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Preparing Your PNG Designs

Best practices for preparing your design files to get perfect mockup results every time.

Whether you use CorelDRAW, Illustrator, Canva, or any other design software, the principles for preparing your PNGs are the same. Get these right and your mockups will look professional every time.

Quick Checklist

  • Format: PNG with transparency
  • Resolution: 300 DPI
  • Colour mode: RGB
  • Background: Transparent (not white)
  • Footprint: Match your product's printable area

Export Settings

Resolution: 300 DPI

Export your designs at 300 DPI (dots per inch). This gives you crisp, detailed mockups that look professional on any device and can be zoomed in without looking pixelated.

💡 Tip: Using the same DPI as your production files keeps everything consistent and ensures your mockups accurately represent the final product quality.

Colour Mode: RGB

Export in RGB colour mode, not CMYK. Your mockups will be displayed on screens (websites, phones, computers), and RGB is the native colour mode for screens.

CMYK is designed for print output and can look dull or shifted when displayed on screen. Even if your production files are CMYK, convert to RGB for your mockup exports.

Background: Transparent

Your PNG must have a transparent background, not a white background. This allows the mockup's product surface to show through around your design.

⚠️ Common mistake: A white background can look transparent in some software but will appear as a solid white rectangle in your mockup. Always check your export settings specifically enable transparency.

How to check: Open your exported PNG in a photo viewer. If you see a checkerboard pattern behind your design, the background is transparent. If you see solid white, you need to re-export with transparency enabled.

The Transparent Footprint

This is the secret to perfect mockups every time. A transparent footprint means your design sits within a transparent canvas that matches your product's engravable or printable surface.

How it works

Imagine a chopping board that's only engravable in the bottom right corner. Your production file has a canvas that represents the total engravable area, with your design positioned in that bottom right section.

When you export this as a PNG, the footprint (the canvas outline) becomes transparent, but your design stays exactly where you placed it.

In Bulk Made, using Stretch mode, the transparent footprint fills the smart object exactly – and your design appears in the correct position on the mockup, just like it will on the real product.

Creating a footprint in your design software

Your footprint is simply the outline of your product's printable or engravable surface. To make it invisible in the final export:

  • CorelDRAW: Set the outline to "None" or remove the stroke
  • Illustrator: Set stroke to "None"
  • Canva: Use a shape with 0% border and no fill
  • Photoshop: Delete or hide the footprint layer before export

The key is that your canvas/artboard size matches your product's printable area, and your design is positioned exactly where it should appear on the product.

✓ Best practice: Export directly from your production files. They already have the correct footprint and design positioning – just make sure to hide or remove any cutting lines or guides before exporting.

Export Settings by Software

CorelDRAW

  1. Go to File → Export
  2. Choose PNG as the format
  3. Set Resolution to 300 DPI
  4. Enable Transparent background
  5. Set Colour mode to RGB
  6. Click Export

Adobe Illustrator

  1. Go to File → Export → Export As
  2. Choose PNG as the format
  3. Set Resolution to High (300 ppi)
  4. Set Background Color to Transparent
  5. Click Export

Canva

  1. Click Share → Download
  2. Select PNG
  3. Check Transparent background (Pro feature)
  4. Click Download

Note: Transparent backgrounds require Canva Pro. Free users will get a white background.

Adobe Photoshop

  1. Ensure your background layer is hidden or deleted
  2. Go to File → Export → Export As
  3. Choose PNG
  4. Ensure Transparency is checked
  5. Set canvas size or use artboard dimensions
  6. Click Export

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ White background instead of transparent

This is the most common issue. Your mockup will show a white rectangle instead of your design blending with the product. Always verify transparency before batch processing.

❌ Wrong colour mode (CMYK)

CMYK exports can look dull or have colour shifts on screen. Always convert to RGB for mockups, even if your production files are CMYK.

❌ Low resolution (72 DPI)

Web-resolution exports look pixelated and unprofessional. Always export at 300 DPI for crisp mockups.

❌ Leaving cutting lines or guides visible

Production files often have cutting guides, registration marks, or footprint outlines. Hide or delete these layers before exporting your PNG.

❌ Cropping too tight

Exporting just the design without the full footprint means losing positioning information. Export the entire canvas/artboard to maintain correct placement.

Troubleshooting

My design has a white box around it in the mockup

Your PNG has a white background instead of transparent. Re-export with transparency enabled in your software's export settings.

Colours look different in the mockup

You may have exported in CMYK mode. Re-export as RGB for accurate screen colours.

Design looks blurry or pixelated

Your export resolution is too low. Re-export at 300 DPI for crisp results.

Still stuck? Contact us at support@bulkmade.com and we'll help you get your exports right.

Next Steps

Now your designs are ready, check out our effect guides to choose the right settings for your products.

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