I have been in the business of t-shirt sublimation printing for the last eight years. One of the most frequent questions I receive from our lovely viewers is about the printing dimensions for t-shirts.
After selling hundreds of printed t-shirts and receiving amazing feedback, I finally feel well-experienced enough to answer your questions. I totally get your struggle with different t-shirt sizes and suitable dimensions.
After going through a lot of trial and error and talking to other experts, I have figured out a set of recommended dimensions. I will be sharing with you the secret sauce of the perfect print size for all t-shirt sizes!
I have divided this piece into different sections based on sizes for better understanding. I will cover the maximum sizes in each division and give you some general guidelines for each.
Design Sizes for Infant T-shirts
Take a screenshot of this table to refer to every time you print an infant t-shirt.
| Size (in months) | Dimensions |
| 0-3 | 3” wide and 4” long |
| 3-6 | 3” wide and 4” long |
| 6-9 | 4” wide and 5” long |
| 9-12 | 4” wide and 5” long |
These dimensions are for plain round-neck t-shirts. You should read the guidelines below to understand some needed adjustments for specific designs.
- Remember to place the top of the design 1” below the neckline when you print for toddlers or infants
- The above is for round necks. If you have a V-neck infant t-shirt with you, leave 1.5” space above placing the design.
Design Sizes for Toddler T-Shirts
As a business owner, you have to be on your toes when it comes to orders. Toddler t-shirts can be tricky because kids grow fast. Check this size chart out for toddlers.
| Size (age) | Dimensions |
| 18 months | 4” wide and 5” long |
| 24 months | 5” wide and 6” long |
| Three years | 6” wide and 7” long |
| Four years | 6” wide and 7” long |
Take notes of the guidelines and special cases here.
- Keep a gap of 1.5” from the neckline before placing the design on the t-shirt.
- Also, if the toddler t-shirt is fitted for girl toddlers, you should refer to the design dimension from one size down option.
Design Sizes for Youth T-Shirts
Older kids and teenagers can be fussy over their t-shirt designs. Speaking from my experience, you cannot go wrong with these recommended design sizes. We will no longer refer to the sizes as months or age but as standard apparel sizing.
| Size (Youth) | Dimensions |
| Extra Small | 8″ wide by 12″ long |
| Small | 8.5″ wide by 12″ long |
| Medium | 10″ wide by 12.5″ long |
| Large | 10.5″ wide by 12″ long |
| Extra Large | 11″ wide by 13″ long |
Like the previous sizes, I also have some guidelines for you in this section.
- You will place the design outlays 1.5” to 2” below the neckline.
- If the above is for plus sizes, take the dimension for one size up. For example, for a large t-shirt, go for the dimension reference of x-large.
Design Sizes for Adult T-Shirts
Adult t-shirts will probably be the bulk of your order, as they are for my business. There might be other size recommendations, but I will tell you the most used and my personal favorite dimensions. But you can do your research if you want to play around the design sizes.
| Size (adults) | Dimensions |
| Small | 10″ wide by 12″ long |
| Medium | 10″ wide by 12″ long |
| Large | 10.5″ wide by 12.5″ long |
| Extra large | 11″ wide by 13″ long |
| 2X large | 12″ wide by 14″ long |
| 3X large | 13″ wide by 15″ long |
These guidelines will help you with better placement.
Leave 3” to 3.5” space below the neckline before placing the design when printing on an adult-size t-shirt.
Follow these size guides, and you don’t have to worry about design fails and blank wastage.
Just last week, a friend of mine who’s new to the sublimation game asked for my help with resizing her designs. I walked her through the process step-by-step, and I’m more than happy to share those instructions with you too!
Resizing Your Design
First things first, make sure you’ve got your page margins set up to match your sublimation paper size. I like using Google Docs for this, but you can use whatever software you’re comfortable with.
Once you’ve got your margins set, drag your design onto the page. You can resize it by clicking and dragging the corners, but make sure to hold down the Shift key to keep your aspect ratio locked in. This way the design doesn’t end up looking all stretched out or squished.
If you’re having trouble getting your design to fit the page just right, try using the “Fit to Page” option. This will automatically resize your design to fit within the printable area. Just keep an eye on the resolution to make sure it’s still high enough for a crisp print.
And if you’re working with a design that has multiple elements, like text and graphics, use the “Group” function to keep everything together while you resize. Just select all the elements, right-click, and choose “Group.” Easy peasy!
Remember, the type of fabric you’re printing on can also make a difference in how your final design turns out. For stretchy materials, you might want to size things down to make up for the stretch. The most important thing is to take your time, experiment a little, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. We’ve all been there, and trust m
