WHAT IS HEAT TRANSFER PRINTING?

Very simply, the transfer printing procedure is this: an image is printed or copied onto a specially coated transfer paper. The printed paper is then placed face down on the fabric and heat is applied and the image is transferred (in reverse) to the fabric. Each design is cut out from a sheet of transfer vinyl using a machine, it is then placed over the garment and heat sealed at high temperature. Modern vinyls are pretty tough and durable, they bond firmly to the garment and with a little care will last well.

Transfer Printing is great for single colour designs, and especially for individual names, and numbers. This print technique is used extensively on sports and team wear eg. football shirts.Heat transfer printing is also very popular for shirts used on Stag and Hen tours, charity runs and other “one off” events. This is due to the inexpensive nature of the print method – as it is the most economic form of printing for smaller quantities.

Another plus to this print method is that there are a huge array of colours available – ranging from standard colours, high visibility, fluorescents, foils for metallic print effect and also flock velvet effects. There are no set-up costs and it’s the cheapest printing technique available for low quantity orders.

THE PROCESS IN MORE DETAIL

The machine that cuts the transfer vinyl is a CAD Cut Vinyl Printing machine, which cuts the vinyl to shape using a special plotter. The artwork is required in a vectorised format with fonts created to outlines and it is then sent to a vinyl cutter which is similar to a printer but uses a blade as opposed to ink.

Once the design or text has been cut it’s then weeded out (removed) manually. Once the excess vinyl is removed you’re left with your design which is then heat pressed onto the garment for 10-15 seconds.

The quality of the finished result is largely dependent on the quality of the original image supplied which is why we recommend you always supply us with either a print ready vector artwork (.eps or .ai files) or high resolution .jpg files at least 300dpi and 100% of intended print size.

PLEASE NOTE:

With transfer printing, heat transfer printing and CAD cut vinyl printing, it’s not always possible to match colours in your artwork exactly therefore we can’t guarantee an exact match and are unable to offer a refund if the printed garment colours don’t match the artwork.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR TRANSFER PRINTED GARMENT

To lessen the change of colour fading within your print and increase the durability of your Transfer Printed garment, always wash your garment inside out and on a cold or 30 degree wash. Iron inside out on a very low heat