Print placement

Kids' T-Shirt Print Size: Exact Dimensions

A kids' heavy cotton tee prints 9.84 x 12 inches on the front (2953 x 3600 px at 300 DPI). Here is why the adult file will not work.

Updated

Key takeaways
  • A kids' heavy cotton tee prints 9.84 x 12 inches on the front (2953 x 3600 px at 300 DPI). Here is why the adult file will not work.
  • Front area is 9.84 x 12 in, against 15.35 x 19.29 in for an adult unisex tee.
  • Rebuild rather than shrink. Type under about 16 pt at this scale prints soft and reads poorly on a moving child.
  • The print area is fixed across the size range — the garment changes around it, the artwork does not.
  • Back and inner neck label are separate print areas.

Children's tees fail for the same reason onesies do: the print area is a fraction of an adult's, and type that reads cleanly at adult scale becomes unreadable once it is reduced to fit.

Every print position, measured

These are the actual print areas Printify produces for this product, read from their blueprint data rather than estimated. Pixel values are at 300 DPI.

Print positionInchesCentimetresPixels @ 300 DPI
Front9.84 x 12 in25.0 x 30.5 cm2953 x 3600 px
Back9.84 x 12 in25.0 x 30.5 cm2953 x 3600 px
Inner neck label2.5 x 2.5 in6.3 x 6.3 cm750 x 750 px

Placement that survives the real product

  • Front area is 9.84 x 12 in, against 15.35 x 19.29 in for an adult unisex tee.
  • Rebuild rather than shrink. Type under about 16 pt at this scale prints soft and reads poorly on a moving child.
  • The print area is fixed across the size range — the garment changes around it, the artwork does not.
  • Back and inner neck label are separate print areas.

The rule that overrides every chart: print areas are the maximum, not the target. Most strong designs use 70–85% of the available width and sit slightly above the geometric centre, because that is where the eye expects them on a worn or photographed product.

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Questions

Quick answers.

What size should a kids' t-shirt design be?

9.84 x 12 inches at 300 DPI, which is 2953 x 3600 pixels.

Can I scale down my adult design?

Not directly. The area is far smaller, so fine type and thin lines drop below what prints cleanly. Rebuild with heavier weights and fewer elements.

Does the print area change between kids' sizes?

No. It stays the same across the range; only the garment changes.