank you again.