3 Tips for Heat Printing Tank Tops

It’s getting hot out there—the weather and your press, so there may be more demand for tank tops than t-shirts this time of year. Tank tops are typically cotton or a blend just like t-shirts, but when custom printing there are a few items to consider that may be a little different.

1. Your print size – tank tops, especially women’s tanks, may look better with a smaller size print. Tank tops often have scoop necks that use some of your heat printing real estate. On women’s tank tops, I like to go down to about a 9×9 size.

Because of the smaller print area, a reduced size print will look better.

2. Your print shape – since you do have less real estate to work with, a rectangular shaped art design may look better than a circular. The circular print can end up too low when you adjust for the scoop neck even at the small custom transfer size.

When creating your design, rectangular designs are a better balance for tank tops.

3. Thread it – Many of our tank top styles have a unique back that requires you to use the thread technique of heat pressing. If you lay your tank on a t-shirt press like a t-shirt to press, it may leave a mark where that feature was. Examples are a back seam with tonal stitch, lace or racerback.

Because of the many seams in tank tops, especially on the back, it would be better to thread your tank top during heat printing.

For other tips on decorating apparel for hot weather, read our post How to Decorate Clothing for Warm Weather.