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Knock out black, add an outline

Make the black areas of a dark-shirt design transparent so the shirt color shows through and you use less ink and white underbase. Optionally add an outline around the design, set in millimeters.

Doesn't use your minutesHard-edged DTF PNGFiles aren't stored
Before · the black background prints too
After · the shirt color shows through
0semi-transparent pixels
mmoutline control
colorpick to remove
shirtcolor preview
PNGDPI preserved
With this tool

What you get

  • Remove black or any color you pick
  • Outline set in millimeters
  • Hard edges, no semi-transparent pixels
  • Cleans up detached specks
How it works

Knock out black, add an outline: step by step

Get started
01

Upload the design

Transparent PNG works best; JPG and WEBP work too.

02

Set knockout and outline

Pick the color to remove, the tolerance and the outline width; the preview shows the shirt color.

03

Download PNG

Download the hard-edged, print-ready file or add it to a gang sheet.

What is a knockout?

A knockout leaves the black areas of a dark-shirt design unprinted and transparent. The shirt is already dark, so there's no need to print black; the fabric itself shows through.

You win three ways: no black ink or white underbase is spent, the print is thinner and softer, and the shirt breathes. Vintage and distressed textures are made this way too.

Which colors can I remove?

  • Black: removes by darkness regardless of hue; dark grays and near-blacks go too
  • A color you pick: if the shirt is navy, you can remove the navy areas
  • Click a color in the preview to pick the one to remove
  • Tolerance widens or narrows the range of tones removed

Outline (sticker border)

Adds a smooth, continuous border around the design, set in millimeters. A white outline makes the design pop on dark shirts; a colored one carries your brand color. Fill inner gaps closes letter counters too for a sticker look.

The outline is drawn after the knockout, so each piece of a design without its black background gets its own outline.

Hard edges for DTF

The output has no semi-transparent pixels: every pixel is fully opaque or fully transparent. A DTF printer lays white under semi-transparent pixels too, so soft edges print as a white halo. Detached pieces under 1 mm² can be removed as well, so nothing breaks off in transfer or stays on the film.

Preview on your shirt color

See the result on black, gray or any shirt color you choose. The full-size PNG keeps the file's DPI and goes into the gang sheet builder in one click.

Privacy

Your file isn't stored on the server: every preview and download is processed in memory, then discarded.

FAQ

Is it on the free plan?

No, black knockout and outline are on paid plans. They don't use your minutes.

Will black text be removed too?

Yes, everything black is removed and the shirt color shows. If the text must stay readable, use a light shirt or change the text color.

What happens to gray and shaded areas?

Raise the tolerance and dark grays are removed too. Remaining tones print fully opaque; no semi-transparent shadows.

How thick should the outline be?

2–3 mm is common for hand cutting, 1–2 mm for automatic cutters. A very thin outline can break in transfer; don't go below 0.5 mm.

Related pages

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