Know Your Apparel Decoration Business from A to Z
Knowing all the areas associated with your apparel business is critical to your success and will keep you from making costly mistakes down the road. The main areas to focus on include artwork, transfer types, apparel types, transfer application, and heat press considerations.
Artwork – Anytime your customer chooses to use our art, you can save them time and money and you can customize any of our artwork for free with our online designer. Did you know that if you place your order for a one color Goof Proof®, Hot Split or Polytrans transfer before 3 pm (499 sheets or less) we can ship your order that very next day?
This free sample pack contains our most popular transfer types for you to test.
Transfer types – Request our transfer sample pack so you can practice heat applying our entire range of transfer types before you place that big order! Our standard transfer types include: Goof Proof® transfers that are applied in only 4 seconds and peeled hot, Hot Split transfers that are perfect for achieving that screen printed look, and our Polytrans transfers for heat sensitive fabrics.
Our specialty transfer types include: Elasti Prints® that are recommended for decorating stretchy polyester performance wear and our Glitter transfers for that added sparkle and retro look! For full color photorealistic transfers, we now offer our new state-of-the-art transfer product called Stretch Litho™! Samples of our Stretch Litho transfers are now included in our transfer sample pack.
Transfer Express digital transfer types include CAD-PRINTZ® Opaque, Express Print, and Sub Block transfers. CAD-PRINTZ Sub Block is specifically designed for blocking dye migration on sublimated polyester materials including those made with Lycra® and spandex. We also offer stock and custom rhinestone transfers for the “bling” market as well as stock reflective transfers for Fire, Police and EMS, plus screen printed names and team numbers!
Apparel types – The most common fabrics used in today’s apparel construction are 100% cotton, polyester, and cotton/poly bends and all of our standard and specialty transfers work for heat printing on these type materials. Note: Testing these fabrics in advance is always recommended.
Always pre-press the apparel before heat printing to remove excess moisture trapped in the garment. This procedure needs to be done all year long but can be more of a problem during the winter months in some regions. Note: Failing to pre-press apparel before applying a transfer can result in cracking or bubbling due to trapped moisture in the apparel.
This wall graphic application chart is easy to place by your heat press.
Application Instructions – It’s always recommended to follow our transfer application instructions for best results. When you purchase our Easy Prints® Marketing Kit, it comes with a transfer application wall chart to hang near your heat press for easy access!
The Heat Press – The type of heat press that you use in your business can make or break your bottom line! All heat presses are not created equal so it’s important to use an up-to-date machine that accurately controls time, temperature and pressure. Transfer Express sells the full line of Hotronix® and MAXX® heat transfer presses to help your business be more efficient and profitable.
For heat printing children’s and women’s wear, it’s best to use a heat press that has interchangeable lower platens to accommodate decorating smaller apparel. Common interchangeable lower platen sizes are 6” x 10”, 8” x 10” and 11” x 15”.
It’s also recommended use our Quick Slip Pad Protectors that cover the lower platen to make it easier to thread (or split) a shirt when heat printing lightweight fabrics. Threading the apparel on the lower platen keeps the inks and adhesives from penetrating through to the back layer. Knowing your business from A to Z will help keep you on the road to success!
A Quick Slip Pad Protector helps to extend the life of your lower platen and makes it easier to thread apparel.