# How to put your design on a T-shirt mockup Summary: A placement-focused guide for adding your own artwork to a T-shirt mockup without losing proportion or clarity. Canonical HTML: https://w3d.io/guides/how-to-put-your-design-on-a-t-shirt-mockup/ Last updated: 2026-08-27 ## Answer To put your design on a T-shirt mockup, import a clean artwork file, place it in the intended print area, and adjust scale before making small position or rotation changes. Judge the design at normal viewing distance and from more than one garment angle. The goal is not to fill the chest; it is to create a deliberate relationship between the graphic, collar, seams, and fabric around it. Separate the presentation file from the production file. The mockup helps you review composition and communicate an idea. Your printer still needs the correct resolution, color setup, physical dimensions, and placement instructions for the actual garment. ## Prepare artwork that can be positioned cleanly Remove accidental background pixels and export transparency when the fabric should show around the design. Leave intentional background shapes in place. If the artwork includes a white element, preview it on a darker temporary garment color so you can see the edge while positioning it. Avoid using a small screenshot as the source file. It may look acceptable in a phone preview but break down when a printer enlarges it. A mockup can hide that limitation because the artwork occupies only part of the screen. ## Position the design from large decisions to small ones Make one kind of adjustment at a time. This makes it easier to understand why the design feels balanced or wrong. - 1. Find the vertical zone: Move the artwork below the collar and decide whether the visual center should sit high, central, or low on the torso. Compare the empty fabric above and below it. - 2. Set the width: Scale the artwork while watching the side margins. A wide design needs enough space before the sleeve or side seam; a compact mark may need more empty fabric to feel intentional. - 3. Correct horizontal balance: Center the visual weight, not only the file box. An asymmetrical illustration can be mathematically centered and still appear to lean. - 4. Use rotation sparingly: Rotate only when the composition calls for it. Small accidental angles often read as misalignment once the shirt is viewed straight on. ## Check the design on the garment form Rotate the shirt to a three-quarter view and look at how the design follows the chest. If important details sit close to an edge, they may become less visible as the garment turns. Return to the front view after every major change so perspective does not trick you into correcting a problem that is only camera-related. Try a second garment color after the placement works. Color can change the apparent size and contrast of the graphic. Do not move the artwork to compensate for low contrast; first decide whether the color combination itself is appropriate. ## Record the placement for production Export the mockup as a visual reference, then write down the production placement separately. Useful notes include the intended print width, distance below the collar, garment size used for approval, and whether the printer should adjust placement across sizes. Ask the print provider about printable area, seam clearance, ink behavior, and file requirements. A 3D view can expose a composition problem early, but it cannot replace a physical sample when color, material, and exact scale are critical. ## Questions **Should a T-shirt design be mathematically centered?** Use mathematical centering as a starting point, then judge visual weight. An asymmetrical design may need a small offset to appear centered on the garment. **How far below the collar should artwork sit?** There is no universal distance. It depends on the garment size, collar shape, artwork height, and print method. Use the mockup to choose the visual zone, then confirm physical measurements with the printer. ## Public-content boundary Public marketing and editorial content may be indexed, retrieved, summarized, and quoted with attribution to w3D and the canonical page. 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