How to get print-ready images with Let's Enhance

Whether you're printing t-shirts, posters, mugs, wall panels or magazine spreads — getting your images truly print-ready is one of the most common reasons people come to Let's Enhance. Here's everything you need to know so your prints come out sharp every single time. 👇

The #1 Thing to Understand: Pixels vs DPI 🤯

This trips up almost everyone so let's sort it out properly before anything else.
Pixels = the actual number of dots of colour in your image. This is the real size of your file.
DPI (dots per inch) = how densely those pixels are packed onto paper when printed. This is just a metadata tag — it tells your printer how to space the pixels out.
The key insight: DPI without enough pixels means nothing. You can change a file's DPI tag to 300 in any software and it won't make the image sharper — all that changes is the metadata. What actually makes a print sharp is having enough pixels for the physical size you're printing at.
The formula:

Print width in inches × DPI = pixels needed across the width

Examples:

• 8×10 inch print at 300 DPI = needs 2,400 × 3,000 pixels
• A4 poster at 300 DPI = needs 2,480 × 3,508 pixels
• A2 poster at 300 DPI = needs 4,961 × 7,016 pixels
• T-shirt imprint 270×270mm at 300 DPI = needs 3,189 × 3,189 pixels
• Large format banner at 150 DPI = needs significantly fewer pixels (banners are viewed from distance!)

Let's Enhance outputs at 300 DPI by default — so as long as your pixel count is high enough, you're golden. ✅

What DPI Do I Actually Need? 📐

Not everything needs 300 DPI — here's the real breakdown:

The Recommended Workflow for Print-Ready Images 🛠️

Step 1 — Start From Your Best Original

Always upload the cleanest, most original version of your file — before any resizing, re-exporting or editing. Every time a file gets re-saved as JPEG, it loses a tiny bit of quality. Start from the source. 📁
Use PNG where possible — it's lossless, meaning zero quality loss. JPEG adds compression artifacts that the AI can misread as texture and try to "fix" in weird ways.

Step 2 — Choose the Right Model

Different print uses need different models:

• Photos for print (portraits, products, real estate) → Prime
• Logos, graphics, text-heavy designs → Gentle
• Garment designs, posters, illustrations → Gentle or Digital Art
• Old or damaged photos for print → Old Photo first, then Prime at 4x
• Maximum quality for professional print → Ultra

Step 3 — Set Your Output Size

In the Size sidebar under the Operations tab, you have three options:

• Auto — Let's Enhance decides the output size (not recommended for specific print requirements)
• Scale — multiply your image by 2x, 4x, 8x etc.
• Width & Height — set exact pixel dimensions (most precise for print)

For print work, Width & Height is the most reliable. Enter your required pixel dimensions based on the formula above and Let's Enhance will hit that target exactly.
You can also use the built-in printing presets — just select your paper size (A4, A3, A2, A1, poster etc.) and the tool calculates the required pixels automatically at 300 DPI. 🙌

Step 4 — Set Your DPI

In the Size sidebar, set your DPI to 300 for standard print work. As mentioned, Let's Enhance defaults to 300 DPI automatically — but it's always worth double-checking this is set correctly before processing, especially if you've changed other settings.

Step 5 — Export as PNG

When your image is processed, download it as PNG for maximum quality. PNG is lossless — what you download is exactly what the AI produced, with no additional compression.
Go to Show advanced options above the Enhance button → change Save to format → select PNG.
For t-shirt and garment printing specifically, PNG with a transparent background is often what print providers need — you can enable Background Removal in the operations panel to get a clean transparent PNG if your design needs it.

Step 6 — Send Directly to Your Printer

Download your file and send it straight to your print provider without:

• ❌ Re-saving as JPEG
• ❌ Resizing in another application
• ❌ Compressing for email (use file transfer services like WeTransfer if the file is large)

The file that comes out of Let's Enhance is your print-ready file. Don't touch it. 😄

Common Print Scenarios 🎨

T-shirts and Garments

Most print providers need your design at 300 DPI at the physical imprint size — typically 270×270mm or 320×320mm. Use Gentle or Digital Art for graphic designs to keep edges sharp without adding unwanted texture. Export as PNG.

Posters (A1, A2, A3)

Start from your original design file, apply 2x or 4x upscaling depending on your source resolution, set output to the correct pixel dimensions for your paper size, and export at 300 DPI as PNG.

Mugs and Small Products

These print at a much smaller physical size — usually 80–100mm. A design prepared at 270×270mm will compress down beautifully to mug size and actually look sharper because you're packing more pixels into a smaller area. No need to create a separate smaller version.

Large Format / Wall Panels

For very large prints (over 1 metre), check what DPI your print provider needs — most large format printers accept 100–150 DPI rather than 300. This means you need far fewer pixels than you'd think. Always confirm with your printer before processing. 📏

Magazines and Editorial Print

Standard magazine print is 300 DPI at the final output size. Use Prime for photos, Gentle for graphics and text-heavy layouts. Always export as PNG and convert to CMYK in your design software if your printer requires it.

Common Questions ❓

Do I need to set the DPI in Let's Enhance or will it do it automatically?
Let's Enhance defaults to 300 DPI on all outputs. You can verify and change this in the Size sidebar under the DPI field before processing.

My printer is asking for a specific pixel count — where do I enter that?
In the Size sidebar, switch from Scale to Width & Height, enter your required pixel dimensions, and Let's Enhance will output at exactly that size.

Should I resize in Photoshop/Adobe before uploading?
Generally no — it's better to upload your original and let Let's Enhance handle the sizing in one step. Every additional save or resize step risks introducing compression. The exception is if you want to crop your image to a specific aspect ratio before processing.

My printer says the file is still too low resolution even after upscaling
This usually means the original image was very small to begin with. Even upscaling has limits — if your source is only 500×500px, even 16x upscaling gets you to 8,000×8,000px which might still not cover a very large print at 300 DPI. For very large prints, large format printers usually accept lower DPI — ask your printer what their minimum requirement is.

Can Let's Enhance output CMYK files?
Currently Let's Enhance outputs in RGB format. If your printer requires CMYK, you'll need to convert the file after downloading using software like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. Most modern print providers can handle this conversion themselves — worth asking before you do it manually.

Still lost? I got you 💬

Hey, Ana here from Customer Care! 👋
Print prep can get technical fast — DPI, pixels, aspect ratios, file formats... if you're not sure whether your file is ready for a specific print job, just share the details and I'll help you figure out the exact settings you need.

📧 Email: support@letsenhance.io
No judgment, no robots, just real help. Promise. 🫶

— Ana, Customer Care @ Let's Enhance ✨

Updated on: 14/09/2026