Never before has it been this easy to turn your passion for apparel design into a full-time gig. Whether you are looking to dive head first into customizing products as a hobby, or you’re ready to upgrade your personalization business to include heat transfer vinyl application as a service, our wide range of vinyl options encompasses everything you need to turn your graphics into wearable works of art.
What is Heat Transfer Vinyl and What Can It Be Used for?
Heat transfer vinyl is a special kind of vinyl that is used to decorate garments, textiles and fabric items. Promotional products, team sports jerseys, and accessories are just a few of the items you can create using heat transfer vinyl! HTV is designed to be cut, weeded and applied to cloth products with a heat press or a hot iron. Heat transfer vinyl is pressed using high-heat settings, so it’s always a good idea to press a vinyl scrap on test fabric to ensure your garments can withstand the temperature.
Depending on the size and complexity of your design (and the size of your application space as well), you’ll want to ensure you are cutting with enough transfer vinyl to accommodate your project. Heat transfer vinyl wholesale is available in rolls (or pre-cut sheets), and you can find it in an extensive range of colors and finishes, including matte, metallic, mirror, chrome, holographic, glow-in-the-dark, opaque, and glitter vinyl. All transfer vinyls are made with a plastic adhesive backing that is torn away (or ”˜weeded’) from the cut vinyl before it is pressed onto fabric. The shiny side of the vinyl material is known as the carrier. The carrier holds the vinyl transfer pieces in place during the application process to ensure all graphics are aligned correctly. During application, the carrier side should always remain face up.
Which Types of Graphics Are the Best for Heat Transfer Vinyl Application?
Graphics that cut into transfer vinyl the easiest are generally comprised of text or basic shapes with solid outlines. Numbers, letters and simple patterns are going to prove the best graphics when decorating with heat transfer vinyl. Apparel designs that require less cuts and include fewer complex graphics are going to be the easiest images to weed with the least room for human error. Because every type of heat press vinyl has its own recommended temperature, pressure and pressing time settings, we suggest that you consult your vinyl’s pressing instructions every time you create products to ensure a successful application. It’s also a good idea to do a test cut any time you are using a new vinyl color or material. Vinyl colors and finishes sometimes behave differently due to very small variations in their composition, which can affect how you configure your cut settings and ultimately your end results.
If you find yourself confused about how to use transfer vinyl products, Coastal’s customer service team is always happy to help guide you through the vinyl process and answer any questions you may have about HTV production.
Are you involved in many print orders that require or would benefit from the addition of heat transfer vinyl? Need advice about the best way to introduce HTV to your personalization business? If you are unsure about which vinyl is right for you, provide our team of industry experts with some insight about your business or the products you typically decorate, and we’ll help you get started with vinyl. We offer an expansive selection of heat transfer vinyl wholesale in a myriad of colors and finishes at wholesale prices that will improve your business offerings and keep your customers talking about the quality of your finished items.