All About Heat Transfer Vinyl | Your How To Guide

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Here is another in my series that I call Cricut Basics. This one is all about heat transfer vinyl (HTV). Whether you are starting out, or a seasoned veteran, this is a comprehensive how-to guide that not only includes the basics but handy tips and tricks as well.

Heat transfer vinyl is vinyl that requires heat in order to apply it. Typically, HTV is used to apply to fabric. This includes clothing, accessories (aprons, bags) and art canvases. I have read, however of people applying them to other surfaces that one would normally use adhesive vinyl – specifically mugs and water bottles. I haven’t tried this personally as this is not really the HTV’s intended use. Results seem to be mixed – some swear by it, but quite a few say it just doesn’t work. For me, I’m a traditionalist, and I just use HTV on fabric.

EDITED TO ADD:  I have since discovered how to put HTV on wood. It’s so easy – I love it. Check out my post on How to Put HTV on Wooden Ornaments here.

Types of Heat Transfer Vinyl

There are a variety of brands and types of Heat Transfer Vinyl. Perhaps the most popular HTV brand for crafters is Siser. This is what I use. I’ve tried other brands I’ve found online but I find their application and adhesion inconsistent. There are several brands out there – I have heard good things about other brands, but Siser is readily available to me and so it is what I use.

HTV comes in a variety of types. Here is a list of types and possible applications. These are specific to the Siser brand. Other brands may have these varieties as well.

• Siser EasyWeed – this is their basic HTV. It comes in a variety of colours
• Siser EasyWeed Stretch – this HTV is thinner and has a bit of stretch to it. This is good for garments that will need a bit of give to it, due to the style or fit. Think baby onesies, tank tops and socks. Basically anywhere you’d use the regular EasyWeed, you could substitute the Stretch. Stretch tends to be a bit more expensive than the regular EasyWeed.

• Siser Glitter – this adds a bit of bling to your item. It’s definitely thicker and therefore needs a special cut setting. These are not smooth – you can feel the texture of the glitter. It’s not super rough, but it’s definitely not smooth. This may be something to take into consideration when deciding what HTV to use. It definitely stands out, however, and in certain applications really looks fantastic. Glitter HTV is more expensive than regular HTV.
• Siser Electric, Metallic and Holographic – these are speciality items that have some shine to them. They are flat to the feel (not textured like the glitter).
• Siser StripFlock – this is fuzzy HTV. It’s quite thick but has a fuzzy texture to it. I love using it on stuffies and pillows. I have a whole separate blog post about Siser StripFlock – be sure to check it out. This is more expensive than the regular HTV as well.

Preparing Heat Transfer Vinyl

I personally find HTV to be more forgiving than adhesive vinyl when it comes to more delicate or intricate designs. I find that I can use more scripted, delicate fonts with HTV. When using adhesive vinyl, I tend to stick to “fatter” fonts because if too thin, it rips on me. There’s something about HTV that seems to be able to maintain more delicate lines better.

HTV can be cut on a variety of machines – I use my Cricut Explore Air 2 to cut HTV.  There are two important things to remember when cutting HTV.

Once it’s been cut, weed your image. Remove all the excess HTV. Your image will be left on the clear carrier sheet. Remember that the image will look backwards, but if you turn it around, you will see that it looks “normal”.

What do You Need to Apply Heat Transfer Vinyl?

The two essential factors needed for applying HTV to your fabric are HEAT and PRESSURE.

There are a few different tools you can use to apply your HTV to the fabric.  All involve heat.

All 3 will adhere your HTV to the fabric. There are pros and cons to each.

The iron is economical and easy to store. However, it is hard to gauge the temperature settings accurately. You also will need to provide the pressure, meaning I have put my project on the floor and used my full body weight on the iron in order to have pressure. The iron is also small and most iron surfaces have holes and so the heat distribution is not even.

The Cricut Easy Press is fancy iron in many ways. It’s more expensive, but not as expensive as a heat press (unless you get the big one). They come in a variety of sizes and price points. You can program specific temperatures, as well as a timer so, have greater control over those factors. The heating surface is solid and so there is even heat distribution – there are no holes like an iron and so no cold spots. While the Cricut website says that no pressure is needed, I personally have found that I need to apply pressure in order to get a good application of the HTV. Please note that it seems that some manufacturers, like Siser, have different recommended temperatures specifically for the Cricut Easy Press.

A heat press is the most expensive and it takes up a lot of space. You can, however, control temperature and time. Since it locks down, you don’t have to provide pressure – the heat press does it for you. You can also adjust the amount of pressure on your heat press. Heat presses come in a variety of sizes. I would recommend getting on at least 15×15 as that will accommodate most things including larger-sized shirts, cushion covers and tote bags. There are a variety of heat presses on the market – do your homework to determine which one is best for you and your needs.

There really is no right answer as to what is best. If you only do a few items, then you can easily make do with a home iron. If you run a business making shirts, then you’ll want the ease of a heat press. If you’re in the middle, then maybe the Cricut Easy Press is for you.

I personally have both the Cricut Easy Press (first generation) and a heat press, but I use them for totally different things. I have some specific applications that I use my Cricut Easy Press for. You can read all about that here.

Also recommended, but entirely optional are the following:

Preparing the Fabric for Heat Transfer Vinyl

The fabric should be clean before applying HTV. If it is a new shirt, you don’t need to launder it first. In fact, it is best to apply the HTV before it’s laundered. If you are selling or giving as a gift, don’t pre-wash the shirt. It is not necessary.

If you are applying to a shirt that you already own, it just needs to be clean. I have heard that fabric softener makes it harder for the HTV to adhere, so don’t wash with fabric softener.

Most cotton, cotton-poly blends and tri-blend shirts should be fine for applying HTV. If you are unsure, try to do a test of a tiny piece on the inside hem if possible. When in doubt apply the HTV in short bursts at a lower temperature. You may have to do it multiple times.

Did you know that you apply HTV to tulle? I did it here on a tutu. Read all about it.

Applying the Heat Transfer Vinyl

1. Prepare the fabric. I like to pre-press my fabric. This not only warms it up a bit, but it also smooths it out so that it is easier to place your HTV.
2. In order to centre your graphic on the fabric, I fold the item in half vertically and press. This will create a crease down the centre of your item.
3. Place your HTV on the fabric, with the shiny carrier paper up. Your graphic should look “normal” – it should not be backward. If you are trying to centre the HTV, you can also fold your graphic with the carrier sheet in half and make a few creases (I do top and bottom) and then line it up with the crease in the fabric. If you’re not sure, I use a clear quilting ruler to see how it lines up with the centre crease on the fabric.
4. Press the HTV to the fabric at the temperature and time according to the manufacturer. Each brand will have different temperatures and times. Even different types of HTV by the same manufacturer will have different temperatures and times. For example, Siser glitter HTV is pressed at a higher temperature than Siser EasyWeed and Stretch HTV. Siser StripFlock HTV is pressed at a higher temperature, as well as longer than Siser EasyWeed and Stretch HTV. Always check with the manufacturer’s instructions.
5. When in doubt, press for less time and/or a slightly lower temperature, but press it multiple times.
6. Remove the shiny carrier sheet – again, depending on the manufacturer and type, this will either be what’s called a hot peel (meaning you can remove it pretty much immediately) or a cold peel (you have to wait until it cools down before removing it).

Tips for Layering Heat Transfer Vinyl

Sometimes you will have more than one layer of vinyl because you are working with multiple colours.

Start with the lowest layer and build up.

I press each layer for 5-7 seconds – just enough to get it to stick. Then I remove the carrier sheet and apply the next layer. I press that one for 5-7 seconds and so on. After the last layer of colour has been applied, I press the whole thing (with no carrier sheet, but you can add a layer of parchment or a Teflon sheet) for a good 10 seconds.

The more layers you have, the “thicker” it will be.

Sometimes I wait in between layers before putting on the next layer. Once I remove the carrier sheet, the HTV is still quite hot – if you put your next layer on, it may immediately stick which means you can’t reposition it if necessary.

What if I Make a Mistake?

I personally haven’t had much luck removing HTV once it has been applied. Some say that you can heat the backside and peel or pick it off, but that hasn’t worked for me.

There’s also a vinyl remover that people swear by. I have some, but lucky for me I haven’t had to use it yet but as mentioned, people swear by it.

Care for Heat Transfer Vinyl

There are a few things you need to know about how to care for your HTV.

There you have it. I told you it was comprehensive. But this pretty much covers everything you need to know about heat transfer vinyl.

Here are some neat projects I have made using heat transfer vinyl.

Want to remember all this about heat transfer vinyl? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest page.