Canvas size and layer limits for seamless patterns in Procreate
Your layer count in Procreate depends on two things only: your iPad’s memory and the size of the canvas in pixels. A 3000 × 3000 px tile gets between 18 and 204 layers depending on the iPad, and the dpi setting changes nothing.
By Rémy Boiré · Updated
Start from the printed size
A pattern tile is measured twice: in pixels, which is what Procreate counts, and in inches or centimeters once it’s printed. The link between the two is the resolution. Multiply the printed width by the dpi and you have the pixels you need. Spoonflower converts every file to 150 dpi when you upload it, so for them 150 is the number that matters. At 300 dpi, the same pixels print half as wide.
Seamply’s conversion table: printed size times dpi, rounded to the nearest even number of pixels, computed on September 25, 2026.
| Printed tile | At 150 dpi | At 300 dpi |
|---|---|---|
| 4 in (10.2 cm) | 600 px | 1200 px |
| 6 in (15.2 cm) | 900 px | 1800 px |
| 8 in (20.3 cm) | 1200 px | 2400 px |
| 10 in (25.4 cm) | 1500 px | 3000 px |
| 12 in (30.5 cm) | 1800 px | 3600 px |
| 18 in (45.7 cm) | 2700 px | 5400 px |
| 24 in (61 cm) | 3600 px | 7200 px |
| 10 cm (3.9 in) | 590 px | 1182 px |
| 20 cm (7.9 in) | 1182 px | 2362 px |
| 30 cm (11.8 in) | 1772 px | 3544 px |
| 50 cm (19.7 in) | 2952 px | 5906 px |
Sources: Spoonflower, files are converted to 150 dpi. Checked on .
Even numbers matter for half-drop and brick repeats: they move a column or a row by half the tile, and half of an odd number of pixels is not a whole pixel. That’s one of the causes of hairline seams.
How many layers you get
Procreate’s help center names two factors: your iPad’s memory and the size of the canvas in pixels. Each layer needs room for every pixel of the canvas, so doubling the width and height makes each layer four times heavier. Procreate publishes an interactive calculator for this; here are its answers for square tiles, read on every iPad it lists. iPads with the same amount of memory get exactly the same numbers, so they share a row.
Layers available in Procreate for a square canvas, as Seamply read them in Procreate’s official layer calculator on September 25, 2026.
| iPad | 2000 px | 3000 px | 3600 px | 4000 px | 6000 px | 8000 px |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPad Pro M5, M4, M2 or M1 with 16 GB (1 TB and 2 TB models) | 465 | 204 | 140 | 113 | 48 | 25 |
| iPad Pro M5 with 12 GB · iPad Air M4 | 331 | 145 | 99 | 79 | 33 | 16 |
| iPad Pro M4, M2 or M1 with 8 GB · iPad Air M3, M2, 5th generation · iPad mini (A17 Pro) | 258 | 112 | 76 | 61 | 25 | 12 |
| iPad (A16) · iPad Pro 12.9-inch 4th generation, 3rd generation 6 GB · iPad Pro 11-inch 2nd generation, 1st generation 6 GB | 163 | 70 | 47 | 37 | 14 | 6 |
| iPad 10th generation · iPad mini 6th generation · iPad Air 4th generation · iPad Pro 10.5-inch · older iPad Pro 12.9-inch and 11-inch with 4 GB | 130 | 55 | 37 | 29 | 10 | 4 |
| iPad 7th, 8th, 9th generation · iPad mini 5th generation · iPad Air 3rd generation | 63 | 25 | 16 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| iPad 5th, 6th generation · iPad mini 4 · iPad Air 2 · iPad Pro 9.7-inch | 46 | 18 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Sources: Procreate, What’s my iPad’s maximum layer limit?, Procreate, How large can I make a canvas?. Checked on .
A 0 means the canvas is larger than that iPad can open at all: 8000 × 8000 px is 64 megapixels, and an iPad 9th generation stops at 52. The dpi you type in never changes the count. Procreate’s own help center says you can change it later without affecting your layers.
The largest canvas Procreate allows
Procreate caps a canvas in two ways: the total number of pixels, and the longest edge. On almost every iPad the longest edge can reach 16,384 px (Procreate). The total depends on the model.
- 134 megapixels, about 11,585 × 11,585 px square: iPad Pro M1 and later (including M4 and M5), iPad Air 5th generation, M2 and M3.
- 67 megapixels, 8192 × 8192 px: iPad 10th generation, iPad mini 6th and 7th generation, iPad Air 4th generation, and iPad Pro models before M1 except the 9.7-inch.
- 52 megapixels, 7237 × 7237 px: iPad 7th, 8th and 9th generation, iPad mini 5th generation, iPad Air 3rd generation.
The page doesn’t list the iPad Air M4 or the iPad (A16) yet, so check the app on those.
What print services ask for
File requirements of four print-on-demand services, as Seamply read them in their help centers on September 25, 2026.
| Service | File types | Resolution | Largest file | Color | Repeats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spoonflower | PNG, JPG | Converted to 150 dpi on upload | Under 40 MB | sRGB | Basic, Half-Drop, Half-Brick, Center, Mirror |
| Contrado | PNG, JPG, flattened TIFF | At least 200 dpi; their blog advises 300 | Not published | sRGB | Tiling options in their designer |
| Printful, all-over print | PNG, JPEG | At least 150 dpi | Set per product | Not stated for all-over print | Pattern Tool in their Design Maker |
| Redbubble | JPEG, PNG | Ignored: only pixels count | 300 MB or 13,500 × 13,500 px | Upload in RGB | Not on their help page |
Sources: Spoonflower, Uploading Images, Spoonflower, Repeat Options, Contrado, FAQ, Contrado, how to make your own fabric pattern, Printful, all-over print files, Printful, all-over print shirts, Redbubble, Dimensions & Format. Checked on .
Only Spoonflower lists its repeat types by name. If your tile is a half-drop, check that the service can repeat it that way before you order, or send the repeat already built at the size of the product.
Choosing a tile size
Pick the size before you draw. Scaling a finished tile up softens it, and scaling a layer down can leave half-transparent pixels on its edges, which show up as lines in the repeat. Our free seamless pattern checker finds them before you print. A 3600 × 3600 px tile is a comfortable middle: 12 inches at 300 dpi, 24 inches at Spoonflower’s 150, and 76 layers on an iPad Air M2 or M3. If you need more layers than your iPad allows at that size, split the work: draw motifs on their own canvases and bring them into the tile once they’re done.
Where Seamply fits
What Seamply accepts and returns, checked in the beta on September 25, 2026.
| What | Seamply |
|---|---|
| Largest image | 16,384 px on a side, within what the iPad’s memory allows |
| Layers | Every layer of the PSD, as long as the file fits in memory; if it doesn’t, Seamply says so |
| Pixels | Never resampled: the tile comes back at exactly its size |
| Color | Display P3 end to end; a CMYK PSD comes back CMYK |
Sources: Seamply 1.0, TestFlight beta. Checked on .
Seamply doesn’t change your canvas size. It shows the tile repeated and sends it back offset, pixel for pixel, with every layer, so the size you chose in Procreate is the size you get back.
Questions
How many layers can I have on a 6000 px canvas on an iPad Air?
It depends on the model. For 6000 × 6000 px, Procreate’s calculator gives 33 layers on an iPad Air M4, 25 on an iPad Air M3, M2 or 5th generation, 10 on the 4th generation and 3 on the 3rd generation.
What canvas size should I use for a seamless pattern for Spoonflower?
Spoonflower converts every file to 150 dpi, so multiply the printed width you want by 150: a tile that repeats every 12 inches needs 1800 × 1800 px. Their Procreate tutorial starts from a 3000 × 3000 px canvas, which prints 20 inches wide.
Does DPI change the number of layers in Procreate?
No. Only the size in pixels counts. Procreate’s help center says you can change the DPI later without affecting your layer count.
What is the largest canvas in Procreate?
16,384 px on the longest edge on almost every iPad, within a total of 134 megapixels on recent iPad Pro and iPad Air models, and less on older ones. A square canvas tops out around 11,585 × 11,585 px.
Why does the layer calculator show 0 layers?
Because that canvas is larger than your iPad can open. An 8000 × 8000 px canvas is 64 megapixels, more than the 52 megapixels an iPad 9th generation allows.