We are excited to announce a new tool to help you easily create your own gang sheets! Please note: the Gang Sheet Builder works best on a computer. It may not work as well on your phone or iPad.
Click this LINK to be redirected to the DTF Gang Sheet Builder.
Click this LINK to be redirected to the UV DTF Gang Sheet Builder.
Here's how to use it:
STEP 1: Create an account with the Gang Sheet Building App (optional). This ensures that all gang sheets you build are saved under your account. You can pause and resume working on your projects, revisit old gang sheets, and order reprints of previous projects without having to recreate the sheets! What a time-saver!
To create an account, click the "New Gang Sheet" dropdown pictured below, and then click "Sign In."
Click "Register" or simply log in if you created your account previously:
STEP 2: Choose the size of your gang sheet. When you first open the gang sheet builder, the default is a gang sheet that is 22 inches wide and 12 inches long, equivalent to a 1 linear foot long roll or a 2 square feet order.
To change the size of your gang sheet, simply click the drop-down menu and choose between 12 and 144 inches long. You cannot change the width of the sheet; it's set to 22 inches to be printed on a 24-inch wide roll.
For demonstration purposes, let's select an artboard that is 36 inches in length:
STEP 3: Click the black "Upload Image" button in the top left corner of your screen to start adding your high-resolution transparent background images. Here, we're showcasing designs from our talented designer, Jesica Alexander Estes, with Southern Strands. Join Jesica's Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/359137247967442. Hint: if ordering single designs, titles of all Jesica's designs start with "SS" on our website ;).
One of the amazing features of our gang sheet builder is that, if you're using high-resolution PNG files, our software will even remove negative space that your files may contain to help you size your future DTF transfers just right!
I chose to print these 4 designs:
Single-click on a design, and it will appear in your workspace:
Before we proceed any further, let me introduce you to all the buttons and helpful information we have in the application to make your gang sheet building easier:
Save - Use this button often to save your progress.
Your current gang sheet size. You can easily change it if you need more space!
Undo and Redo buttons.
Rename the current gang sheet - this is a super helpful tool! This will make it easier to find previous projects down the road.
Turn the grid on and off.
Margins. Default margins are set to 0.5", giving you enough room between transfers to cut them apart. You can easily change your margins, but please keep them at least 0.2", as anything smaller will make cutting your transfers apart complicated.
The checkbox for "Show Margin Overlapping Lines" is turned on by default. Keep it ON so that you can clearly see if the margins overlap.
The checkbox for "Show Resolution Lines" is turned on by default. Keep it ON as this information is very helpful! See how my image has a green outline? That indicates that the image is at least 300 DPI, which is perfect for DTF printing!
Fit to screen - Click this button to see your whole project.
Settings. Let's click the Settings button to see what's inside:
The most helpful tool here is the Visual Aid! Sometimes, it's hard to see all-white designs on the screen. Not anymore! The background is set to transparent by default. But you can easily change it to gray or black, and voila! You can see all your white or light-colored designs easily!
Highlight the image in the gang sheet - the highlighted image will be marked by four dots in the corners.
Highlight the image in the gang sheet - the highlighted image will be marked by four dots in the corners.
Here, you can rotate, stretch, center, or snap your design to one of the sides of the sheet.
In this box, you'll find the exact size of the design in inches, its margins, and resolution.
In this box, you can resize the design, crop, and duplicate.
Let's change the sizes of the design on the left to 10.5" wide and duplicate it:
Now, let's rotate the other design and change its width to 14":
Compare the resolution of the second image to the previous screenshot. When the image was 10.5" wide, the outline was green, indicating a resolution of 300 DPI or higher. However, when we increased it to 14" wide, the resolution dropped to 232 DPI, and the outline turned red. This signifies that the resolution is now too low for optimal quality transfer. Can we still print it? Yes, we can. However, it's crucial to understand that designs with a resolution lower than 300 DPI may result in foggy or pixelated transfers.
Please remember: NEVER MIRROR YOUR IMAGES!
And here we have it, a finished 36-inch-long gang sheet! :)
About Duplicate and Auto Build Functions:
When using the Duplicate function, it's VERY important to remember to apply margins. Check the box for margins and select the distance you're comfortable with. My minimum comfortable margin is 0.25 inches, as shown in the pictures below:
With this margin, you'll have enough space between the transfers to cut them apart:
This is what happens if you forget to add margins - your designs will duplicate right next to each other, and you won't be able to cut them apart:
Another highly useful function is Auto Build. Click this button to enter the Auto Build menu:
Size up your image, CHECK THE MARGIN BOX, and set the quantities for the design. Click the Apply button - the result of these settings will be the same as the one we just built with the Duplicate option.
However, this function is much more versatile than the Duplicate one! Click the Duplicate button in this menu.
Here, you can easily multiply various sizes of the same image or even different images, all with just one click!
Click Apply and enjoy the results! ;) Wasn't that incredibly easy?
Ready to submit your order? ;)
To send the gang sheet to us, click the black 'Save & Add to Cart' button in the top right corner of the screen. You can also adjust the quantity of the sheet if needed.
When you click the black 'Save & Add to Cart' button, this pop-up will appear on your screen:
The first red mark signals that my images overlap or have a margin narrower than 0.5", which is acceptable to me. Upon review, I am confident that I can still cut my transfers apart.
The second red mark suggests that at least one of the images is of low resolution. As we discussed earlier, ordering low-resolution images is not ideal and may result in poor-quality transfers. In this case, I am aware of this, and am willing to take my chances.
The green check mark confirms that the images are within the artboard, ensuring none of them will be cropped. If this mark is red, revisit your gang sheet and ensure none of the designs extend beyond the sheet's edges.
By checking the 'Print Anyway' checkbox, you assume full responsibility for the way your DTF transfers will be printed, including overlapping images, resolution, etc.
Carefully review the entire last statement and confirm by checking the checkbox. NOTE: Gang sheets with copyrighted or trademarked images will not be printed. We will exclude designs that infringe on intellectual property laws and ask you to substitute them with alternative designs.
Please be aware that acquiring these designs from platforms like Etsy does not confer usage rights. The designers have violated the law, and whether you intend these transfers for personal use or not, it remains a serious violation. We cannot take chances on this matter. Additionally, please note that we will not cancel or refund orders containing copyrighted or trademarked designs. However, in line with our shop policies, we will provide a store credit in such instances.
Once you click the 'Add to Cart & Exit' but, this page will load:
If you were not logged in, please fill out your shipping address information, edit the quantities for each gang sheet, and, when done, click the blue 'Checkout' button. You will be redirected back to our website to complete your order:
Kindly be aware that the gang sheet building app is a third-party extension. After using the app, remember to return to our website and manually add your gang sheet to your cart; it won't be added automatically. Please make sure to order the same sizes and quantities of gang sheets as you previously created in the app. This ensures a smooth processing of your order, avoiding unnecessary delays, as exchanging emails back and forth may slow down the process. Thank you for your understanding!
A new feature was recently added to our gang sheet builder - a text tool:
Be careful with the text tool since the font's 'height' includes negative space around it. This might result in the printed transfer being shorter than you intended.
Zoom in and bring the screen close to the ruler to gauge text size. In this case, the text height is approximately 1.5", but the dimensions are set at 2.3" high. Negative space can complicate text sizing.
Have questions? Please email us at: order@pnwprintco.com.