Knowing how to set and save the size for your design is one of the most important details to understand when on the The Design Layout Page.
What are the basics?
Spoonflower produces a good quality print at our minimum resolution of 150 dpi. Therefore, many artists will create their design files at the desired dimensions, saved at 150 dpi.
This quick formula may be helpful:
Desired dimensions - width x length - multiplied by 150 = number of pixels
For example, if you'd like an image to print at 4in x 4in
- Multiply each dimension by 150: 4" x 150dpi
- This equals 600 pixels
- Prepare and save your file at 600 pixels x 600 pixels
IMPORTANT: DPI represents a physical scale that influences the printed dimensions of your pattern. If you change the DPI on the design layout page for a design from 150 dpi to 300 dpi, the new physical dimensions will be halved in both width and height. See Image Resolution and DPI for more background on resolution and print size.
HELLO METRIC USERS: For the rare artist who designs using centimeters and "dpcm," Spoonflower's use of inches and DPI may be a bit confusing. If this is you, save your design at the appropriate metric dimensions with a resolution of at least 59 dpcm before uploading to our site.
Common Design Sizes:
If calculators aren't your thing, you'll find most of the math to convert dimensions to pixels in this chart.
Templates for the following sizes are also attached at the bottom of this article.
| Fabric Type | Fat Quarter Size (yards) | Yard Size | Meter Size |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Petal Signature Cotton® Cotton Poplin |
21in x 18in 3150 x 2700 pixels |
42in x 36in 6300 x 5400 pixels |
106cm x 100cm 6300 x 5900 pixels |
| Poly Crepe de Chine |
26in x 18in 3900 x 2700 pixels |
52in x 36in 7800 x 5400 pixels |
132cm x 100cm 7800 x 5900 pixels |
|
Belgian Linen™ Celosia Velvet™ Chiffon Linen Cotton Canvas Minky Satin |
27in x 18in 4050 x 2700 pixels |
54in x 36in 8100 x 5400 pixels |
137cm x 100cm 8100 x 5900 pixels |
|
Cypress Cotton Canvas Dogwood Denim™ Polartec® Fleece Modern Jersey Organic Cotton Knit Organic Cotton Sateen Organic Sweet Pea Gauze Performance Piqué Sport Lycra |
28in x 18in 4200 x 2700 pixels |
56in x 36in 8400 x 5400 pixels |
142cm x 100cm 8400 x 5900 pixels |
| Lightweight Cotton Twill |
29in x 18in 4350 x 2700 pixels |
58in x 36in 8700 x 5400 pixels |
147cm x 100cm 8700 x 5900 pixels |
| Cotton Spandex Jersey |
30in x 18in 4500 x 2700 pixels |
60in x 36in 9000 x 5400 pixels |
152cm x 100cm 9000 x 5900 pixels |
▶ Pixel calculations for common measurements
We convert from inches to number of pixels for key dimensions, at 150 dpi.
- 4" = 600 pixels
- 8" = 1200 pixels
- 10" = 1500 pixels
- 12" = 1800 pixels
- 18” = 2700 pixels (Fat Quarter length)
- 50 cm = 2950 (Metric FQ length)
- 21” = 3150 pixels
- 24" = 3600 pixels
- 27” = 4050 pixels
- 28” = 4200 pixels
- 29” = 4350 pixels
- 36” = 5400 pixels (one yard!)
- 100 cm = 5900 pixels (one meter!)
- 42" = 6300 pixels
- 54” = 8100 pixels
- 56” = 8400 pixels
- 58” = 8700 pixels
Sizing Wallpaper Designs
Sizing and saving designs for wallpaper is a bit different. Every design must repeat an even number of times across the 24" (60.96cm) roll width. If your original design is not uploaded at 3600 pixels (24" x 150dpi) wide, our system will resize it accordingly so it prints correctly.
Your design may be any length, but be mindful of the vertical design repeat (VDR). The VDR can influence the size rolls that a customer may need to buy. Because all rolls of the same length print identically, VDR less than 24" are typically best. Learn more in Wallpaper Terms and FAQ.
Consider the following when creating wallpaper designs:
- Option 1 - If the design should repeat once, create your design canvas at 3600 pixels wide. It can be any height.
- Option 2 - Make a canvas sized at 1800 pixels (12" x 150dpi). This design will repeat 2 times across each roll. It can be any height
- Option 3 - Create a canvas at 900 pixels (6" x 150dpi) wide to repeat 4 times.
Note: If your pixel dimensions do not fit even number of times (1, 2, 4, 6...) into a 24" width, our system will automatically resize your design so it does. DPI must always be 150 or higher.
In the example below, the design was created for 4" wide x 4" height and saved to 150 dpi, or 600 pixels x 600 pixels and saved as Half-Drop Repeat. At this size, the design repeats six times (4" x 6) across the 24" roll width. Review the FAQ for questions about scale adjustments.
PRO TIP: Review this key information about half-drop designs for customers.
Sizing Designs - FAQ
▶ What if my design has a higher DPI than 150?
Once your design is uploaded to our site from here, the design preview will default to show your design at 150 dpi. This means that if you upload a file that’s been prepared at 300 pixels per inch, it will appear as double the size in the preview. More, if you update the DPI back to 300 pixels per inch on the design layout page, the size of both the width and height of your design will be halved!
We cover how to adjust the design tile size back to 300 dpi below.
| 150 dpi Preview | 300 dpi Preview |
▶ How does the design preview work?
The design preview is the best way to predict how a design will print. The rulers along the edge of the preview are also a great way to estimate the finished scale of a repeat. The size of your design file in the preview will always be displayed on this page similar to below.
You can see the exact size of the repeat below the Design Size section. With this image, we can see that the uploaded design is 4in x 4in for the repeat in the preview window.
What does this information mean?
|
4.00in x 4.00in, 150 pixels/inch, Half-Drop (example above) |
|
1. 4.00in x 4.00 in |
Size of the repeat as width x height |
|
2. 150 pixels/inch |
How many pixels per inch |
|
3. Half-Drop |
Repeat option selected |
If you may need to change the scale further, use the Bigger, Smaller, or Change DPI options below the Design Size section to increase or decrease the scale. Once you are happy with the layout, you can also use the Save This Layout option to save the selected scale of your design.
Note for the metric folks: The tools and tips above are helpful for metric designers, but if you design in Metric Fat Quarters or in Meters and need to see the entire layout of your pattern, you will need to set your Size & Amount at one size larger than your design dimension in yards. For example, a 1 Meter pattern won't completely show for "QUANTITY 1" yard. However, if you change to "QUANTITY 2" and select "Center" repeat you will be able to see the entirety of the 1 Meter pattern on your chosen fabric width as a way to confirm its length. Be sure to change to another repeat option afterwards prior to saving the layout of your design. For reference, one inch is 2.54 cm and one meter is 39.37 inches. Use the rulers around the edges of the preview to confirm conversion.
▶ What if I want to print on a certain fabric type?
While we cannot limit the fabric types onto which we print your designs, you can update the default fabric on the design preview page from Petal Signature Cotton® to a more ideal substrate. This means that any time you return to the design preview page - or any time your customers come to the product page if you are a verified seller - you are less likely to order the wrong fabric type. Of course, this solution is not 100% fool proof because the fabric type can be changed before order, but this is a good measure to put in place. To make this update, simply select an alternate fabric on the design preview page from the Choose a Fabric dropdown and then click Save The Layout.
For example, you might upload a 56" wide cut-and-sew stuffed animal design that ideally should print on Organic Cotton Knit. In the image below see how the fabric has been updated from Petal in the (1) Choose a Fabric dropdown and then saved by clicking (2) Save the Layout. Moving forward, the site will default to always Organic Cotton Knit and publish an "alert" advising customers to note the preferred fabric type.
▶ What if I want to print text? Will it be crisp and clear when printed?
The best options for your text based design can vary depending on the style of font you are using, the size, as well as the fabric you would like to use. Generally, it is best to keep any fonts at the 1/2in size. Finer details smaller than 1/2in may not translate well when printed onto the fabric of your choice.
For this reason, it’s always best to proceed with a test swatch first so that further adjustments for your design can be made as needed for the best print possible at a larger quantity.
▶ What settings should I use for digital photographs and scanned images?
We suggest that you capture your image using a high quality setting. This will allow you to scale your image without compromising the quality of the image. Here are some additional tips:
- Digital photographs - As a rule of thumb, a 3 megapixel camera can be used to capture an image that will nicely fill an 8in x 8in swatch. A 10 megapixel camera will capture an image to fill an 18in x 21in fat quarter. A full yard requires 40 megapixels, which at this point is only available in very high end professional cameras.
- Scanned artwork - Typically scanners have a range of scanning resolutions starting at 150 dpi and escalating to 300, 600, 1200, and 2400. As a rule of thumb, a standard sheet of paper in landscape (11in x 8.5in) scanned at 300 dpi will fill a fat quarter. The same sheet scanned at 600 dpi will fill a yard.
▶ See how to change a design size on the design layout page.
Please see below for an example working with a seamless design created for the size of 4in x 4in (600 x 600 pixels) and saved to 150 dpi. We’ll be changing the scale of the design to 300 dpi on the design page after uploading in order for the scale to then be 2in x 2in. Once this is changed, the 'Save This Layout' button is selected to save the new scale.
▶ Yard/Meter Templates
All templates below are available for use with Adobe® Photoshop®. If you may wish to use these templates with a free option instead, please check out some of the options with Photopea. This useful site lets you continue to save PSD files as well!