What Is Heat Transfer Vinyl Printing

Printable htv will require a higher temperature and pressure.

What is heat transfer vinyl printing.

Since i shared my first screen printing tutorial many of you have asked why i prefer screen printing over heat transfer vinyl. For years i had been making heat transfer vinyl shirts with easyweed vinyl. Vinyl transfers can be used to print designs onto surfaces where the usual methods are not able to reach like a hat. See heat press machines on amazon.

This vinyl can be applied as a single layer or it can be layered for complex designs. Vinyl printing is all about heat transfer. Normally htv requires a temperature of 305f or 320f. The best option and what most people do for starters is to have a separate heat transfer printer and a separate vinyl cutting machine.

Airflow heat transfer material as it contains tiny holes in the vinyl the material is breathable ideal for printing sports shirts. It comes in a roll or sheet form with an adhesive backing so it can be cut weeded and placed on a substrate for heat application. Inkjet and laser printers are specifically designed to use paper not vinyl. With digital print heat transfer the desired graphic is first digitally printed on special heat transfer paper using a solvent ink.

As in the title it feels very much like paper. What will be important is choosing a printer than can print on vinyl and then selecting a cutting machine that has the print and cut feature. No it s not because i needed another excuse to buy craft supplies. Heat transfer vinyl is made in single colors and also has special options such as patterned glitter.

Heat transfer is the printing method of applying specialty vinyls to garments through a heat press. You use a machine to cut out letters and designs from colored vinyl and heat press them onto the t shirt to transfer the color to it. It was an easy way to make personalized shirts. We ll look at when to use each and the benefits of each.

Specifically with heat printing there are many materials you can use just with this printing method alone. Thermo film heat transfer material with a semi gloss finish the material creates a sharp and bold transfer as it does not absorb dyes from the fabric dye migration. For example the roland bn 20 a vinyl printer cutter costs 6000. Vinyl printing depends on a combination of pressure and heat.

On the other hand heat transfer paper doesn t exactly feel like heat transfer vinyl. A heat press is then used to transfer each vinyl color of the design onto the object being printed. Printable heat transfer vinyl is used the same way as regular htv but at a higher temperature and pressure. Therefore heat transfer paper is intended for printing with an inkjet or laser printer.

For this heat applied transfer product comparison we are going to compare heat transfer vinyl htv rolls to screen printed transfer sheets.