The line is too thin.
A fine stroke may look perfect on screen but still fall below the practical area needed for a stable transfer.
Trap Door Print / A finer way to print
Meet Ghostline.
DTF is brilliant for bold, detailed graphics. But super-fine lines can be too thin for the adhesive layer to hold properly. Ghostline is our free artwork service for those delicate parts: we colour-match a support line to the garment so the graphic can be prepared at a practical minimum of 12 pixels before it is printed.
Ask Ghostboy about your artwork
The problem with tiny details
Some lines are too fine to carry the glue.
DTF transfers use adhesive to bond the graphic to the garment. When a line is extremely thin, there may not be enough printable area for the adhesive to hold consistently. That can mean the most delicate parts of an illustration need to be thickened, simplified or rebuilt before production.
The design gets changed.
Some printers remove, thicken or simplify the detail. That can change the character of the original artwork.
Ghostboy draws the Ghostline.
We add a garment-coloured support line to the delicate edge, helping the artwork reach the print-ready minimum without making the support line the star of the design.
How Ghostline works
The graphic stays yours. The fine detail gets a little backup.
Ghostline is built into the artwork before production. It is not a second visible design colour and it is not a generic filter. It is a considered, garment-matched support treatment applied where the artwork needs it.
We inspect the artwork.
Ghostboy checks the fine strokes, open counters, gaps and edges that may be vulnerable in a DTF transfer.
We identify the weak points.
The artwork is reviewed at print scale, not only at the size it appears on your screen.
We add a matched Ghostline.
The support line is matched as closely as practical to the chosen t-shirt colour and placed behind the delicate part of the graphic.
We send it forward ready.
You get a clear explanation of what was adjusted before the job moves into production.
Why it matters
A premium print decision you can actually see.
Without Ghostline
The fine line may need to be removed, thickened or left below the practical transfer minimum. The result can lose small features or change the feel of the original illustration.
With Ghostline
The artwork can keep more of its intended character while the delicate area gets a garment-coloured support treatment. It is one of the ways Trap Door Print brings a screen-printing mindset to DTF artwork preparation.
Questions Ghostboy gets asked
Ghostline, explained.
Is Ghostline a second print colour?
No. Ghostline is matched to the garment so it is intended to support the delicate part of the graphic rather than read as a separate colour in the design.
Does every artwork need Ghostline?
No. It is only considered when fine lines, gaps or small details need extra support for the chosen garment and print method.
Is Ghostline really free?
Yes. Ghostline is Trap Door Print’s free artwork-preparation service when we identify a suitable use for it on your print job.
Can Ghostline replace screen printing?
It helps DTF handle more delicate artwork, but the right process still depends on your artwork, garment, quantity and project requirements. We will explain the practical route before production.
Have a fine-line graphic?
Send the artwork to Ghostboy. We will check whether Ghostline can help preserve the detail before you commit to a print method.
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