Pressing Instructions & Tips

 

How to use our transfers?

The process:

1: Put the garment on the heat press.
2: Put the logo on the garment, glue side against the fabric. 
3: Press the logo on the fabric.
4: Remove the garment and let it cool down.
5: When cols, peel off the transfer in a fast and steady motion.
6: Put the garment on the heat press and repress a second time for 3-5 secs. 

Your Heat-Press.

A good & professional heat press will apply equal temperature and pressure on your garments. This is really important, if your heat press has lower pressure and temperature on one side, your transfer may not grip properly on the garment when peeling, or the larger images will stick, but not the smaller details.

Pressure:

If your heat press is equipped with a pressure gauge, 3 to 5 bars ( 40 to 70 psi ).

If your heat press is not equipped with a pressure gauge ( this is often the case with manual presses ) you want to make sure the iron has a solid lock on the base plate. It generally requires a little bit of hand / muscle pressure.  

Temperature & Time:

The temperature will vary depending on the fabric you are printing on.

• 100% Cotton or 80/20% Poly-Cotton Blend: 140C - 13 Seconds
• 50/50% Poly-Cotton Blend: 135C - 13 Seconds. If the press leaves a shiny mark on the polyester fabric, reduce the pressure and reduce the temperature to 130 C. ( this often happens with polyester / heavy blend hoodies.
• 100% Polyester: 130C - 12 seconds, you can go as low as 125C.
• 100% Polyester Die / Footy or Soccer shirts, Sublimated shirts, SoftShell Jacket: 125C - 8 seconds + second press 3-4 sec. It is important to drop your time and temperature when working on these specific garment. Highly coloured polyester ( sublimated ) will lose their colour when heated to high for too long. This colour will migrate in your print and iron. A white print on a red t-shirt will likely turn pink, and this can happen over a period of 3-4 days, not immedialty after pressing. 
• Rain Jackets, Water Repellent Fabric such as Kites, Waterproof Bags, Nylon: Reduce temperature to 122C - 5 seconds. Note: these are recommended settings but it will vary depending on the garment. We recommend to start with these settings on a sample and adjust if necessary. It is important to reduce your pressing time as these fabric will not absorb the melted glue like cotton will. Instead, it will push it away from the print leaving glue marks on the side of the artwork. You can avoid this by reducing the pressing time. We also recommend to cover the garment and print with a teflon paper or similar ( a peeled DTF sheet will do ) to avoid marking or melting the fabric.
• Packaging Carton: 150C - 10 seconds Cold Cold Peel, no Second Press.
• Heavy Canvas, Jeans Fabric: 140C - 12 seconds Cold Cold Peel. (These may need to be adjusted depending on the fabric).

Warm / Cold Peel:

Generally speaking, the cooler the better! Cold peel will always work.

• T-shirts & 100% polyester fabrics: Warm Peel ok ( tempered ).
• Hoodies and Cotton Polos: Cold Peel recommended.
• Carton, Leather, Nylon, Caps, Waterproof fabric, Soft shells: Cold Peel 

Second Press:

This step is really important and often overlooked. After peeling off the transfer, place the t-shirt back on the heat press and repress it for 4-5 seconds. This will seal the print onto the fabric and transform the finish from glossy to matte. Repressing your garment will also improve the washing durability and overall longevity of the print over time!

Tips: Removing the garment from the Press

When removing the t-shirt from the press, keep in mind that the glue/ink is still very warm and slightly liquid. To avoid the edges of the transfer lifting and damaging the print, ensure you keep the t-shirt flat as you handle it. Try removing the t-shirt with steady, controlled movements—almost like a robotic motion!

Tips: Small logos and Pressing on rough fabrics 

When printing logos with very small details, or when printing on rough fabrics such as heavy t-shirts or 100% cotton polos, it helps to apply pressure to the print immediately after lifting the heat press. Use a small mat, cloth, or piece of t-shirt to gently press on the design, focusing on the edges and tiny details.