To ensure that your sprite image displays correctly, make sure the element using it spans the full width of the sprite. This prevents other images or blank space from leaking when the background image is repeated.
When repeating small background images (1-2px wide), performance may suffer. It's best to use slightly larger images to improve rendering speed, even if it means the image is a bit wider than necessary.
If your element has a fixed height, you can set its width to 100% of the sprite and adjust the max-height accordingly. Alternatively, for elements with a maximum width smaller than the sprite, create a rectangle matching the element's dimensions within the sprite.
If you're unsure about the element's max height and want a gradient effect transitioning to a solid color at the top, position the repeated image at the bottom of the sprite and adjust the background-position with a negative top value like background-position: 0px -300px
. The number 300px represents the distance from the top of the sprite to the top of the background image.
Check out how Google positions repeated backgrounds on their sprites for reference: