The 4 Heat Printing Accessories You Should Never Use with Screen Printed Transfers

With all of the different decorating techniques for printing decorated apparel, it’s tough to keep products, equipment, supplies and accessories straight! What’s good for one type of printing isn’t necessarily good for the other.

Heat printing is in its own ball game and there’s now a ton of different players in the game, from heat transfer vinyl to digital print transfers, to screen printed transfers. Each product with their own best uses, application instructions and accessories that can be used to heat print them without causing problems.

For screen printed transfers in particular, because that’s what we specialize in, it’s important to know which accessories are NOT recommended to use during heat printing. Not because we don’t think these accessories aren’t amazing for their intended use, but because they can cause serious problems with your finished apparel decoration if you’re using screen printed transfers. And we want your prints to be long lasting, quality decorations for your customers!

So here they are, the 4 Heat Printing Accessories to Never Use with Screen Printed Transfers.

6Mil Non-Stick Cover Sheet

6mil non-stick cover sheets shouldn’t be used with screen printed transfers

Another accessory that is often misused with screen printed transfers is a cover sheet. Unless otherwise noted in the application instructions, you will not want to use any type of cover sheet.

Screen printed transfers are printed on a special release paper, which acts as a cover sheet during application. The only time you would want to use a cover sheet, is if our instructions specifically say to use one.

A cover sheet, especially thick 6Mil non-stick, Teflon style sheets, are designed to protect your apparel by reducing the amount of heat that reaches your apparel. Some of these thicker sheets can reduce the temperature by as much as 20-25 degrees. Reducing the application by 20-25 degrees will not give you the proper temperature needed to apply that type of transfer.

If you are applying multiple transfers, you would also want to use a cover sheet. When you are applying a transfer to an already applied area, and an area that you previously applied is not covered, that would need to be covered or else the heat press platen will ruin that area.

We do sell cover sheets that can be used in these cases. You can also use a thin paper cover sheets such as Kraft paper from Stahls’.

Flexible Application Pad

Silicone flexible application pads are used in heat printing to protect heat sensitive fabrics from scorching at high temperatures. This is great product for heat transfer vinyl application but is a recipe for disaster with screen printed transfers.

Like the 6mil cover sheets above, they cause a lot of heat loss to your ink and adhesive on your transfer.

So before you reach for your 6mil cover sheet or flexible application pad, remind yourself that thick cover sheets are a NO NO for screen printed transfer application!

Upper Platen Covers

Top Platen covers are not recommended with screen printed transfers

Heat press platen covers are available in bottom platen covers and upper platen covers and are great for keeping your heat press clean. Bottom platen covers also help slide your apparel easily around on your platen, while top platen covers eliminate your need of putting a cover sheet over your shirt at each pressing if using other decorating methods like heat transfer vinyl.

Like the 6mil cover sheet and flexible application pad addressed above, if a heat barrier is placed between the heating element and the ink transfer, you will see a reduction of temperature that is reaching your ink and adhesive on your screen printed transfer.

This is why it is not recommended to use an upper platen cover or silicone upper platen cover during heat printing of screen printed transfers.

Heat Printing Pillows

When using screen printed transfers, you will want to avoid using a pillow. While pillows may be ok to use with vinyl, it is not true for screen printed transfers. This creates uneven pressure, which is a key ingredient.

This is, perhaps, one of the most common mistakes made. You should never use a pillow during the application of Transfer Express products! Our products require three things from your heat press: time, temperature, and pressure. Those are the three things that make a transfer do it’s magic. A pillow is soft and squishy and actually absorbs some of the pressure your heat press creates. This means your transfer doesn’t get the proper amount of pressure and could be under applied. If you need to raise your surface area, use something firm like a mouse pad or Print Perfect Pad.

If you need some tips on how to heat print while avoiding seams and obstructions from causing your print area so be uneven be sure to check this out! Heat Printing Tips to Avoid Seams