Print files
How to Prepare Files for Printful, Gooten, or a Local Print Shop
POD templates want a specific pixel box. Local shops want 300 DPI and a ratio that matches the paper. Prep once with a focal-point crop, then export per SKU.
Direct answer
Prepare POD files by downloading the product template and placing a 300 DPI crop into that exact pixel box (including bleed or wrap if shown). For a local print shop, export width-inches × 300 by height-inches × 300 in sRGB JPG or the format they named. Never upload a 1080p mockup. Use one focal point and a separate file per SKU size.
Printful, Gooten, Printify, Prodigi, and a neighborhood inkjet shop all say “300 DPI” and then disagree about everything else: canvas wrap, poster bleed, fabric PPI, max file weight. The shared workflow is: read the template, crop to that rectangle, export clean pixels, keep mockups out of the production folder.
If you skip the template and send a pretty 8×10, canvas SKUs lose the sides and posters get white edges. That is on the file, not the press.
- 1
Download the current template
Pixel size, bleed, wrap, and file type change by SKU.
- 2
Crop the original to that rectangle
Use a focal point so the subject is not in the wrap.
- 3
Export at the template’s DPI
Usually 300 for paper, sometimes 150 for fabric.
- 4
Upload the production file, not the mockup
Keep Etsy listing images in a different folder.
Read the template, then crop to it
Printful and Gooten publish pixel dimensions per product. Those numbers already include 300 DPI (or 150 for some fabrics — check). Do not upload a 1080p mockup into a poster SKU.
A local shop quoting 11×14 on paper wants 3300×4200 px at 300 DPI. Add that custom ratio, pin the subject, Export Artwork. If you send five paintings, the ZIP should be five named folders, each with the ratios you selected.
| Destination | What to send | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| POD poster / fine art paper | Trim pixels at 300 DPI, sRGB JPG | Some SKUs add a small bleed |
| POD canvas | Larger file including wrap | Do not put faces in the wrap zone |
| All-over print / fabric | Often 150 DPI, huge pixel boxes | Do not use a paper 8×10 |
| Local paper shop | Inches × 300, format they named | CMYK vs sRGB, bleed, crop marks |
Color, type, and file weight
POD is almost always sRGB JPEG. Convert before upload. PNG vs JPG if you sell type-heavy illustrations. WebP only when listed.
Huge PNG canvases hit upload caps. Flatten, or use high-quality JPG for photographs. Local shops quoting TIFF/PDF want that for offset, not for a 13×19 inkjet — ask before you spend an hour converting.
Safe zones beat clever composition
Templates shade wrap and trim. Put the focal point in the safe zone, not in the wrap. A gallery-wrap canvas will hide an inch of each edge.
For posters, keep signatures inside the trim. Full-bleed signatures get guillotined. If the art is the signature, add a margin SKU or a larger paper size.
One export session, many partners
You can still use Reopic as the crop engine: custom millimetres or inches that match the template, 300 DPI stamp, ZIP per artwork. Then drop those files into Printful’s uploader or a USB for the local shop.
Etsy listing rules stay separate. Do not let the marketplace JPEG become the Printful asset.
Printful and Gooten in plain terms
Open the product, download the PNG/PDF template, read the pixel size written in the guide — not a blog from last year. Place your crop so the subject sits in the safe zone. Export to those exact pixels. If the template is 4500×6300, do not send 2400×3000 and let their upscaler invent the rest.
Push products (framed posters, canvas) often include extra pixels for the rail or wrap. A face on the far left of a landscape will fold around the stretcher. Pin toward the safe zone, not the wrap. If the art is edge-to-edge pattern, wrap is easier; if it is a portrait, give the face margin.
The USB you take to a local shop
Ask for a one-line spec: “11×14 on luster, 3300×4200, sRGB JPG, no bleed.” Put that in the filename: lake_11x14_3300x4200_srgb.jpg. Shops that still use ancient RIPs may want TIF uncompressed; they will tell you. Bring a proof print or a calibrated laptop if color is critical — DPI will not save a Display P3 file dumped into a sRGB workflow.
If they print several sizes, bring a folder per size, not one TIFF you expect them to crop. You already decided the focal point. Do not outsource that to whoever is on shift.
FAQ: Printful file prep 300 DPI
What size file does Printful need?+
Whatever that product’s template shows. Posters are often 300 DPI at the poster inches. Canvas includes wrap pixels. Always open the live guide.
Does Gooten want 300 DPI?+
For most paper products, yes. Some garments and all-over prints differ. Use Gooten’s file requirements for that product ID.
What should I bring to a local print shop?+
Ask them: size, DPI, JPG/TIFF/PDF, sRGB or CMYK, bleed. Then export that exact box. A generic 8×10 may not match their sheet.
Can I use the same file for Printful and Etsy?+
Only if the pixel box matches. Etsy listing photos can be smaller. Production files cannot. Keep two folders.
