Logo placement on a shirt: measure from the seams
Printers and embroiderers measure from fixed seams: the front collar, the back collar, the shoulder seam on a sleeve and the bill on a cap. Give them a print width and the distance from that seam, and every garment in the order matches.
Left chest logo size and position
Usually 3 to 4 in wide on adult shirts, centered 3.5 to 4.5 in from the center line on the wearer's left (your right as you face the shirt). On polos, measure from the collar points.
Work out the pixels before you order
- Multiply the print width in inches by 300: a 12 in full-front print needs 3600 px across.
- Measure the artwork, not the file: remove empty margins with the Transparent PNG Trimmer.
- Short of pixels? Go back to the vector or the original export: why a small logo goes soft when you scale it up.
- Export a transparent PNG at those exact pixels, then set it to 300 DPI with the image DPI tool. Starting from an SVG? Convert the SVG to PNG at the same width.
Frequently asked questions
How far below the collar does a shirt logo go?
On adult T-shirts, left chest and full-front prints usually start 3 to 4 in (7.6 to 10.2 cm) below the front collar seam. Full back prints start 3 to 5 in below the back collar, or 5 to 7 in on a hoodie to clear the hood.
Should every shirt size in an order get the same print size?
With screen printing, usually yes: one screen prints the whole run, so size it for the smallest shirt and print youth sizes separately. DTF and heat transfers are made one at a time, so 2XL and up can go about 1 in wider.
How big can a logo be on the front of a cap?
On a structured cap, about 4 to 4.5 in wide and at most 2.25 in tall, with the bottom 0.5 to 0.75 in above the bill, so a square logo ends up 2 to 2.25 in wide. Low-profile and dad hats take about 3.5 to 4 by 1.75 in, so a square logo is about 1.5 to 1.75 in.
What file should I send to a printer or embroiderer?
A vector file (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF) suits every method, if it holds real paths rather than a pasted-in image. Otherwise send a transparent PNG at print size and 300 DPI; many DTF and screen printers accept 150 DPI as a floor. Embroiderers digitize it into a stitch file.