Decal Placement Guide: Where the Design Goes
Industry-standard placement for shirts, hoodies, totes and more. These figures are industry conventions, not hard rules — sources differ by up to an inch, and slim, oversized, and women's cuts all shift the sweet spot. Measurements run from the collar seam to the TOP edge of the design. Keep designs at least 1 in clear of seams, pockets and zippers, and press one sample on the actual wearer before running a batch.
Placement calculator
| Garment | Design size | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult T-shirt (S-M), center chest | 10-11 in wide (max ~11 in) | Top of design 2.5-3 in below the collar seam, centered horizontally | Consensus across Transfer Express, DTF Database, and Ninja Transfers: 3 in down (about 4 finger-widths) is the safe default. Keep the design in the upper chest so it does not drift toward the stomach. |
| Adult T-shirt (L-XL), center chest | 11-12 in wide | Top of design 3-3.5 in below the collar seam, centered | 12 in is the practical max width on standard platens and avoids wrapping into the side seams. 11-14 in tall is typical for full-front graphics. |
| Adult T-shirt (2XL+), center chest | 12-14 in wide | Top of design 3.5-4.5 in below the collar seam, centered | DTF Database lists 3.5-4.5 in below collar and up to 14 in wide for 2XL-5XL. Scale placement down proportionally if reusing one transfer size across a mixed-size order (10-10.5 in wide works across youth L through adult XL). |
| Left chest logo (adult) | 3-4 in wide (typical 3.5 x 3.5 in; range 2.5-4.5 in) | Top of logo about 3 in below the collar seam (7-9 in down from the shoulder/collar point), with logo center 3.5-5 in left of the shirt centerline — roughly aligned under the edge of the collar | Keep under 4 in for a professional embroidered-look scale; avoid fine detail that will not read at this size. On pocket tees, size to ~3.5 x 3.5 in and center on the pocket. |
| Youth T-shirt, center chest | 7-9 in wide (max 9 in) | Top of design 2.5-3.5 in below the collar seam, centered | Youth left-chest logos shrink to about 2.5 x 1.5-2.5 in. A ~9 x 9 in graphic is the common full-front standard for youth sizes. |
| Toddler T-shirt (2T-5T) | 4-7 in wide (5-7 in typical for prints, 4-6 in for HTV) | Top of design 2-2.5 in below the collar seam, centered | Sources vary slightly (ColDesi 4-9.5 in; DTF Database 5-7 in; HTVRONT 4-6 in) — 5-6 in wide is the safe middle. |
| Infant bodysuit / onesie (6-12mo) | 4-5.5 in wide (3-5 in for 0-3mo) | Top of design 1.5-2 in below the neckline, centered on the chest | Fold-in-half then press a crease to find center. Keep the design well above the leg snaps and off any waist elastic; craft sources cite 3x3 in for 0-6mo up to ~6x6 in at 18mo+. |
| Short sleeve print | 2.5-3.5 in wide (range 1-4 in) | Centered on the sleeve's vertical crease, about 1 in above the hem/cuff seam (alternatively 1-2 in below the shoulder seam) | 3 x 3 in fits most adult sleeves; drop to 2-2.5 in wide for youth. Long-sleeve vertical designs run about 2-2.5 in wide by 11-14 in long. |
| Full back print (adult) | 10-13 in wide, 12-15 in tall (12 x 14 in typical) | Top of design 4-5 in below the collar seam, centered between the side seams | Back prints sit slightly lower than front prints. Ninja Transfers cites 4 in below collar; DTF Database allows 3-4 in. |
| Upper back / back yoke text | 10-14 in wide, 1-6 in tall (names/numbers); small yoke logos 2-3 in wide | Top edge about 2-3 in below the collar seam, centered across the shoulder blades | Standard for team names and single-line text. Back-collar (outside neck) branding logos run 1-3 in wide, about 1 in below the collar. |
| Hoodie front (above kangaroo pocket) | 10-12 in wide, height limited so the bottom edge clears the pocket by at least 1 in | Top of design about 3-3.5 in below the collar/hood seam, centered; measure the collar-to-pocket gap first and size the design height to fit | Hoodie back prints start lower than tees — about 5-6 in below the collar per Transfer Express. Never press over the pocket, drawstrings, or zipper; use a smaller left-chest-style logo (3-4 in) on zip-up hoodies. |
| Tote bag | 8-10 in wide (about 60-75% of the bag's printable width) | Centered horizontally, with the design's visual center at or slightly above the true center of the bag — top of design typically 2-3 in below the top hem/handle seams | Tote sizes vary widely, so measure the flat printable area and stay clear of seams and handle stitching. ScreenPrinting.com cites ~10 in as the usual tote print size. |
Where the designs come from
Product suggestions are editorial picks. See our affiliate disclosure.
Every project needs an SVG or font before it needs a press. We use Creative Fabrica — one subscription covers fonts, cut files, and sublimation designs with commercial licensing included. Read the license terms before selling: craft SVG cut files carry a lifetime license, while for fonts and graphics you can create new for-sale designs only while the subscription is active (anything made during it can be sold forever).
Small gear, big saves
Product suggestions are editorial picks. See our affiliate disclosure.
- Infrared thermometer gun — Press dials lie — a $15 thermometer tells you the real platen temperature before you ruin a blank.
- Teflon (PTFE) sheets — Protects vinyl and blanks from scorching, and keeps sublimation ink off your platen.
- Heat-resistant tape — Sublimation ghosting is almost always a shifted transfer — tape it down and it can't move.
- Lint roller — One stray fiber under HTV shows forever. Roll every blank first — the 3-second habit that saves shirts.