Astar Printing

(HTV) Heat Transfer Vinyl

The Process of heat transfer vinyl onto Clothing:
Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) is a process where a PU free Vinyl Heat substrate is fed through a machine and is cad cut. The designs are created in a design program called Corel Draw. The design is then cut in reverse, weeded to reveal the design. It is then applied to the garment/product using an industrial heat press under a strict time/pressure setting. A major advantage of vinyl printing is that there aren't any setup costs involved allowing for short print runs at a very reasonable price. It is also very versatile and can be used on virtually all types of products including T-Shirts, polo shirts, work shirts, bags, caps, workwear and lots more. The different types of vinyl allow for different specialist effects that your designs can be made from or that could be added to certain elements of your design to make it stand out from the rest. The most popular effects include glitter printing, glow in the dark, metallic printing, reflective printing and flock printing. The process of printing these special effect materials is exactly the same; a plotter is used to cut the design from the material before it is applied using an industrial heat press on to the garment itself.

Advantages of heat transfer vinyl:
• No Set up costs
• Great for small to medium runs
• Can be printed on most garment types
• Can be printed up to A3 size
• Colours don't fade
• Perfect for lettering and numbers
• Quick turnaround

Disadvantages of heat transfer vinyl:
• Not ideal for large volume orders
• Colours cannot be pantone matched
• More sensitive to washing detergents
• Can't hot wash or tumble dry

Some examples are: