It’s not an arduous task to make your deary DIY t-shirts; however, if you’re using traditional heat transfer vinyl, it must be an uphill battle due to the irritating layering process. But don’t worry; printable heat transfer vinyl is here to help, so keep your chin up and go to work on your next to-do tee.
If you’re weary of manufacturing your favorite DIY shirts using conventional heat transfer vinyl, now is the moment to ditch it in favor of the more established Printable Heat Transfer Vinyl. Over the last few years, printable heat transfer vinyl has gained ground and has the persuasive force that heat transfer vinyl lacks. Because the two terms are often used interchangeably or refer to the same method, determine which approach to employ.
Suppose you’re in a hurry to figure out which one you should use. I’m not going to keep you waiting any longer. Here’s a step-by-step guide to using HTV printable vinyl to create multi-color images on your clothing. But first, learn a bit about Heat transfer vinyl printing.
Traditional Heat Transfer Vinyl | What is HTV?
Heat transfer vinyl or HTV is an adhesive used to make bespoke graphics on fabrics, papers, and other materials such as wood, T-Shirts and mugs. It usually is available as sheets in a variety of colors and thicknesses. It’s simple to set up and use on any heat press machine. The procedure of creating these prints is simple. Place the design on the backside of the vinyl sheet and use a heat press machine to attach it to whichever surface you like. The fabric and application criteria determine how each heat transfer vinyl is applied. There are many various varieties of HTV printing to decorate garments, just as there are many different types of garments.
However, not all HTV printers will provide you with the optimum experience. As a result, the purpose of this article is to educate you about printed heat transfer vinyl.
Printable Heat Transfer Vinyl – The best HTV printable vinyl:
Print graphics on dark or light t-shirts, sweatshirts, leather, and other clothes using a large format Printers without going through the process of layering. Printable HTV allows you to print vibrant logos, designs, and detail that standard HTV cannot. To print full-color patterns and cut them out for application, use the Print and Cut functions of your craft die-cutting machines like Cricut, Silhouette, and others.
Hell Yes! Printable HTV has knocked out the traditional HTV printers; besides, you have to be a cash cow to start using the Printable Heat Transfer Vinyl method. It requires considerably more investment and pieces of equipment than Heat transfer vinyl.
These printers aren’t for folks who want to make a few DIY shirts in their spare time because they cost around $5,000. They’re geared toward persons who wish to start or build a t-shirt printing firm that works on large-scale projects. It is also recommended for those who wish to save time and wants increasing output by doing lesser efforts. Those who do not want to make hundreds of t-shirts for sale online or in a store should use a different heat transfer approach.
Equipment Required:
How does Printable Heat Transfer Vinyl works?
1. Choose Your Favorite Design Or Create One:
You won’t be able to start constructing your blue-eyed tee unless you have a design in mind. Choose your favorite design from a selection of possibilities and start customizing your tee. You don’t have to be a skilled graphic designer to create a graphic. You can accomplish this from the convenience of your own home while sitting on your couch with a cup of coffee in your hand. To make your graphic, you can use the following tools:
- Photoshop
- CorelDRAW
- Illustrator (Adobe)
You can use several different tools to construct your dream designs. You can also use the internet to find ready-made patterns. On dark-shaded fabrics, it’s always a good idea to utilize vivid tones in HTV printing. You can always play around with colors to make a more delicate and dandy shirt.
2. Print your design:
After you have finalized or created your very own graphic, you need to print it to make your dream tee. There’s an exception with HTV printing that Inkjet and laser printers will not function with printable HTV. As a result, continue with your design by printing using a wide-format printer that supports HTV printing.
Wide-format printers come in various sizes, ranging from 20 to 60 inches. Because they are substantially more significant (and more costly) than any desktop inkjet or laser printer, they are commonly referred to as “wide-format” printers. They are designed to fit larger printers; Printable HTV is available in rolls with widths ranging from 15 to 60 inches.
Special inks, such as Eco-Solvent, Solvent, and Latex inks, are also required by HTV printers. Printable HTV is often printed in full CMYK color on wide-format printers using specific inks like Solvent or Eco-Solvent ink; however, Latex ink is becoming more popular in the industry. Latex ink is particularly advantageous because it requires little to no drying time while printing, allowing for more fantastic volume printing. Vinyl of higher quality is usually thinner than the vinyl of poorer quality. It is preferable to utilize more delicate materials.
If your chosen clothing contains a high percentage of polyester, you’ll want to look for a printable heat transfer vinyl that you can apply at a low temperature and in a short amount of time.
Let’s Print….
3. Stick your printed design on a Carrier Sheet:
Prepare to shave off the extra from your design. Stick your design on a carrier sheet for this. Make sure you do it correctly– It is necessary to use caution. In the trimmer, place the carrier sheet that has the design. I recommend cutting it with a Silhouette Cameo or Cricut; this process will be smooth and consume less time. After you’ve finished cutting, peel away the excess material and remove the central design for further HTV printing.
Pro tip: Always perform a test cut first to ensure that your preferred cut settings are correct.
It is recommended to use bigger letter design as compared to the smaller ones, because they are difficult to cut and peeling them off is an arduous task.
4. Heat Pressing:
To prepare the Printable HTV for heat pressing, place a heat transfer mask, which acts as a carrier sheet, over it. There are low tack and high tack transfer masks, and most Printable HTV comes with a recommended transfer mask. Ensure the transfer mask you obtain is the right size for your printable HTV. You must be wondering how to use printable vinyl transfer paper? Let’s discuss it in the pressing process!
Here’s how you can do it…
Pro tip: Make sure to do not touch the design just after removing the heat press. Let it cool, and then peel.
Common Errors While HTV printing – Quick Tips for removing them:
FAQs
Final Remarks:
This printable heat transfer vinyl project is going to be fantastic! It’s also a breeze to complete. Instead of numerous different sheets of HTV with lots of cuts and lots of careful layering and pressing, nobody got time for that!
All you need is one printed sheet and one cut in Printable HTV.
Hi, I’m Talha Bhatti founder and director of Printershome. As a Leading Author and Writer, I found a huge gap in studying the quality and variety of the printers. My Main goal is to help potential users find the solution to their problems, solve their queries with quality assurance and focus on the perfect solutions.