Heat Transfer Printing: A Newer Decoration Method

Heat transfer printing also referred to as thermal printing, thermal transfer printing, and thermal wax transfer, uses heat to transfer an image from wax to an object. It is a newer decoration method that creates personalized and colorful images on clothing, home goods, and even commercial products.

How does heat transfer printing work?

As a digital printing method, heat transfer is printed using a variety of special inks onto a sublimation paper, transfer paper, or vinyl film, which then acts as a transfer to another surface such as clothing or glassware.

The whole process includes 9 steps.

1. Create your design. Use graphic design software such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to mock up your design on your computer. Remember to take the heat transfer ink color, the size of the finished product, and the material your design will be applying into consideration.

2. Print your design. Print your custom design onto special heat transfer paper with the help of sublimation ink, inkjet ink, or pigment ink based on your product and application. The printer works by pressing the ribbon against the printing object and heating the opposite side until the ink melts off the ribbon and transfers to the object.

3. Cut out your design. A vinyl cutter is used to trim your image.

4. Warm up the heat press. Open the heat press up and separate the heat platen from the heat pad and let it be while the heat platen warms up. For the majority of heat transfer applications, the temperature is set somewhere between 350 and 375 °F. The heat press is available in several sizes and shapes based on the heat transfer application. For custom water bottles and coffee mugs, a cylinder-shaped heat press used for transferring on rounded objects is the best choice.

5. Adjust the pressure. The pressure is generally based on the thickness of the material your design will be applying to.

6. Set the time. Pay extra attention to this step because there are different times associated with different types of heat transfer.

7. Set the substrate and transfer it in place. The substrate is your canvas to make a heat transferred masterpiece - it can be anything that you want to decorate, including drinkware, bags, sweatshirt, or a custom t-shirt. Position your product onto the plate and place the transfer paper face up on the desired location of your product within the pressing area.

8. Press the product. Once you have your product in place, close the press by pulling the handle down to clamp the press shut.

9. Remove the film. As soon as the timer goes off simply, open up the press and take off the film while the heat transfer paper is still hot. You will see your design printed on your product.

How is heat transfer printing classified?

Heat transfer printing can be classified into two categories, namely, sublimation printing and vinyl printing.

Sublimation printing. Different from traditional printing methods, sublimation printing bypasses the liquid step - there are no inks drying to the printed object. The artwork is transferred to an object in a gas state by using a high-temperature heat press during the sublimation printing process. Businesses and home designers use this style of printing when creating graphics on clothing, as well as signage, home decorations, company exhibits, and personal items such as coasters, coffee mugs, and keyrings.

Vinyl printing. Vinyl printing uses the latest computer technologies connected with a mechanical cutter to recreate a digital image on a sheet of colored vinyl. Once you’ve successfully cut the design you want from the vinyl, it can then be attached to anything you like, from T-shirts to banners to car windshields. Meanwhile, vinyl printing makes extremely large-sized prints possible. Vinyl banners can be of very high resolution and quality, so it is a very economical medium for onsite advertising and display.