Removing a background from your design file

This is one of the questions we're asked most often, so we've created a comprehensive guide to help you get the best results.

Inkthreadable doesn't offer background removal as a service. We need all design files supplied print-ready, meaning the file is ready to be printed exactly as you've uploaded it.

How your device displays images with transparent backgrounds can vary by make & model, or even depending on the software you're using. It's not always obvious.

If you see a block of pure white (or any other colour) behind your design it's highly likely that's a background you'll want removed. A checkerboard pattern, or no noticeable colour block, usually means the background is transparent.

Note: AI generated images can often be created with a checkerboard behind the image when the prompt includes asking for a transparent background. The AI is adding a checkerboard as a background because it doesn't understand the prompt, but this doesn't mean the background is transparent. Be careful when trusting AI generated results.

Any files uploaded with a background will have that background printed, except in some specific cases:

In all other circumstances, a background will be printed if it is included in your design. If a background is printed and you didn't want it included, this won't be considered a print fault and you'll have to place a new order to correct it.

This means it's important your print file is right at the time of placing your order, and that any background is removed so that the print you get is the one you wanted.

The tricky part with background removal is accurately removing the unwanted pixels without affecting the quality of your design file. Some free tools export at screen resolution (72 ppi) rather than print (300 ppi) so we need a solution that's easy to use, preferably free, and that outputs files at the quality needed for print.

We'll preface the below suggestions with a warning that if your design file is not print quality at the start of the process, it won't be at the end of it. You can't add quality to a file after it's been saved, you can only subtract from it. This means you need to start the process with a print-ready file saved at 300 ppi, or the best quality file you have.

There are different options available which have different methods and might give different results. Paid background removal tools will always give better results, you can still achieve good results with free alternatives.
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We'll be upfront - this one isn't free. But if you're creating designs regularly, Canva's Background Remover gives consistently clean results and sits inside the same tool you'll use to build the rest of your artwork, which saves a lot of jumping between programs.

Canva's background removal tool is part of Canva Pro. Downloading with a transparent background is a Pro feature too, so if background removal is the only thing you need, one of the free options below might suit you better if you won't make use of the other Pro features.

Free accounts usually get a single trial use or a 30-day Pro trial, which is plenty to see whether you like it, or to remove all the backgrounds needed before you're asked to pay.

We have a blog post explaining how to use Canva to create print files & save with no background which may be useful if you're just getting started.

To remove a background, sign up to Canva Pro and follow these steps:

Before anything else, set your canvas to the size you're actually printing at. Canva exports based on your canvas dimensions, so a design created at Instagram size won't hold up on a t-shirt no matter how good the background removal is.
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Create a custom size canvas in pixels. A 32 x 50 cm canvas would be 3780 x 5906 px. If you're unsure, you can use our pixel calculator to determine your canvas size. With your canvas set up:

If you'd rather not pay, there are three tools we're happy to point you towards. All of them will let you export at print quality, with mixed results depending on the quality of your file.

This is the quickest of the three, but you'll need to sign up for a free Adobe account before you can download anything.

Your file will need to be under 40MB for this method, and since it's a free method the results may vary. Review the downloaded file carefully before using it for print.

This is the one we'd recommend if your design is fiddly. It's a free browser based alternative to Photoshop, and there is plenty of content online to help you use it.

This is a free program you can download to your Mac or Windows computer. It's a raster image editor you don't need an internet connection or account to use.

GIMP will take longer to learn than the other methods, but it's more capable and gives you complete control with a repeatable process you can use reliably when you need it.

Remove.bg is usually the first tool people find, and the cutouts genuinely are very good.

The problem is the free download, which comes out at around 612 x 408 pixels. To put that in context, a full front DTG print at 300ppi needs 3780 x 5906 pixels. In this example you'll be uploading a file roughly a tenth of the size we need, and the result won't be anything like what you see on screen.

There are paid plans which will likely output larger files, but we haven't tested these ourselves so can't comment on the quality.

Remember that enlarging a design after you've saved it drops the quality - the pixels stretch over a bigger area and the ppi falls. Once a file is saved you can't get that quality back, so you'll need to go back to your original artwork and save a fresh copy at the size you need.

Some more tips:

Keep it in RGB.
Don't convert anything to CMYK - our printing software handles that conversion for you.

​Check the edges at 100% zoom.
Two things catch people out. The first is fringing, a thin pale outline left behind by the old background, which is invisible on screen and very obvious on a dark garment. The second is hair or fur that's been cut off in clumps.

Go easy on soft edges.
Heavy feathering, drop shadows and gradients that fade out to transparent can be unpredictable in print, particularly on coloured garments. Crisp edges give you a much more reliable result.
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Preview it against the garment colour. Not against white, and not against the checkerboard. Drop your cutout onto the actual colour you want to print on to see how it looks.

Still stuck? Get in touch and let us know which product you're creating - we'll take a look at your file for you.

Free plans and features change fairly often. This was all correct when we wrote it, but it's worth checking the provider's own site before relying on a specific limit.