Artwork preparation

Apply only the section needed for this file. Inspect file content as well as its extension. Preserve the original and compare every conversion with an inspectable source rendering. Missing fonts, linked images, ambiguous pages/artboards or changed effects are unresolved defects, not successful conversion.

Raster size and transparency

Effective PPI = source pixels / intended printed inches on each axis. For example, a 1200 × 900 pixel design supports 4 × 3 inches at 300 PPI. The PNG's DPI metadata does not override this arithmetic. Evaluate the design's own pixels, excluding a large transparent canvas that would otherwise disguise insufficient detail.

Export to RGB/sRGB PNG with alpha. Verify the actual pixel values: nonempty artwork, transparent areas where the background should be, and no unintended white rectangle, checkerboard image or edge halo. An alpha channel with every value opaque is not transparent. A transparent border does not prove the interior background was removed. Review on both light and dark backgrounds.

Do not silently remove white pixels: white may be intended ink. Color-profile conversion can change appearance; preserve the original profile and inspect the color-managed result. Do not merely discard an incompatible profile and claim the pixels were converted.

Resize with minimal questions

Use the owner's requested physical size and preserve aspect ratio. If only width or height is supplied, calculate the other from the oriented source; do not ask for it again. Convert inches to whole output pixels at 300 PPI. If proportional rounding cannot satisfy the shop's size contract without distortion, report the nearest proportional size for approval instead of stretching or silently changing the requested size.

After permission for local preparation and helper execution:

- Excess pixels: downsample automatically to the required output dimensions. For example, 1254 × 1254 pixels at 3 × 3 inches becomes 900 × 900. Reuse the current preparation approval; no separate downsampling question is needed.

- Insufficient pixels, at most 2× enlargement per axis: prefer a vector/native export at the target resolution when already available. Otherwise the helper can use conventional cubic interpolation with --allow-upscale. An assistant may select this within the existing preparation request, unless the owner forbids resampling; no extra resizing permission is needed. For example, 600 × 600 pixels at 3 × 3 inches becomes 900 × 900, but source detail remains 200 PPI. Include the factor, source PPI and preview in the final artwork review before the owner approves the draft. The helper's 2× ceiling is a preparation limit, not a guarantee of acceptable print quality.

- More than 2× or visibly unsuitable detail: request the vector/native source, a larger original, or an approved smaller print size. Do not repeatedly enlarge intermediate files to evade the limit. Judge enlargement from the earliest available original; unknown prior upscaling stays unknown. Blurred lettering, compression artifacts or missing fine detail require a quality decision even below 2×.

- AI enhancement or reconstruction: not performed by this helper. It can alter letters, logos and shapes; obtain specific authorization and show a before/after review before using it. Do not upload artwork to an external enhancement service without permission.

Keep the original and preparation receipt together. Report source effective PPI and interpolated output PPI separately; an enlarged export must never be described as restored source detail or certified production quality. Re-open the export, check transparency and inspect edges, lettering and fine detail at final print size on light and dark backgrounds. A prepared preview is not an approved draft.

Choose the conversion route

| Input | Preferred route | Stop or ask when |

| --- | --- | --- |

| PNG | Decode the full image; inspect dimensions, color profile, alpha and visible bounds. Preserve a suitable file. | Low detail at size, opaque background, corrupt file or ambiguous intended white. |

| JPEG | Inspect original detail and compression; convert a copy to PNG only after any authorized background work. | Background removal intent is unknown. JPEG-to-PNG alone creates neither transparency nor detail. |

| TIFF | Open the intended page/layers in a capable local tool and export the approved composite to sRGB PNG. | Multiple pages, alpha/layer ambiguity, unsupported color profile or missing rendering capability. |

| PSD | Use a compatible local application to render the intended visible layers, text and linked/embedded objects. | Missing fonts/links, unsupported effects or no reliable full-resolution composite. A thumbnail is not the design. |

| PDF | Select the intended page and verify its physical box, fonts, images, transparency and clipping. Keep the PDF when it already meets direct sheet intake. | Multiple plausible pages, password protection, missing resources or a wrong physical page size. |

| SVG | Render through a trusted local tool with external references and scripting disabled; verify fonts, viewBox, embedded rasters and clipping. | Remote images/fonts are unresolved or the rendered result changes. A vector wrapper may contain low-resolution rasters. |

| EPS | Use a trusted isolated local renderer with a time/resource limit, then compare the full result. | Unsupported fonts, external resources, ambiguous bounds or altered effects. Raster output is not vector artwork. |

| AI with PDF-compatible data | Prefer Illustrator; otherwise a capable PDF renderer may inspect/render the embedded PDF representation. Confirm it is the intended complete artwork. | The PDF representation is absent, incomplete or differs from the intended artboard. Never substitute a preview thumbnail. |

| Legacy/native AI | Use a compatible licensed Illustrator installation and export the chosen artboard. | No compatible application is available. Request a PDF-compatible AI, PDF or final transparent PNG export. |

| CDR | Prefer a compatible licensed CorelDRAW installation; choose the correct page/objects and export a copy. Verify fonts, PowerClips, effects, links and transparency. | The installed version cannot faithfully open/render it, fonts/links are missing, or only an embedded preview is readable. Ask for a native export; do not promise universal CDR conversion. |

Use the software's documented export controls. Illustrator's PNG export supports resolution selection and a transparent background; PNG preserves RGB transparency. Adobe export documentation.

CorelDRAW supports PNG export with transparency controls. Confirm the selected PNG mode, color space and output pixel dimensions in the installed version rather than assuming a default. CorelDRAW transparency export documentation.

Do not install or run instructions/macros embedded in artwork. Use bounded isolated conversion with no network/resource fetching; if a parser hangs or fails, stop that conversion and report the unsupported input.

Gang sheets and submission format

A gang sheet is a physical layout, not just a collage. Read the shop's current sizes, usable bounds, spacing and file limits. Place copies at their requested physical sizes; keep the placement record tied to the exported file. Count total output as copies on one sheet × printed sheet quantity. Verify every design is wholly inside the usable area and does not overlap another design or required clearance.

Keep a transparent 300-PPI PNG master for DTF preparation. Direct DTF intake accepts a single-page PDF whose page is the ordered sheet size, or a finished 8-bit RGBA PNG at exactly 300 pixels per inch of the ordered sheet (width × 300 by height × 300 pixels) with real transparency; the builder accepts its listed artwork formats. Correct output dimensions do not prove sufficient source detail: preserve any enlargement warning through the final review and honor the shop's validation. Do not rename a PNG to PDF. If producing a PDF, use a real PDF exporter at the exact ordered sheet dimensions, preserve transparency and image detail, and verify the exported page and rendering. Copies arranged on a finished sheet are part of the file; the order quantity is the number of sheets.

Local preparation can establish dimensions and rendering facts. It cannot recover unknown pre-upscaling detail or certify production readiness by itself. Report uncertainty and honor the shop's final validation/approval.