I can't upload to merch. Impossible dimensions!

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Lockertees asked Oct 8, '16

I can't upload to merch. Impossible dimensions!

I am trying to upload a design to amazon merch. I am doing transparent png 15 by 18 at 300 dpi. Which is the amazon guidelines. The uploader just goes and goes and fails every time. Then I noticed it's supposed to be under 25 mbs. However a blank transparent png is 96 MBs by default. That's blank before any designs are even added! Trying to flatten image makes it not transparent. It's supposed to be transparent. I even tried Amazons crazy templates but they make no sense and the layers are not supported unless you have the 600 dollar photoshop.

merch by amazon

15

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TacoWoman · Oct 08, 2016 at 05:58 PM

Don't do 15 by 18 inches, it won't work. You have to make it 4500 x 5400 pixels. To reduce your mb you can use resizeimage.net and then it will upload just fine into merch.

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cdwarrior TacoWoman · Oct 08, 2016 at 06:15 PM

Huh? If you make it 4500x5400 px at 300dpi, as specified, then the size is 15x18 inches. Are you doing less than 300dpi?

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Amazon Customer · Oct 08, 2016 at 06:18 PM

Its so much easier to use pixels. I just use default 4500x5400 and I think thats at 72dpi.

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Irony Designs Amazon Customer · Sep 18, 2021 at 09:28 AM

72dpi is extremely low for printing.

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TacoWoman · Oct 08, 2016 at 07:08 PM

Cdwarrior you have to use pixels not inches, merch won't accept it otherwise.

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cdwarrior TacoWoman · Oct 08, 2016 at 07:45 PM

Yes, I set pixels to 4500x5400. But at 300dpi PS shows that is equal to 15"x18". Any pixels size is going to have an equivalent size in inches.

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Muzehack cdwarrior · Nov 14, 2019 at 05:05 PM

4501x5401 is considered 15"x18" but will be rejected. Use pixels.

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newuser-503b2754-e6c7-4dbb-bb6a-1d30c622d27a · Dec 01, 2016 at 10:31 PM

Having this issue as well. My file is under 25 mbs and the correct dimensions, but still keeps getting rejected. Even with the template.

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Ellyn Johnson · Jul 08, 2018 at 05:27 PM

I use the free designing software paint.net because it is easy to use. I make a new transparent canvas size of 4500 x 5400 px at 300 dpi. nothing more nothing less, because it will not upload into Amazon. Do not use inches because that doesn't work either! I upload my png design within that canvas, make adjustments to the image size I want and save my png file. If you are designing in Paint.net you can also do it the other way around. You have your image click on Image>Canvas Size and thats 4500x5400 px 300dpi and there you go.I guess you can do this with other designing software as well. I spent a lot of money a long time ago on Corel and AI and got tired of paying! There are a lot of free designing software platforms out there...I use Paint.net, Inkscape (a vector program or svg) and Gimp. Whatever works for you. I am at T1000 (getting spaces filled everyday) and have been doing this for over a year now. I am self taught and had a problem at first uploading to Amazon. Just make sure your CANVAS size is 4500x5400 300 dpi for shirts and 4500x 4050 300 dpi for hoodie front. Good Luck!

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lawrence westfall Ellyn Johnson · Jul 08, 2018 at 10:04 PM

This thread is 2 years old

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Answer 1 · 2016-10-12T08:51:39Z

M answered Oct 12, '16

FOR ANYONE HAVING THIS ISSUE WITH FILE SIZE IN MB BEING TOO HIGH:

If your PNG files are too large (in megabytes) to upload then it suggests that you are saving them with the compression setting on Zero - the default for PNG files is normally a compression level of ONE.

EXAMPLE: For a completely blank 4500x5400 file at 600dpi a compression level of 0 will give you a file size of over 75Mb, but the same file saved with standard compression level of 1 will give you a file size of about 400Kb (that's Kilobytes instead of Megabytes) - (see image attached with the same blank file saved with zero compression and standard level-1 compression)

So basically you get a file that is considerably less than 1% of the size of a zero compression file.

Obviously when you actually add data (i.e. an actual image) into the file an uncompressed file and a level-1 compression file both get bigger, but standard level-1 compression would normally keep even the most complex of PNG files well under the 20Mb file size limit for Merch

example-01.png (10.9 KiB)

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John Parrot · Oct 12, 2016 at 09:00 AM

Good work. I've never had the problem - been doing graphic design for years - this should help a lot of people. I know how confusing it can be when just starting out.

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Oswald · Oct 12, 2016 at 06:14 PM

This is very helpful M!! I realize that this is an example, but just to note, the blank-002.png that you have selected there says that its dimentions are 4500x4500. In order to upload an image it must have the dimensions 4500x5400 with 300dpi. Thank you again for this post!

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M Oswald · Oct 12, 2016 at 07:55 PM

ah yeah, my bad, was doing that before coffee and clearly couldn't type properly when creating my blank!! Oops :)

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Designerjon · Dec 05, 2016 at 08:20 AM

Great info and thank for the insight.

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Answer 2 · 2016-10-08T17:31:38Z

cdwarrior answered Oct 8, '16

I had some problems too. I'm using Photoshop CS5. Some png files come in under 25mb, some are more than that. I'm not sure what the difference is. I don't know what you man by "a small amount of compression" will reduce file size dramatically. I understand this with the jpg, but I don't see any way to compress the png when saving. How can I reduce a png file size with PS?

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Amazon Customer · Oct 08, 2016 at 06:20 PM

You can reduce the amount of colors by going to Indexed mode and then switching back to 24bit.

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cdwarrior Amazon Customer · Oct 08, 2016 at 07:47 PM

In PS CS5 it shows my options as 8 bit, 16 bit, or 32 bit. I don't even see a 24 bit. But, it's already set to 8 bit. How can I get it any smaller?

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Answer 3 · 2016-10-11T00:57:26Z

Lockertees answered Oct 11, '16

I've tried 4500 x 5400 at different dpi/ppis and amazon seems to hate them all. I guess I don't understand why they ask you to have it be 300 dpi when even a blank file at that size is too large for them to handle. Now I remember why I signed up for merch forever ago and did nothing with my account. I'm using photoshop elements. I even downloaded gimp but that program makes me crazy. (too used to ps and ps elements) You can't get anything to not be their extension and of course elements wont open a gimp file.

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Answer 4 · 2016-10-11T06:38:55Z

DMS answered Oct 11, '16

1350 x 1620 px, and then select 300 dpi. This will create the right page dimentions.

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newuser-d36de373-42be-4146-ab6e-c9333c30f36f · Jan 10, 2018 at 01:14 AM

That didnt work for me! :(

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newuser-3df31ae1-b343-4f29-aba2-a3d84feb445e newuser-d36de373-42be-4146-ab6e-c9333c30f36f · Jan 02, 2021 at 12:13 AM

Doesn't work ... it gives you a 41/2" wide image

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Answer 5 · 2018-07-07T21:32:48Z

newuser-df0876f0-9b16-445d-9ce7-eb1bf48329e0 answered Jul 7, '18

Can I use designs from desire fx for my shirts?

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Answer 6 · 2018-08-12T10:46:07Z

newuser-7c10f966-3d56-4fc4-b059-6203aa17e869 answered Aug 12, '18

I know this is from awhile ago but , hope someone answers me:) I am having the same problem and it is the only time. I have tried making something different. I save to the dimension I always do and will not load. I saw what you are saying but don't know what you mean by saving at 0 instead of 1. I used Affinity Designer. I looked at all my other designs which I have hundreds, and they are all good and loaded ok. But this new design which seems so simple is 38 MB and that is to much. I don't know how to make it any smaller. I saved it like I always do and I come up with this problem. Some of my other are 3 MB Some 900 KB but this simple one is 38MB? Please help if you read this I am googling and can't find how:(

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Turn2Christ · Aug 15, 2020 at 05:14 AM

Hello. I haver used Affinity Designer, but I encourage you to do this. I your design "seems so simple," then why not download Gimp for free and create your design there. You can download Gimp's templates for your artwork from MBA here https://merch.amazon.com/resource/Y28FFE5NLRYJG4V.

Hope you solve your problem soon. God bless and enjoy your weekend.

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