Not all heat transfers are the same. It is best to know the difference between the two methods before investing in the equipment and effort required to implement heat transfer.

Special heat transfer method

Using this method, custom heat transfer manufacturers print artwork on substrates ready to be applied for application to clothing and other items. First, the image file is provided to the manufacturer. The manufacturer prints the picture on paper or film clipboards. The ready-to-execute transfer is then sent to the client. No additional work is required to prepare the transfer. Artwork can range from as simple as 1/Color to as complex as 4/C Process Digital. The number of colors used in the design does not affect the transfer application. To apply a transfer to a garment using a heat press machine, place the garment on the machine’s plate, place the transfer on the garment, and use the heat press to remove the substrate. This completes the transfer application. Due to its speed and ease of use, special heat transfer is ideal for multiple colors and medium to large quantities.

Heat transfer vinyl film method

Also known as heat transfer using vinyl film, the Cutting process uses rolls of vinyl material and requires a vinyl cutter, often called a plotter, to cut the image of the design. Stands for Computer Aided Drafting and, as the name suggests, it uses a computer to control the process to make sure the cut is correct. After you cut out the image of the design, you need to remove the excess vinyl film. This is known as sorting or aggregation. For example, inside the letters “A”, “B” or “O” you need to remove a small piece of material called space.

 Otherwise, the transfer will not look right once applied. Once the sorting process is complete you are ready to apply the transfer using a hot press. Place the garment on the bottom plate of the machine, place the transfer on the garment, place the cover sheet on the transfer, turn on the heat press, remove the cover sheet and remove the material. For some vinyl film materials, once the transfer has been applied and the material removed, it is necessary to place a cover layer over the transfer and use a heat press twice to ensure full application of the transfer. Custom heat transfer vinyl film is ideal for quantities of 1 to 3 colors or less. The larger the amount, the more time and effort required doesn’t make it a much more attractive option.

When it comes to heat transfer, no one wants to face multiple steps to create and apply heat transfer. Adding multiple steps to a process requires valuable labor, reduces productivity, increases the risk of errors, and ultimately slows time to market.

When considering a special method of heat transfer or heat transfer vinyl film, the first question to consider is “how much?” If it takes extra time and effort to extract but only a few transfers are required, thermal transfer vinyl film is probably your best option. But as the skin grows, the next question is: “How long does it take to cut and extract a vinyl film and is it worth it?” Special heat transfer ensures the fastest application method, providing repeatable quality from one application to the next.

Companies promoting cut vinyl film recognize that the effort required for this product can be excessive and provides tips for speeding up the sorting process. This method is inefficient and is not an ideal method for applying heat transfer to garments as it involves all its nuances and additional manufacturing steps. It may work for small businesses where customers require few transfers, but for medium to large volumes it is inefficient and requires excessive effort.

Looking at vinyl film and everything else that comes with this type of heat transfer, if the customer’s demand is multicolor and/or medium to high volume printing, this process completely blocks fast track and makes the market effective. Using special heat transfer with as few application steps as possible is an ideal choice for textile decoration.