Can you heat transfer on jerseys?
You need to be sure the heat transfer vinyl being heat applied to a team jersey will stay on and be durable. Finding the right material for team uniforms is very important when it comes to decorating for sports. Thermo-FILM® heat transfer vinyl provides you with this confidence.
Step 1: Set the temperature to 355°F. Most Siser HTV can be applied with the EasyPress set to 335°F-340°F, but Glitter does best with a little higher temperature. When the press beeps, it's reached temperature and you can use it to pre-press the jersey.
Set the iron to the lowest heat setting. Do not apply direct heat to any embellishments. Place a clean towel, press cloth or piece of parchment paper over the area you'll be ironing (or turn the jersey on the reverse side). Iron over the area, continuously moving the iron around.
The elite jerseys are a silicon vinyl that is heat-pressed onto the jersey. There should be no air bubbles on the name and numbers, and everything should be aligned.
It will not work with Nylon fabrics or plastics (vinyl/PVC, ABS, etc.). Similarly, polyester will not work well with heat transfer materials since the adhesive type cannot bond properly to a plastic-based surface. Also, textured fabrics or loosely knit fabrics are not ideal for use with the heat transfer product.
Preheat the fabric for 10-15 seconds then center the design on the t-shirt and cover with a teflon sheet. Use an iron (or heat press) to apply medium pressure over the design for about 15 seconds. Let the design cool for 10 seconds then remove the clear carrier sheet.
Jersey fabric items should need very little or no ironing. If you do need to iron them, iron on the wrong side of the fabric using a medium heat setting and steam if necessary.
Yes, you can heat press on 100% polyester. Lower temperatures and longer press time is recommended when you heat press polyester with HTV. The higher temperature on the heat press machine may cause the fabric to scorch.
Using firm even pressure and a temperature of 275 degrees, press your image for 20 seconds.
Know Your Fabric
100 percent cotton requires the highest temperature, which is around 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Polyester responds to a more delicate 270, so be careful with it! Many types of fabrics take well to the heat transfer between 315 and 350, but if you're not sure, consult your heat press machine's manual.
Do heat press marks wash out?
For the most part, these marks are unfortunately as permanent as the transferred image, meaning that no amount of repressing or washing will make them truly go away.
50/50 poly/cotton blends: This combination is commonly used in today's T-shirt constructions. For heat printing this material, cold- and hot-peel transfers both work well.

Use cold water for washing your jersey. Hot water may cause fading, shrinking, and damage to the decals. Use good quality, bleach-less, and color-protecting (powdered) detergent powder. Liquid detergents do not dissolve well and contain elements that can ruin your jersey.
Nylon. When ironing nylon, use the lowest temperature setting on the iron and place a press cloth, such as a clean cotton handkerchief or fabric scrap, between the iron and the fabric. If necessary, convert to the “Steamer” function to gently remove wrinkles from nylon.
When pressing a mesh jersey, you can either use a cover sheet between the front and back layers or thread the shirt over a quick slip pad protector. This way when the holes “poke” through you won't have a mess on your press and it doesn't press on the other side of the shirt.
Authentic jerseys are the highest quality available to fans. These sports apparel options can feature breathable, top-of-the-line fabrics for fit and comfort. Numbers and lettering are stitched rather than screen printed.
Heat sealing can be utilized to customize any jersey, sweatshirt or even performance wear with your name, number or logo. Heat sealing is the process of applying high heat and heavy pressure to bond a film-like material directly to your garment. This creates a permanent, lasting design.
HTV works best on cotton or polyester or cotton/poly blends. Other synthetic fabrics, like acrylic, won't work correctly because they will melt under the heat of an iron. For more advanced crafters, you can apply HTV to mugs, baseball hats, footballs and even wood!
The best kind of t-shirt for heat transfer are cotton, polyester, or cotton/poly blends. Regardless of the type of HTV you use, vinyl will have a good bond with the fabrics mentioned.
Woven in plain weave, 100 % para-aramid fabrics (Kevlar®) have excellent thermal characteristics. In addition to their good insulating properties, they can reach a peak temperature of 500 °C and a continuous operating temperature of 350 °C.
What type of printing is best for jerseys?
That's why we usually recommend heat press, or heat transfer, as the preferred printing method for team jerseys. Heat press is a printing method wherein either a digital print or a vinyl swatch is used as a sort of stamp on the fabric.
Sublimation Jerseys Are Nicer To Play In
The fabric remains nice and smooth because the printing is within the fabric. As such, one only feels the fabric and not the print at all. This is a lot nicer than feeling the dried ink from logos, etc.
Nylon Temperature – 275 degrees. This may seem like a low temperature for HTV, but with the sensitivity of nylon always start low and increase if necessary. Nylon Press Time – use three 5-second presses, allowing the nylon and vinyl to cool between presses.
The answer is yes! Our Craftables HTV works great on polyester, cotton and cotton poly blends. Here in this blog post, we'll share some tips on when to choose polyester over cotton and vice versa.
A good rule of thumb is that the more cotton in your blend, the more fading you'll get after washing. If you have a colored 100% polyester tee, you can still sublimate it.
The answer is yes, but there are a few things to consider. Polyester is a synthetic fabric, so it's essential not to use too much heat when ironing or it will create a polyester iron burn. It would help if you also used a press cloth to protect the fabric from direct contact with the iron.
With our StrongBond heat transfer adhesive technology, you can attach custom vinyl cutouts to fabric, clothing, or even wood! When applied correctly, our vinyl can stay attached to a surface for up to 3 years or 50+ washes.
Zigzag stitch
The easiest way to sew jersey on your machine is to use the standard zigzag setting. For most jersey a stitch length of 2mm and width of 2.5m will work but you can adjust slightly around these numbers to get the right measurements for your fabric.
Some lighter cottons such as jersey are easily steamed using vertical clothes steamers. More stiff materials such as dress shirts will be better using steamers with a hot ironing plate such as an f10 handheld steamer or a high pressure clothes steamer.
Nylon can be a heat sensitive material so it's always best to test press it. Set up the laundry bags on the heat press so the drawstring hangs off the lower platen. Use a ruler to ensure the labels are centered on the bags. Then place a heat transfer cover sheet on top and press for 15 seconds.
Does heat transfer vinyl work on nylon?
G-Flex Nylon heat transfer vinyl was designed with difficult fabrics in mind. This film transfers nicely onto nylon, as well as textiles with hydrophobic impregnation (e.g., a rain jacket).
Melting point approximately 482°F (295°C).
Polyester, silk, satin and wool: These fabrics can withstand a medium iron temperature between 110 and 150 degrees. Silk, satin and wool should be ironed on the wrong side of the fabric or with a cloth barrier. Also, avoid steam or wetting these fabrics.
So how long will a heat press shirt last? With good care of the garment the manufacturer recommends about 50 washes for vinyl heat transfers, which does eventually crack and fade after that.
Temperature Irregularities
Another reason your heat transfer vinyl is peeling involves your pressing temperature. When you inadvertently set your heat press to the wrong temperature, you either don't melt the vinyl onto the fabric appropriately, or you damage the adhesive.
HOW MANY WASHES DOES THE TRANSFER LAST? They will last between 7 to 10 washings when applied with a home iron. They will last 10 – 15 washings if a heat press is used.
Sublimation will bond to blended shirts, though the colors will not be as bright as with 100% polyester. With a blend, the more polyester you have, the brighter the color, so with a 50/50 you typically end up with a “washed out” or “retro” look – which can be useful.
Yes, you can sublimate 50 percent polyester/50 percent cotton fabric. Keep in mind, however, that only 50 percent of the sublimation dyes will remain in the fabric after washing – leaving you with a faded look that most of us would consider unacceptable.
For many crafters (myself included) nylon is the most intimidating material to apply HTV to. It is a material made from plastic, therefore it can easily melt or become damaged. I recommend practicing on an inexpensive nylon item prior to using an expensive one. For this tutorial I applied HTV to a nylon drawstring bag.