17 Heat Press Tips And Tricks

That’s right, we’ve got 17 heat press tips and tricks!

 

Even if you’ve been heat pressing for years, I’m sure you’re going to find something on the list to help you. And if you have any tips and tricks that we’ve missed, be sure to add them in the comments section below!

 

Heat Press Tips

 

 

These tips are for dealing with traditional swing away and clamshell heat press machines. If you have a Cricut heat press, check out these Cricut EasyPress Tips instead!

 

1. The Heat Press Weeding Trick

 

As my main man Joe from Siser demonstrates in the video below, you can use your heat press to make weeding faster and easier.

 

If you heat up the base of the heat press, you can lay the HTV onto the warmed platen. The heat loosens up the adhesive and will allow you to remove the excess vinyl more easily.

 

If you don’t have a swing-away styled machine as in the video, you can still use a clamshell. Just lay the vinyl on it for 5 seconds or so and then bring it out to weed.

 

 

2. Pre-Press Your T-Shirts

 

The heat press pre-press is essential for pressing the perfect heat transfers. It simply means pressing a garment before applying the heat transfer.

 

This removes moisture and wrinkles, and primes the fabric to receive the transfer. You only need to close the press for 2 or 3 seconds, or sometimes a little longer if you’re in a humid climate. For more info, see these 6 reasons why you should pre-heat your t-shirts.

 

3. Placing The Transfer On Straight

 

There are a few tricks to getting a transfer lined up straight and centered on your garment.

 

The most basic way is to simply fold your t-shirt in two to create a line showing you the midpoint. You can watch the video below to see how heat press pro Matt goes about it!

 

 

4. Use Teflon Sheets

 

Teflon sheets are the number one heat press accessory.

 

They are placed between the t-shirt/transfer and the top platen of the heat press. This protects everything: the t-shirt, transfer, and platen!

 

Most heat presses actually come with a free Teflon sheet, but if yours didn’t, it’s a good idea to order some. Alternatives to Teflon sheet can be parchment or baking paper or a tea towel.

 

5. A Lower Teflon Sheet

 

Some people like attaching a Teflon sheet onto the lower platen as well.

This serves a number of purposes, such as:

• Protecting the rubber pad from inks or vinyls
• It protects the rubber pad from getting any chunks or chips being taken out of it
• Protecting the pad from general wear and tear
• Making the lower platen more slippery – you can pull tees out and move them around easier on the Teflon than on the usual base
• Overall, it will extend the life of the lower pad

You can buy special lower platen protectors or attach a regular Teflon sheet over the base with strong magnets.

 

6. Mirror Reminder

 

If you are doing HTV heat transfers, you need to remember to mirror your design. It’s especially important if there are words in the design!

 

One way to remember is to write ‘MIRROR’ a number of times on your cutting mat. Then, as you’re loading the vinyl, you’ll see and remember!

 

7. Heat Platen Cold Spots

 

Once a year or so, it is good to check the heat health of your heat press.

Using a laser temperature gun you can check to see if the platen is reaching the right temperature evenly across the whole platen. It is important that the press is heating up evenly so that transfers transfer well!

 

Cheaper presses are not going to be the most reliable (as you’ll see in the heat press comparison video below), and US made machines are by far the better option.

 

 

8. HTV Application Instructions

 

Each vinyl manufacturer has their own application instructions – see this post on ImPressed HTV, for example. They include the best time, temperature and pressure to press at.

 

The manufacturer will have tried and tested their vinyl and determined the optimal settings. If you follow the instructions and you end up with peeling vinyl, you have recourse with the maker.

 

 

8. Use Heat Tape

 

Heat resistant tape or ‘heat tape’ is another handy heat press accessory.

 

If you don’t already know what it is, you can probably guess! Heat tape can be used to affix a transfer in place. It is most handy when sublimation printing onto hard substrates.

 

9. Heat Press Pillows

 

Use heat press pillows when you are pressing around buttons, pockets and seams.

 

Raised parts on garments cause uneven pressure which can effect the transfer negatively. The Teflon covered pillows help to even the pressure out. You can even make your own pillows from an ironing board cover, as demonstrated in the video below.

 

 

10. Place Cold Peel HTV

 

If you have a cold peel transfer, but can’t wait to do the grand reveal, take the top out of the press and place it on a cold surface. This might be a cool table or wall.

 

I’ve even seen people putting them into a chest freezer for a minute!

 

11. Heat Press Grease

 

It is recommended that you grease your heat press once a year. The metal on metal areas need to glide smoothly but will get dry over time.

 

You can use a product like White Lithium Grease or any high heat, high pressure lubricant.

 

12. A Dedicated Circuit

 

 

To avoid overloaded circuits and blown fuses, don’t use your heat press on the same circuit as other high voltage equipment.

 

A dedicated circuit is ideal, but not always possible. You can get away with using lower voltage equipment at the same time, but just try to keep the number of electrical devices down while you’re using your machine.

 

13. Avoid Using Extension Cords

 

If possible, avoid using extension cords with your heat press.

 

If you have to use one, which is often the case, make sure the amperage of the press and cord are equal to avoid overheating. You might want to check with the heat press manufacturer for more details if you are unsure what amp rated cord you need.

 

14. Clean Your Heat Press

 

Heat press platens get dirty with use and it’s good to give them a clean from time to time. If you accidentally melt vinyl on the hot plate then you’ll definitely need to give it a good clean.

 

The best product to use is EZ-OFF Hot Iron Cleaner!

 

15. Pressing Large Transfers

 

If you only have a small heat press, and want to press a transfer larger than the size of your platen, press it in stages.

 

This is totally fine to do, even if you need to overlap a little bit. Watch the following video for a demonstration using the Pink Craft Press.

 

 

16. Vinyl Scraps

 

 

Don’t throw away any scrap vinyl – especially if you use a Cricut or Silhouette machine!

 

Cutting mats make it much easier to use up every spare piece – you never know when you’re going to need a little bit of this or that color for something. Not long ago I needed the smallest piece of black vinyl for this multicolored HTV t shirt (the peacock eye)!

 

See this post for some ideas for using up vinyl scraps.

 

17. Align HTV

 

To get your designs perfectly positioned on a garment, you can use the carrier sheet as a guide. Make a weeding box around your design and then weed out any excess vinyl. Next, cut around your weeding box.

 

Fold your shirt in half and press it so that you have a center line. Then, fold your carrier sheet in half and line up both lines so that your design will be perfectly centered on the garment.

 

I love using the exact same size weeding box around multiple layers in a design so that every component of my design is in perfect placement. This way I can easily use the carrier sheet to know where to position each layer.

 

For a visual demonstration of using the carrier sheet to align HTV, watch the video below.

 

 

More Heat Press Tips?

 

We’d love to hear from you if you have any more heat press tips or tricks. We know that there are plenty that we have missed! So if you leave one in the comment section below then we’d love to include it – there’s always room for more.

 

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