Copyright & Printing Guidelines
Resources
Copyright Guidelines
What we can and cannot print, why, and how to keep your own orders on the right side of the line.
Last updated: August 2026 · K&Y, Inc. DBA DTF4Prints
When you send us artwork, you are telling us you have the right to have it printed. This page explains what that means in practice. It is written to help you avoid a problem, not to catch you out — and it is general guidance, not legal advice. If you are unsure about a specific design, talk to an attorney before ordering.
The basic rule
You are responsible for the rights to your artwork
We print what you send us. We do not verify ownership, licensing, or trademark status, and we have no practical way to. As set out in our Terms & Conditions, by submitting artwork you confirm you own it or hold the necessary permissions, and you agree to indemnify K&Y, Inc. against claims arising from it.
What is protected
| Type | Covers | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Copyright | Original creative works, automatically from creation | Illustrations, photographs, song lyrics, book and film text, character designs |
| Trademark | Names, logos, and marks identifying a business | Brand logos, team names and marks, product names, slogans |
| Right of publicity | A person's name, likeness, image, and voice | Photos of celebrities and athletes, signatures, recognizable likenesses |
| Trade dress | Distinctive overall look of a product or packaging | Signature color schemes and packaging layouts |
Commonly requested and commonly refused
These come up almost every week. We decline them regardless of quantity, and regardless of whether it is for personal use.
- Sports team names, logos, and mascots — professional, collegiate, and Olympic
- Film, television, and streaming characters and logos
- Music artist names, album art, tour graphics, and lyrics
- Cartoon and comic characters, including recognizable derivative versions
- Corporate logos and brand marks you do not own
- Celebrity photographs, likenesses, and signatures
- Video game characters, logos, and in-game art
- Designs bought from a marketplace under a personal-use-only license, then resold
“It is just for me” does not change the analysis
Personal use is not a general exception to copyright or trademark law, and it is not one we can rely on. Nor is changing the colors, redrawing it by hand, altering it by a percentage, or adding a word. Derivative works of a protected work are still controlled by the rights holder.
Persistent myths
| The claim | Reality |
|---|---|
| “Under 10 items is fine” | There is no quantity threshold in copyright or trademark law. One infringing shirt is infringing. |
| “Change it 30% and it is yours” | No such rule exists. Derivative works remain controlled by the rights holder. |
| “I bought the file, so I can print it” | Buying a file buys a license with specific terms. Most marketplace licenses are personal-use or limited-commercial. Read the license. |
| “I am giving credit” | Attribution is not permission and does not create a license. |
| “It is fan art, which is allowed” | Fan art is generally a derivative work. Selling it is where enforcement typically begins. |
| “It was free online” | Availability is not licensing. Most images online are protected by default. |
What you can safely print
- Artwork you created yourself, from scratch
- Artwork created for you under a work-for-hire or assignment agreement
- Designs licensed for commercial use, within that license's terms
- Genuine public domain works — in the United States, generally works published before 1930
- Your own business name, logo, and marks
- Fonts licensed for commercial and merchandise use — check your font license, as many desktop licenses exclude resale merchandise
- Common phrases and generic imagery not claimed as a trademark
Check your font license
This one catches people constantly. A font that came free with a design program, or was downloaded for personal use, often cannot be used on merchandise you sell. Font licensing is enforced more actively than most people expect.
Licensed and authorized work
If you hold a license or authorization for artwork that would otherwise be on the list above, we are glad to print it. Send us the license, authorization letter, or written permission along with your order and we will keep it on file. We are not making a legal judgment about your license — we are recording that you have represented you hold one.
How we handle a flagged order
We pause the order
If artwork appears to infringe, we stop before printing rather than after.
We contact you
We explain what we flagged and ask whether you hold a license or authorization.
You respond
Provide documentation, substitute different artwork, or cancel.
We refund if it cannot proceed
An order cancelled at this stage is refunded in full. We do not charge for work we declined to do.
We reserve the right to decline any order at our discretion, including where we are simply not comfortable, and we do not owe an explanation beyond the refund.
If a rights holder contacts us
We respond to valid takedown and infringement notices, remove the artwork from our systems, and decline further orders using it. Where we are legally required to, we may be obliged to identify the customer who submitted it. This is one of several reasons the indemnity in our Terms matters.
Related pages
- Content Standards — what we decline on grounds other than rights
- Artwork & File Requirements — technical file specifications
- Terms & Conditions — the artwork warranty and indemnity in full
