Export PNG

Summary

Export PNG, in Export, downloads the current artboard as a single flattened PNG image. It is generated entirely in your browser — no upload or server round-trip — and downloads immediately with no confirmation dialog. Its resolution does not match the "target output resolution" quoted in Review production readiness; see Warnings and limits.

Use it when

• You want a quick raster image of your design for reference, sharing, or a mockup — not necessarily for final print production.
• You want to see your design as a flat image outside the editor.

Before you begin

Have at least one visible layer on the artboard. Nothing else to prepare — there's no format or settings dialog before export.

Steps

1. Open Export.
2. Select Export PNG.
3. The file downloads immediately to your browser's default download location, named after the current format (for example, classicSquare.png).

What changes

• Nothing on the artboard changes — this is a read-only export.
• The download happens client-side: captured directly, the export is delivered as a data:image/png;base64,... URI attached to a browser-triggered anchor download, not a server-fetched file — no network request is needed to produce it.
• The exported PNG for a Classic square (7.5 × 7.5 in) artboard measured exactly 720 × 720 px — confirmed by reading the file's PNG IHDR chunk directly, not estimated. 720 ÷ 7.5 = 96, i.e. this is a 96 DPI export.
• The file is RGBA (PNG color type 6, 8-bit) — it supports transparency for any areas of the artboard not covered by opaque artwork.
• The filename matches the current format's internal name (classicSquare.png) with no timestamp or random suffix — exporting again downloads another file with the same name, which your browser will handle according to its own download-collision behavior (typically appending a number).

Print note

Do not use Export PNG as your print file. Its resolution (96 DPI in the case measured) is far below the 150 DPI print-quality minimum referenced in Effective DPI and resolution warnings, and does not match the 300 DPI "target output resolution" that Review production readiness states for the same artboard. For an actual print-ready file, use Export print PDF + cut guide instead — see that article. Whether this gap is intentional (PNG as a low-resolution reference/preview export only) or an inconsistency has been raised as a follow-up question with TDL rather than assumed either way.

Warnings and limits

• Export PNG's resolution does not match the resolution described elsewhere in the app. Review production readiness → Details states Target output resolution: 300 DPI target → 2250 × 2250px raster output for the same Classic square artboard used in this test — but the actual PNG downloaded was 720 × 720 px (96 DPI), about 1/9th the pixel count. This discrepancy is unresolved; don't assume Export PNG delivers the resolution quoted in the readiness review.
• There is no confirmation step and no way to choose a different resolution, crop, or file name before exporting — it downloads immediately when clicked.
• Switching artboard format clears the canvas (a separate confirmed destructive action, with its own confirmation dialog) — this is unrelated to Export PNG itself, but relevant if you're testing exports across formats: don't switch format expecting your current design to carry over.

Desktop and mobile

Export PNG is reachable and enabled the same way on desktop (Export panel) and mobile (Export sheet from the bottom bar) — confirmed present and not disabled at 390 × 844.

Troubleshooting

Related topics

• Print PDF + Silhouette cut guide
• Production readiness
• Effective DPI and resolution warnings
• RGB, CMYK & print color

Verification note

Verified against Blotter Builder on 2026-07-20.

Source notes

Primary observations — all from the live application at https://blotterbuilder.tdl.fyi, 2026-07-20. The actual download was captured by overriding HTMLAnchorElement.prototype.click before triggering export, then decoding the resulting data: URI's PNG IHDR chunk directly (bytes 16–19 for width, 20–23 for height, byte 25 for color type, byte 24 for bit depth) — not estimated from a screenshot or file size.

• Observed — clicking Export PNG with a layer placed via Fill canvas on Classic square triggered an anchor download with download="classicSquare.png" and an href beginning data:image/png;base64,....
• Observed — decoding the PNG header gave width=720, height=720, colorType=6 (RGBA / truecolor+alpha), bitDepth=8.
• Observed — 720 ÷ 7.5 in = 96, matching the app's other references to 96 DPI as an unscaled/native reference resolution elsewhere (see Place vs. Fill canvas), but not matching Review production readiness's stated 300 DPI target → 2250 × 2250px raster output for the same artboard. Filed as issue #42 for product clarification rather than assumed to be either a bug or intentional.
• Observed — no confirmation dialog or settings prompt appeared between clicking Export PNG and the download firing.
• Observed — at 390 × 844, Export PNG was present and not disabled in the Export sheet.

Verification log