Updated on 07-13-2016
Wondering how to prepare your file before uploading it to Spoonflower? Here’s our quick and dirty guide.
Acceptable file formats: JPG, PNG or TIF (8-bit, uncompressed).
FILE SIZE: Your file must be smaller than 40MB.
RESOLUTION: Set up your image at 150 dpi (dots per inch). If you want to design an 8″x8″ swatch, for example, you need to upload an image that is 1200 pixels x 1200 pixels. The print size of your image in pixel dimensions will be 150x the number of inches.
We will tile your design to fill the space of the fabric you order. If you upload an image larger than the area of fabric you order, then we will crop it using the lower left corner as the point of origin.
FORMAT & COLOR NOTES: When printing a design onto fabric using Spoonflower you’ll have the best experience when you upload a file in JPG format that consists of colors that fall within the RGB color space. You can also upload PNG or TIF. When you check image size, try to make sure the fields show the physical output size you want with the a digital resolution set at 150 pixels per inch.
CONFUSED?
If you don’t have Photoshop and talking about JPGs and RGB color make you anxious, don’t worry. JPG is the most common image format for digital designs and most images will print nicely. It’s important to keep in mind that there may be colors in your image that can’t be reproduced on fabric by the pigments in our printer (very bright colors, absolute blacks, and very saturated colors, for example). If that is the case you will sometimes observe colors in a printed image appear somewhat different from what you expected.
If you’re curious, read more about preparing files in the Spoonflower Help Section.
I work in a vector based program, can I send an Illustrator, Freehand or eps file? Going to jpeg or tiff would only lower the quality.
That’s a perfectly reasonable question, but at this point all files passed to the textile printer are first converted into TIF format so starting with a vector image is not going to improve the quality of the final product at all. You’d do best to use Illustrator to generate an optimized TIF and upload that directly to the site.
Can the TIFF image be compressed when we send it in? Say using LZW compression (lossless), or does if have to remain uncompressed? I’m trying to figure out the maximum number of square inches I can spread the image over.
I think a compressed TIF will work… I’ll have to try that myself to check it. If your design file uploads successfully and you can see the JPG on the site, then it worked. If it gets hung up during the upload process, back out and start over.
In terms of the available width of fabric–the printable area is 42″. In theory you are not limited other than by the (current) order size limit of 5 yards. In reality, however, with a 25MB file size limit you couldn’t upload an image much larger than a yard. You could always try uploading a JPG, however, and see how the colors hold up. Please let me know how it goes.
Hi,
Thank you for the invite! I am excited.
After I uploaded my image, the “Preview” area is empty and the place below the upload area shows where my images should be and it has the little red “x” you can click on and then click “show picture”, but no picture shows. However, when I am at the area you can order, it does say the size of my image and the PRINT size it will be. Should I continue on, or try again?
Thanks,
Katie
Thanks for the invite! Looks like picking the design is going to be the hard part. This very exciting.
thanks so much for the invitation!! i find out about you via black apple…v excited at the possibility of my very own fabric : )
Very excited! I need to go back and look at my photoshop, considering I’ve been “on the needles” instead of “at the drawing board” lately.
And then there is the making of Xmas skirts with the new fabric…
Thank you!
I uploaded my file in TIF format, but the white areas of my image (which I didn’t want to print) look off-white or creamy in the preview. Is this just showing through the natural color of the fabric, or will this area print almost yellowey? I also tried uploading my TIF with a transparent background, but it didn’t like the format.
Thanks!
Nico
Nico,
I’m assuming you uploaded a TIF in LAB profile? If so, you (and everyone) should be aware that the Spoonflower thumbnail displays even a TIF in Lab format as a JPG which, in the RGB environment of a web page, can make the colors wonky. But the TIF you upload is the same file we’ll send to the printer, so the colors you set up there will be the colors we print… or try to print. As most people are aware, an output device (in this case a textile printer) matches the colors in a file to the best of its ability– but imperfectly. This can be dramatic in some cases — as for example with very saturated colors that the printer can’t approximate well at all — and virtually imperceptible in others. If you are cautious (and patient) you might print a swatch first to see how the colors reproduce.
Is it possible to upload pdf files created from photoshop lab files?
Thanks a lot for the invitation ! *************************
I am very excited with this new project, and by being part of your ongrowing community at spoonflower ;D
See you soon online
Hiya,
I have just spent a lot of time on illustrator and photoshop, following all your instructions, but the TIFF file 36”X 44” by 150 DPI, as you ask doesn’t weight 25 Mo but 102mo : we will all have to zip it or download it an other way, maybe ?
Have I made a mistake, here ? Thanks a lot ;D
Karin
Yes, a TIF file at that size is very large. Some people seem to have figured out ways to create large-dimension TIF files that are small enough to upload, but I actually have no idea how they’re doing it.
If you can’t get the file under 25 MB, your best bet is just to save it as a JPG, which will be a much smaller file. JPGs in our system get converted to TIFs befoe being printed. Depending on the design, there can be more color-shifting in a file that starts out as a JPG, but it’s also true that often you can’t tell the difference.
Note: the printable area of the fabric is 42 inches wide (not 44) x 36 inches long, so if you’re setting up a design at the 1-yard size you should use those dimensions.
I can’t find free software that does LAB conversion. That would be the only reason for me to get Photoshop. So I need another option.
I tried with a jpg that had black background, and that black turned out to be dark brown/grey. It’s no problem for me, I can use it like that, but most people will be very disappointed about that. I only had one other color, and that came out exactly as expected. So maybe it’s only the black that needs to be fixed?
The advantage of LAB color, as I understand it, is just that it will confine color shifting to only the individual colors that the printer can’t reproduce. If you’re using an RGB file, for example, and the printer can’t hit the dark black, it will shift to a lighter black but it will shift all the other colors to lighter shades as well. So the adjustment is relative and affects the entire image. In LAB color, the printer can shift ONLY those colors it can’t reproduce and leave the other colors intact. It treats color as more of an absolute property. Hope that makes sense.
In terms of your image in particular, it’s important to note that this printer and these pigments simply can’t produce a “true” black. Having said that, I have seen some very nice designs that relied on solid black areas. The result is a flat charcoal color, but it works beautifully on fabric.
I am very excited about reproducing my own fabric and currently designing my first effort. Thanks so much for the invite, I’ve been very slow in getting going but it’ll be worth the wait as far as I am concerned .
Hi, I’m so excited to test out spoonflower! I have some images that I’ve previously screenprinted that I’d like to test. The colors I used for those images were based on solid uncoated PMS colors. Can you share any tips for achieving the best possible match when converting to LAB color? Is all I need to do switch the color mode from CMYK to LAB in photoshop, or do you recommend other steps and tips? A few of my colors are fairly saturated. Thank you so very much.
Thanks for my invitation!
I can’t wait to get started!
This is awesome! Thanks so much for the invite! Now I can’t decide what design to use!!!
<3
Thanks for the invite! This is so amazing and i can’t wait to get started… now it’s all about getting some designs ready to print!!!
I’m having problems uncompressing the contact sheet. DMS seems to be an unusual file format, is there anyway you could use the more conventional ZIP format to compress the file? thanks.
Page
Thanks…can’t wait to get started….
HEY thanks for the invite!
I was just about to give up on the idea of fabric printing!
I can’t wait to do business with you!
Thank you for the invitation. I’m looking forward to getting started.
ohmygoodness… now I’ll never sleep.
Thank you for the invite, this makes up for all of those years of being picked last for kickball.
Thanks a lot for the invite, I am really looking forward to get my fabrics printed from you.
Thank you so much for the invitation!
I´m going to draw my design right now!
Many thanks for the invite, now all I’ve got to do is decide what design I want to do. Do you have any problems with posting to the UK?
Yea! Thanks for the invite!! I’ll come back and iron out the logistics once I decide on an image!
Thanks for the invite. I have a tile that I created in Illustrator. It repeats perfectly as a illustrator file. When I exported it to a Tif file, it no longer repeats smooth. There is a white line in my design. Can anyone tell me what I’m doing wrong.
Thanks for the invite will get cracking on my designs ASAP.
Is there any problem printing gradients created in Illustrator as long as I save my final work in .tif? Thank you for the invite. 🙂
Tina, if you reduce your file size in PSD after importing the file, a while line will appear. Try setting your file size when opening the file rather than resizing after opening. (make sense?) alternately, you could crop by one pixel from each side.
Hi again,
i noticed that the swatches you provide are in trumatch colors. is that correct? i can’t seem to find a good black in there!
Do you all have or could you make an ‘approved colors’ swatch for Illustrator?
Thanks!
Jon
Thank you so much for the invite!! I’m so excited to try this! Now my mind is all aflutter with ideas! Time to get to work–Work??? I mean PLAY!
Leona
I join my voice to Jon’s comment above. Seems like older versions of Photoshop (older than CS2) can’t convert your swatch file to a format that Illustrator can read.
Also, have you guys thought of offering a color selector with physical (smaller) swatches, kind of like those swatch fans paint companies offer?… I’m thinking that if for every project I do, I must print a swatch first in order to see the color conversion, pay $6 for it, and wait several weeks to get it, I may rather bite the bullet and pay for a physical color selector.
I have the same question as georgina: is there any problem with printing gradients?
Okay, so am I right that the colors on the contact sheet are the only colors that you can print at this time?
The color I really need is a pumpkin orange and the orange on the contact sheet is too bright. Should I just not even bother with it, or is there a way to print out the color I need?
Thanks!
If you look through the palette on the contact sheet once you’ve opened it in Photoshop, you’ll see that there are actually hundreds of colors. The colors selected for the file were really just intended as a general selection to get you started. The key to getting the best result is really just to make sure you are selecting LAB-safe colors. The palette is quite large, but if you work in RGB (or CMYK, which is the least effective option) then you can wind up with out-of-gamut colors that get shifted. This is especially likely with reds that turn orange. Choosing pale, pinkish reds in the LAB spectrum works best for reds. I really need to post a longer tutorial on this….
Thanks Stephen!
When I open the file I only see about 50 colors. I also tried to open the swatch file, but it wouldn’t open for me.
Also, since I’m from Raleigh, is it possible to pick up my order?
Thanks!
A quick question or two about viewing the preview of our designs once uploaded to the site:
the viewing area for the one yard size is 42 marks (inches) wide, and only 34 marks tall – is this significant? ie. when we order a yard, is the printing area 34 inches long, or a full 36″ yard? (matters for tiling, for a few of my designs)
Secondly, I’m uploading my image, created in photoshop and saved as a jpg at 150 dpi, the right size and so on. When I view the preview, say, for a swatch, the image is quite blurry, which my actual file is not. Is this just a quirk of the preview? Or does this mean my fabric will be printed pixelated as I see it in the preview box? I know this isn’t an obvious problem with my file.. it’s saved to the right size in inches at 150 dpi and I can see all the detail when I look at my file. It’s just after uploading that the preview looks pixelly.
THANK YOU!! 🙂
Sarah,
Both issues you mention are vagaries of the preview, which is imperfect. You are correct that the printing area is 42″ x 36″. And the blurriness will NOT appear in the printed fabric. If you upload a TIF, we print directly from the uploaded file, so you should be in good shape.
Thanks for the note!
(Sarah was in fact the post above me, I’m Tiffa, but…)
Thank you very much for the quick reply, Stephen. I’m off to place my first order. 🙂
I can’t believe I found you! This is the coolest website. I won’t sleep tonight. My head is spinning with ideas!
Sheree
Wow – I’m a bit behind. Just found out about you guys. Anxious to see my designs on fabric!
I uploaded an image, and the background was supposed to be white, but when I upload it on here it looks kind of tan or cream. It there a reason that the background color looks different?
Shila,
Files in LAB format often look funny when they are previewed in web browsers. The white will still print as white and not as cream. We just haven’t yet figured out how to compensate in the preview.
-Stephen
Hi Stephen,
You say: “If you want to print a single large image you should set up the image at the actual size you plan to print. You could set up a single image to be a linear yard, for example (which in our case would actually be 36″x44″), then order a yard.”
I want to print a single large image at 36 by 42 inches. I set my resolution at 150 and the size at 36 x 42 and get 111.2 M. How do I get it down to 25M? Thanks! Heidi
Heidi,
There are various tricks for making a file smaller, but I think in your case if you just save it as a JPG rather than a TIF, it will probably come in under 25MB. If you want to chat about the specifics, you can email us at help@spoonflower.com
-Stephen
I just downloaded the SPOONFLOWERCOLORS.ACO (the 256 count safe colors palette).
I then ran one of my own designs through that palette… With the palette active, the only configuration which looks acceptably close to my original Photoshop design is if DITHER:DIFFUSION is set to 100%.
If DITHER is set to any other mode, or if its diffusion is LESS THAN 100%, then my design suffers considerably… edging towards a very pronounced hot-pink cast, essentially making the design….uh…. not my design anymore. )-:
Can I assume you are using a configuration of DITHER:DIFFUSION 100% in order to keep things very close to my original design?
(or maybe I’m still not understanding something… not impossible)
Hi Stephen,
I just downloaded the provided Photoshop ACO palette of safe colors.
Running one of my own designs through that palette in P’SHOP, I see that the only condition in which the resultant design looks like my original design… is if DITHER:DIFFUSION is set to 100%.
What does that mean…? Is SPOONFLOWER using a DITHER FUNCTION of 100%?
I notice that if DITHER is set to anything other than DIFFUSION:100%, then my design suffers greatly by taking on a hot-pink cast which basically… is not my original idea at all.
Comments?
Thanks, Dave
(Double-post… sorry)
David, keep in mind that we don’t print from Illustrator or Photoshop. We
print using a special textile RIP that works from raster images (TIFs).
[Note that if you upload a JPG or PNG, our software converts it to a TIF
automatically.] We don’t adjust your image or apply any color settings or
test it or anything else — we just print the file as is in a long queue
with hundreds of other designs. For that reason the only good way we have to
judge color is by ordering a test palette of your own. That allows you to
compare the printed version of colors wtih their screen counterparts. If
you’d like us to send you a printed version of the color swatch you’ve
already downloaded, just let us know. -Stephen
Have a question. I downloaded the ACO file but how do I actually load it in photoshop? Silly question I know…
Mari
Hi, this is my very first visit to Spoonflower, but I’m thrilled and I want to try it out asap. Instead of tiling and repeating my image, suppose my design is just one single image on a yard of fabric, but assuming that I would want that to be at an exact place on the yard of fabric (say, i’m making bed sheets out of it so I want that to be at the exact spot), how do I do that? What are the requirements in terms of file size / pixel size? Many thanks!
Check out this page in the FAQ for pixel size, etc.:
http://blog.spoonflower.com/2008/05/how-do-i-prepar.html
When you upload a design you have the option to center it rather than tiling
it, but you could also set up a large file with the white space built into
it. Even as a large file, saving a design with a lot of white space using
PNG or JPG compression should be fine. Those compression formats will take
areas of uniform color and compress them quite a bit.
-Stephen
Hello,
I tried to upload a file but it doesn`t work. I prepared everything in the disribed way. Wanted to print a swatch, so I prepared 1200px x 1200px, LAB Color, 150 dpi, tif file, 7 MB. Can you help me with this problem. Thank a lot.
Can you send me an email at help@spoonflower.com? We’ll take a look at the
file to see what might be causing the problem. Make sure that you didn’t
select any of the compression options when saving it as a TIF, and that it
is an 8-bit (rather than 16-bit) file.
-Stephen
Hello,
I’m designing a textile pattern on Adobe Illustrator for 1 yard (36inches square). I have couple questions about prepare the file.
1. Do I need to have bleed around the border? Can you printer print border-less?
2. If I submit a 36 inches square design, can you print it on the fabric 100% exactly the same size?
Thank you
Are you willing to print a logo for a nonprofit? (of course appropriately fixed in a .tiff file at the specifications you desire.)
This is so interesting. But it should be possible to create an ICC color profile for this printing, so that if you open a file in Photoshop and set it to that color profile, the available colors on your screen would be limited to Spoonflower’s printable colors, and at least ideally all the colors you choose would come out the same on fabric. For safety’s sake you would convert the image file to Lab color before uploading.
The Lab color space, by the way, is a basically unlimited space; there is no color that doesn’t fall within it. If you use Photoshop’s feature to exclude out-of-gamut colors, what you’re doing is excluding colors that fall inside Lab space but outside of a standard CMYK space (the range of colors available through four-color paper printing process). This would surely eliminate many colors that would be a problem for Spoonflower, but not all.
An actual profile created from Spoonflower’s own printed swatches would be a great thing. There are professional profile-making services; http://printerprofiles.homestead.com/index.html is one I found on Google, and anyone with a color-calibration device like Colorvision’s PrintFix or GretagMcBeth’s Eye-One colorimeter can make one, too.
Spoonflower would do well to get a profile like this and make it available to its users; it would be hugely more useful than the already-useful swatches you’ve posted of printable colors.
Color management with color profiles can be very confusing, but when it works, it’s a great thing.
I 100% agree.
Telling people to work in RGB is dangerous. RGB is only what they see on screen. If they are only using CYMK on their printers, then people should work with a printable color range on screen as well.
Hi there! Spoonflower prints all of our fabrics in RGB mode, not CMYK mode. This is why we recommend designers upload in this file format.
Hi Paul,
I did ask Stephen about getting their printer’s profile when I first joined, but he couldn’t provide one. They use a Raster Image Processor, which over-rides the printer’s color profile, as I understand it. They do have a color set that you can download for both Photoshop, and Illustrator, and they offer a print of the set. Though it’s not complete, it does give you something to compare with the on-screen version. Here is the page to find the files: blog.spoonflower.com/2008/11/new-adobe-color.html
I just noticed that the links are here, at the top of the first comments page, as well. …Harriet
PS: Check your flickr mail.
I’m a bit confused. When I opened the color chart that you provide and activated gamut warning, most of the colors were blocked out. Doesn’t that indicate that the colors in the chart actually aren’t available in the lab gamut?
I’ve added the spoonflowercolors.aco to the “color swatches” folder in the “presets” folder of photoshop, but it doesn’t show up with all the other swatches like pantone etc. Am I doing something wrong?
hi, how would I upload an Engineered Print to spoon flower? My pattern applied to pattern pieces. Thanks
Hi Denise,
It sounds like you may be interested in our sister company, Sprout Patterns! They offer cut-and-sew projects featuring your custom designs or Marketplace designs!