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Personalizing Apparel with Individual Names

One of the advantages to printing apparel is the customization factor.

With a heat press, you can print just about any apparel item and put just about any design on the apparel, including individual names for personalization.

That’s an advantage of printing with a heat press.

Printing individual names using other printing methods can be long and tedious. For example, if you want to screen print one name on the back of a shirt, you need to create a screen for each name. The process to create a screen is quite complex and time consuming.

To print each player’s name on the back of the jersey for an entire team would be time consuming, laborious, and expensive.

The alternative?

Enter stage left: Express Names™.

 

 

 

How to Personalize a Shirt with a Name

Express Names are individual, screen printed transfer names.

They come ready to apply with your heat press, just like any of our other screen printed transfers. They are printed with the same screen printed inks. There is no weeding involved.

 

 

Names are easy to apply with your heat press and are very versatile. They apply at 365°F for 4 seconds. They can also apply at 340°F for 10 seconds, or 275°F for 15 seconds.

So if you are also adding numbers, they can be pressed at the same time, whether they are Goof Proof® or Elasti Prints® numbers.

Express Names can go on cotton, polyester, or cotton/poly blends.

You can use names to personalize many different items, not just sports jerseys. They can serve many purposes.

You don’t have to necessarily order a name either. Order “coach”, “mom”, “manager” or other words or phrases as well.

 

 

You can even order numbers instead of letters.

This makes it possible to order smaller numbers other than our stock numbers, which start at a 4” size.

[Related Content: How to Order 1”, 2”, 2.5” and 3” Numbers]

 

How to Order Individual Names for Shirts

Whether you need 1 name or 500, ordering Express Names is easy. When you order before 11 am, they will ship same day.

Just go to TransferExpress.com and click on Express Names.

To order, select your format and font first. Format options include:

• straight
• arch
• vertical

 

 

Once you have selected your format, you have 13 font choices to choose from, including some block and script fonts:

• Arial
• Averta Bold
• Impress
• Handel Gothic
• Vogue
• Homeward Bound
• Rex
• Zag Bold
• Hercules
• Athletic Script
• Full Block
• Brush Script
• Avalon

 

 

Next, you’ll want to choose the size of your names. This is done in 2 steps. The first is the letter height. How tall do you want the names to be?

You can choose from:

• 1”
• 2”
• 2.5”
• 3”

 

 

Then, you’ll want to choose the width. In this case, the width is not the letter width, but the entire name width.

If you selected a 1” letter height, your name width options are:

• 4”
• 4.5”
• 5”

 

 

If you selected 2”, 2.5”, or 3” for your letter height, then your name width options are:

• 9”
• 11”
• 14”

 

 

It’s important to note here that those are the max width measurements. If you add the name “Smith” and choose 14”, the name will not reach a width of 14”.

On the other hand, if you add a really long name, the letters will “squish” (width wise) to fit within the 14” width space.

The more letters you add, the more it will squish. (You will be notified in the last step below when you are adding names if they will be squished or not.)

 

 

After you choose your sizes, the next option to choose is color.

There are 22 color options for names: White, Black, Dark Brown, Bubblegum Pink, Burgundy, Columbia Blue, Dark Green, Dolphin, Gold, Grey, Kelly Green, Maroon, Metallic Gold, Metallic Silver, Navy, Neon Lime, Orange, Purple, Red, Royal, Texas Orange, and Vegas Gold.

 

 

The last part of the order is to include the list of names you would like to order.

There are two ways to do this. You can type the names in the fields yourself.

 

 

Or if you have a long list, you can upload a file. When you upload the file, it will populate the fields for you!

 

 

The key to uploading a list of names is to make sure the names are in a single column and saved as a .txt file.

Now your names are ready to order.

If you need different size names or names in different colors, you’ll need to add each of the different options to the cart separately.

In other words, if you would like 5 names in red, and 5 names in blue, you’ll need to add the red names to your cart first, and then go back and select all the options again for blue and add to your cart.

 

 

 

How to Apply Names to Apparel

Once you receive your heat applied Express Names transfers, they apply quickly and easily.

You do need a heat press to apply our transfers. An iron will not work. If you use an iron, it may appear to have applied, but it will probably fall off the first time it’s washed.

A heat press will supply you with even pressure and temperature for the time duration that is needed.

Set your heat press for 365°F for 4 seconds. You will want to use medium to firm pressure. If you have a pressure readout on your press, it is equivalent to 6-8, or 60-80 psi for an air powered machine.

 

 

Before you place any transfers onto the apparel, you’ll want to pre-press your apparel for 3-5 seconds to get any moisture and wrinkles out.

Then you can place your name transfer with the ink side facing down onto the apparel.

Each name is pre-centered on the carrier so they are easy to line up. If you are applying with numbers, then it’s as easy as just touching the paper edges together.

 

 

No cover sheet is needed with a normal application.

You will also not want to use any pillows. If you have any seams or obstructions in your way, use a Print Perfect Pad or mouse pad to raise your printing surface. These pads will provide you with an even, firm surface needed to print screen printed transfers.

 

 

Close your press for 4 seconds. After 4 seconds, open your press and pause, waiting about 3-5 seconds. Then peel the paper backing in a smooth, even motion.

 

 

 

Conclusion

Adding personalization to shirts is easy with just a heat press and individual screen printed name transfers. You can get these names quickly and come ready to apply.

You can order just 1 or as many as you need.

This makes it easy to add a name to any sports jersey, or any other item you want to personalize with a name.

It doesn’t have to be a name, either. You can order other words, such as “coach”, “mom”, or any other word, number, or phrase you want.

Order your Express Names here.