All About Printable HTV | Cricut Basics

Do you love custom designs? Here’s all about printable HTV or heat transfer vinyl.

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Printable HTV allows you to customize a design, print it out and then using the principles of applying HTV, apply it to something. The concept is pretty much the same as regular HTV, but now you can have custom colours, custom designs, or even a photo. Read my post, All About Heat Transfer Vinyl for specific information on preparing and applying HTV.

How to Use Printable HTV

This type of HTV typically comes in 8.5 x 11 sheets, much like printer paper. The process is relatively simple.

make your design; I use Photoshop but any program will do.
insert your design into a printable document, like Microsoft Word; as the sheets are not cheap I try to fill the sheet as much as possible

I filled up the whole Word Doc to make labels for my sewing creations.

print it – most printable HTV requires either an inkjet or laser printer
cut it out – regular scissors or a paper cutter works fine
apply it to fabric using an iron or a heat press; I like to use a teflon sheet as it helps distribute the heat evenly.

The key is the actual printable HTV. Everything else is pretty much the same as regular HTV.

I didn’t even use my Cricut for this. That’s how easy it is!

There seems to be a distinction on the type of fabric that you will be applying the HTV to. It is typically is intended for either light-coloured fabrics or dark-coloured fabrics. Basically, the light one is for white shirts. Anything other than white, I would go with the dark fabric version.

Avery is a well-known brand for labels and they have their own line of printable HTV as well.

Amazon Links

Teflon Sheets

Avery Printable HTV – dark

Avery Printable HTV – light

On Amazon, you will find other brands as well. Be sure to check out the reviews to see how they did. These small packs are great for trying out printable HTV.

I personally use the Paropy Inkjet Dark paper from Joto Imaging Supplies, which is available in both Canada and the US. This printable HTV is easy to use. It comes with complete instructions on how to print and apply.

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What Would You Use it For?

As mentioned, if you have a customized design, then printable HTV may be what you are looking for.

This type of HTV allows you to utilize numerous colours. Regular HTV requires you to layer each colour separately. If there are only a couple of colours, this may not be an issue, but if there are numerous colours, you may wish to go the printable HTV route.

Also, you may not necessarily find the exact colours you need in regular HTV. By printing the image, you will be sure to get an exact colour match.

If the design is intricate in nature, meaning fine lines or a lot of detail, you may wish to use printable HTV as those details may be challenging to do with regular HTV.

Photos! You can put your favourite photo on an item. I’m talking full-colour photos. I’ve had this request to put this photo on to a t-shirt.

This type of HTV is also great for small graphics. I use it to label clothing. When I sew something as a gift, I often like to label it. With some of my sewn items, I like to label the size. Printable HTV makes this doable when working with small graphics.

Some Caveats About Printable HTV

There are some things you need to know before using it.

SOME THINGS TO
CONSIDER

There are mixed reviews about it fading after repeated washings. I’ve been lucky with the stuff from Joto as it has held up.
Like any HTV, any large pieces will have a somewhat stiff and plasticky feel to it. This happens with regular HTV as well.
You are limited to the size of the paper. That said, don’t forget that you can orient things sideways (landscape) in order to get a greater width. Joto makes larger pieces (11×17), but then you would need a printer that can accommodate that size.
It’s not cheap. It’s kind of a waste to print one thing and discard the rest. I try to print multiple things at a time if possible. That said, I have been known to insert the printable HTV the other way around to print on the other side.

Like most things, it is not perfect, but it does come in handy for certain projects.