This is my first time using HTV! What do I do?

Luckily for you, we have an entire page for newbies! We all have to start somewhere, right? Well that somewhere for you is our Heat Pressing 101 page. 😉

I’m not sure what side of the HTV should face up when I load up my Silhouette/Cricut/plotter cutter!

Take a look at your material- which side is the plastic carrier, and which one is the HTV? You ALWAYS want to cut into the HTV, so the HTV is going to face up.

Sometimes it can be hard to tell! Take a small corner and peel it up with your fingernail. This will show you which side is the sticky carrier and which side is the HTV.

I’ve pressed my HTV and it’s not sticking to the shirt/pillow/wood/etc, what do I do?

First of all, breathe! We got this, don’t worry. Most of the time this issue is caused when there is not enough pressure while heat pressing. Take a good long look at that HTV- some HTV, like ThermoFlex® Plus will show the texture of the garment when pressed correctly (this doesn’t work for everything, like the Glitters or thicker HTV like DecoSparkle®). If you’re not seeing that, you for sure need more pressure!

When you repress, try:

• First, smooth the design back down. Repress for 50% of the original press time while increasing the pressure.
• Take a cloth and rub the carrier above the design for 5-7 seconds, especially around the edges.
• Peel off the carrier from a different corner when it has reached the specified peel temperature.

Here’s some general tips for pressing- First, check the instructions for the HTV you’re using- each product has different instructions. Once you’re sure of how much pressure to use, press the garment flat before pressing on the material to iron out any moisture or wrinkles. 

Check where you’re pressing- make sure that there are no seams underneath or next to where you are pressing your design. If you’re pressing on an uneven surface, then it won’t adhere right.

Is it STILL not working? Unfortunately, sometimes there are bad rolls that just don’t work. It happens very rarely, but it happens! Email us at tech@heattransfervinyl.com with the issue and pictures, we’d be happy to get you a working replacement.

I need color palettes for Adobe or Corel. Do you have those?

Sure do! Check the bottom of the page, most of our product lines have palettes available. These are from the HTV manufacturer- please read the “Read Me” file in the download. Contact Specialty Materials with any questions.

I can’t get the HTV to weed right, what do I do?

This is usually due to how the material is cut. Please see “Cut Tech Questions” below! We also have a printable infographic here!

I can’t get the HTV to weed right, what do I do?

9 times out of 10 this has to do with how the HTV was cut. Did you do a test cut? The #1 rule of HTV is ALWAYS do a test cut! Doesn’t matter if you’ve cut this HTV before, your blade can dull or change. Always ALWAYS test cut! A test cut also gives you valuable information and lets you adjust the blade and speed accordingly. Click HERE to download an infographic how to get a perfect cut!

How do I figure out the right blade setting for the cutter?

A good cut is when the blade comes completely through the material and makes a faint scratch on the carrier. Start with the suggested cut settings, which you can find on each product page. If the blade is making deep marks on the carrier, lessen the force/pressure/blade depth. If it doesn’t cut through the material fully, increase the lessen the force/pressure/blade depth. What you adjust is going to depend on your cutter.

What degree of blade should I use?

For those of you with blades measured in degrees, a 45° blade works best for most of our materials. We do recommend using a 60° blade for thicker materials. A good rule of thumb is start with a 45°. If the material is thick and the 45° test cut isn’t working, switch it out for a 60°! For those of you whose blades aren’t measured in degrees, there’s often a blade you can buy that’s made for thicker products. Check their websites for more detail!

Nothing I’m doing seems to be working! What’s wrong?

If you’re having trouble cutting the material no matter what you do, try switching out your blade! Blades dull over time and a new blade can solve a great number of problems. Remember a 60° wears out much faster than a 45°! If your cutter uses a cut strip, replacing that can help as well. If you need more help, we’re always here! Email us at tech@heattransfervinyl.com with your problem and what you’ve already tried.

There are bands of white going horizontally through the printed design. What should I do?

This is referred to as ‘banding’. This problem is generally caused by clogged or dirty print heads. Check your printer manual for instructions on how to do a head cleaning. If you have performed the most powerful cleaning possible and are still having banding issues, contact your printer manufacturer.

There is a great deal of color shift in the printed design. What should I do?

Either one of the print heads is completely clogged or one color is out of ink. If all of your ink levels are good, you may need to perform a head cleaning on your printer.  If doing a light, medium, and strong cleaning does not help contact your printer manufacturer.  You may need to get a print head replaced.