You’ve got yourself a heat press, you’ve got yourself a job, and you’re ready to begin your heat transfers. One problem: you’re not sure exactly how to begin transferring.
The process of transferring can be a little more complicated than it looks on the surface. You have to decide what temperature to set the press too, how much pressure to apply, and whether you should peel while it is hot or cold.
All the choices can be a little overwhelming. Whether you’re producing heat transfer products for your own use, or as a business opportunity it can be stressful. The good news is we’ve thrown a quick guide together to help you get it right the first time and every time after that, too.
Temperature & Heat
Multi-Purpose – Multipurpose is for the most popular materialsm and is typically the bestselling because it’s versatile as the name suggests, and great for a whole variety of uses. When using a multipurpose you should do the following:
Type: Screen Printed
Heat: 350°F
Time: 10 – 12 minutes
Pressure: Medium
Peel: Hot
Sublimated (Polyester) – When printing on polyester fabrics it is important that you work with lower temperatures. Because of that you should use the following heat and pressure:
Type: Screen Printed
Heat: 270°F
Time : 10 minutes
Pressure: Firm
Peel: Hot
Full Color – Use the following settings to transfer prefect, vivid color designs:
Type: Screen Printed
Heat: 350°F
Time : 10 – 12 minutes
Pressure: Medium
Peel: Hot
Vintage Look – if you want your design to have an old, faded look with a little bleeding you can do just that by using the following settings for your heat transfer:
Type: Screen Printed
Heat: 350°F
Time : 10 – 12 minutes
Pressure: Firm
Peel: Hot
Glitter – If your design is textured and has actual glitter in the design you can do a heat transfer by doing the following:
Type: Screen Printed
Heat: 350°F
Time : 15 minutes
Pressure: Firm
Peel: Hot
Stretch – if you’re printing onto materials that have a lot of stretch like swimwear, use a heat transfer with the following settings:
Type: Screen Printed
Heat: 335°F
Time: 12 – 14 minutes
Pressure: Medium
Peel: Cold
Basic Tees and Sweats – For T-shirts and sweats use the following settings:
Type: Screen Printed
Heat: 365 – 375°F
Time: 10 – 12 minutes
Pressure: Firm
Peel: Hot
Glow in the Dark – So, you want to press a design that is glow-in-the-dark. There are many designs out there that will glow in the dark after being exposed to light, and those designs can be pressed like any other by using the following method:
Type: Screen Printed
Heat: 350°F
Time: 10 – 12 minutes
Pressure: Firm
Peel: Hot
Difficult Fabrics (strong adhesive) – If you’ve got a stubborn fabric you need to print on, use the following settings:
Type: Vinyl
Heat: 330°F
Time: 15 minutes
Pressure: Medium
Peel: Hot
Metal like Finish – if the design that you are transferring with a heat press has a finish that makes it look metallic, you should make the heat transfer by following these instructions:
Type: Vinyl
Heat: 320°F
Time: 10 + 10 minutes
Pressure: Medium
Peel: Warm
Reflective – If you’re printing onto fabric that is reflective, like safety gear, you can print most effectively by using the following technique:
Type: Vinyl
Heat: 305°F
Time: 10 – 12 minutes
Pressure: Firm
Peel: Cold
Photo Transfer, White – When printing a photo transfer onto eight white fabric you can use the following settings:
Type: Inkjet
Heat: 385°F
Time: 25 – 30 minutes
Pressure: Firm
Peel: Hot
Photo Transfer, Dark – Use the following settings to do a photo transfer onto a dark fabric:
Type: Inkjet
Heat: 365°F
Time: 25 minutes
Pressure: Firm
Peel: Hot
High Quality – If you’re printing needs to have a very high definition, and full-color you can successfully do a heat transfer by using the following settings. It is worth noting that quality transfers are typically done in low quantities:
Type: Digital Print & Cut
Heat: 305°F
Time: 5 + 5 minutes
Pressure: Medium
Peel: Hot
Care Instructions:
Your work does not stop after you complete the heat transfer, unfortunately. There is one last thing to consider after you have finished producing your product. You should always be aware of what kind of care you should provide the garment or fabric once the work is done.
The care will differ depending on the type of fabric that you have transferred to, but there are a few general tips that you should follow almost universally.
First of all, you should always wait 24 hours before you complete a first wash after the heat transfer is complete. Washing before the 24 our period has passed can lead to permanent damage. Worse yet, if you go right from the heat transfer to the wash it is almost certain that your work will be ruined.
Also, whenever possible you should wash products with a mild detergent. A more powerful detergent might not damage the fabric the first wash, but will lead to trouble on a long enough time line.
Final Thoughts
This list should include almost all of the designs that you would encounter when embarking on your heat transfer hobby or career. If, however, you encounter a design that is not included in this list you can check other resources to see if you can find the pertinent information that you are looking for.
Often times heat transfer presses will come included with directions for use. Often times these directions for use will include the chart, or else and informative instruction manual that provides details about temperature, pressure, time, and whether you should peel hot or cold.
You can always search the Internet for more information about certain materials, as well. Whenever possible, avoid the guess and check method of heat transfer, because more often than not it will lead to wasted time and materials.
Lastly, don’t cry over spilled milk. Creating your very own products that represent you, or meet a client’s needs is a wonderful thing. Try to enjoy the act of creating and pressing your own creations, and don’t beat yourself up if you make the odd mistake.
If you don’t have a heat press machine yet, be sure to check out our pick for the best commercial sublimation heat press machine!