There are various problems you might come across in the process of printing t-shirts via heat transfer. Using a heat press (or even an iron) could be a bit tricky – particularly if you are still getting used to it.
One of the most common concerns in transferring prints on to fabrics with the use of a heat press is getting heat press lines or heat press marks on the fabric.
To prevent heat press lines you will need a heat transfer pillow, heat resistant foam, or a heat resistant silicone pad. Even with these items sublimation and heat transfer printing on polyester can be tricky. You will need to practice these methods until you find the solution that works best for you.
Delicate fabrics are more prone to getting these heat press lines. Fabrics like polyester, rayon, or polyblend are just some of the types that easily get heat press marks, or worse, scorch marks. Since these fabrics are delicate, they can be extremely sensitive to heat.
Of course, just as with other things, one rule can be applied when it comes to heat press lines on fabrics: Prevention is better than cure.
Therefore, it would be wiser to do whatever you can to prevent heat press lines, marks, or scorches from happening in the first place – after all, there’s not much chance you could sell a t-shirt with a scorched or burned print. Thus, making your efforts a waste of time and money.
The good thing is, through the help of heat transfer pillows, cut to size heat resistant foams, or silicone pads for heat transfers, you can easily prevent common heat transfer fabric problems such as lines and scorch marks.
But first off, what is a heat transfer pillow?
A heat transfer pillow, also known as heat press pillow, is a foam or a pad placed inside a non-stick casing. It is designed to improve heat distribution during the heat transfer process, making the temperature evenly dispersed on the garment.
Additionally, heat transfer pillows help in printing over tricky areas of a garment that are not flat – near the buttons, zippers, and so on.
Since there are types of fabrics that are extra sensitive to high temperatures, chances are, they might get heat press marks when pressing due to the extreme heat. However, sometimes, it would seem unavoidable for polyester to get heat press lines or marks because you need to press it under high temperature for the design to stick. And even if you decide to try to minimize the chances of the fabric being scorched by turning down the heat and just pressing the garment for a longer time – you still risk burning it.
As a heat transfer pillow helps even out the distribution of heat, you can have peace of mind that the printed area of the garment will receive the heat it requires, so, there would be no need for you to prolong the heat transfer process or increase the temperature.
For most polyester fabrics, the standard heat press temperature should be at 270°F pressed for around 10 seconds. But keep in mind that not all polyester garments are the same, so it would be best if you do a test before printing. While most garments made with polyester share a standard temperature and pressing time, there are some that can stand higher temperatures up to 400°F, and call for longer pressing times up to around 60 seconds.
How to use a heat press pillow?
A heat press pillow is very easy to use. Simply put it inside the garment, under the area where you want the design to be printed on, and then you can do what you normally do when you do heat transfer printing. Be mindful of the correct temperature, pressure, and heat press time. Ensure you heat press pillow is slightly small than the transfer being used. The edges of the transfer paper are the reason for most heat press lines. By having the pillow smaller than the transfer the edges are less likely to come into contact with the fabric.
Heat press pillows come in various sizes to help you in heat pressing designs on to garments of different sizes – t-shirts, baby clothes, and even bags.
Using a heat press pillow can prevent scorch marks and heat press lines. But, if you have already encountered a scorch mark or line on the garment you are pressing or ironing, you could save it by acting fast.
• The minute you notice the scorch mark while you are pressing, turn down the temperature and stop pressing.
• Then, mix some water with hydrogen peroxide and dampen the area with the scorch mark or heat press line.
• Press or iron the dampened area again for around 15 seconds, but stay at medium heat.
• You will see that the heat press lines or scorch marks would be gone, if not, just repeat the process until all press or scorch marks are gone.
Other alternatives to heat press pillows are heat press silicone pads or a cut to size heat resistant foam. Just like heat press pillows, these come in different sizes and have the same functions.
The thing is, a heat press pillows can be expensive – but the good news is, it doesn’t have to be because you can actually create a heat press pillow at home.
How to make your own heat press pillows
Items you will need:
• Cheap sewing machine or a sewing kit (or even a stapler)
• Teflon sheets
• A roll of high-density foam
• A pair of scissors
Steps on making a heat press pillow:
1. First, decide on the size of the heat press pillow you wish to make. As Teflon sheets are usually sold by three sheets or five sheets a pack, you can make heat press pillows of various sizes in just one pack.
2. Cut a piece of high-density foam, depending on the size of heat transfer pillow you prefer.
3. Then, you may move on to the cutting of the non-stick cover for your heat press pillow. Place the foam on the Teflon sheet and draw lines around the foam’s edges to determine the amount of Teflon sheet that would be enough to cover one side of the foam. Make sure to reserve around an inch of margin on each of the edges so you would have space where you can sew the sides of the Teflon sheet.
4. Once you have cut the cover for one side of the heat press pillow, get another Teflon sheet and cut another portion with the same size – this will be used to cover the other side of your heat press pillow.
5. Afterward, lay the cut Teflon sheets on top of one another and sew three of the edges using a sewing machine. You can also sew by hand if you have the time. Make sure that the stitches are tight enough to secure the foam. If you don’t have a sewing machine nor a sewing kit, you may use a stapler to secure the edges of your heat press pillow. Make sure that you attach the staples tight enough so that the foam would stay in place.
6. After sewing or stapling three sides of your Teflon sheets, you should have something that would look like a pack. Insert the foam inside and push it all the way in until it reaches the sewn edges.
7. Ensure that the foam would not move around inside and then sew the last edge of the Teflon sheet to lock the heat press pillow up.
After this, you will have your very own heat press pillow that would look similar to ones you can purchase in the market. It will take you just a short time to make your very own heat press pillows, and you would not have to spend a lot. Do-it-yourself heat press pillows can stand as many presses as the heat press pillows from the stores.
Heat press pillows are essential to making sure that your heat transfers will be even and won’t damage your garments, some who have been in the t-shirt printing business for a long time even say that heat press pillows are a must.