Get Better Results With Your Heat Press: Why Pressure Is Important

[@BE1U_Apparel]

Great tutorial; really informative and unpacks some of the common issues with over-pressure. Love the dollar bill trick!

[@transferexpress]

Thanks! We're so happy we could help out. The dollar bill (or paper) pressure test sure does help dial in the pressure on presses without the digital pressure readouts. The only downside is that it does vary from operator to operator- Some people may think its easier to move or have less resistance than others at those higher pressure settings. It definitely helps on lighter pressure transfers to avoid having any adhesive push out from behind the print.

[@TOON.MUSIC.503]

Literally been trying to understand this for the last 2 weeks. And then this video shows up to explain it . Wow. Good stuff

[@transferexpress]

Haha! What a coincidence! We're always happy to help out in any way we can!

[@TOON.MUSIC.503]

@transferexpress love the content, also 1 question. If I've pressed my screen printed transfer onto my shirt, but looks like the transfer is sitting on top of the shirt instead of in the shirt, does that mean I need to add more pressure?

[@transferexpress]

Thanks, we're so happy we can help out! For a screen print transfer that looks like it's sitting "on top" is likely due to a few reasons: #1- You nailed it, low pressure and not being pushed into the shirt. #2- Low heat. If the ink isn't heating up to the correct temp, it's not going to flow and transfer to the garment like it should. #3- Cold peel transfers. Our Goof Proof transfers are a hot peel, so the print takes on the texture of the fabric immediately. Cold peel screen print transfers keep the texture of the carrier, so they appear smooth. If you press again with a cover sheet and hot peel you'll notice it may take on more of the fabric texture.

[@TOON.MUSIC.503]

@transferexpress I really appreciate !!! I couldn't find this info anywhere!! Thank you so much

[@transferexpress]

Absolutely! We're always happy to help out.

[@Infinity2025-0]

Hello. This was a very informative video. Hopefully I can upgrade my Vevor 12 x 10 Heat Press that I just got from Amazon. At the moment It's all I can get on a budget. I just made an account to your site. I'm looking forward to using your screen print transfers for my T-shirt Custom Hobby.

[@transferexpress]

Thanks! We're more than happy to help out in any way we can. We've seen many decorators start with a press that fit their budget and we want to ensure your success: It's why we included the pressure testing in this video if the press does not have a pressure readout. One thing to note on your press is ensure the pressure adjustment on your press does not move when you swing the press back and forth, or just check and reset the pressure as needed if it does move. Heat Presses with the pressure adjustment on the back arm can secretly decrease the pressure until you start to see application issues. We've got samples headed your way (free with every account) for you to test out with your heat press. For our Goof Proof Screen Print Transfers you'll likely have best results at the maximum pressure settings of your press. We're always here to help, let us know how the sample prints turn out. Happy Pressing!

[@Infinity2025-0]

@@transferexpress I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the feedback.

[@jacobkoberstein9793]

Hey Dave, great video as usual. Do you have genereal guidelines for specfic garments and not just different platins?

[@transferexpress]

Hey Jacob, that's a fantastic question and tough one to answer. For pressure, it really more depends on the transfer type you're using more than the specific garment or fabric type. Garments can vary from manufacturer to style and even different colorways and print different. I've been printing a run of the same shirt, same manufacturer but when moving to a specific size it seemed to be more heat sensitive than the others, and it turned out it was just manufactured in a different location than the others, there's many variables in play from the quality of polyester (my specific example was a 50/50 blend), dyes in the fabric used, size of shirt, fabric content, etc. One piece of advice I like to adhere to is keep notes on what works and what doesn't for those specific styles when you're doing testing. If say a heat-sensitive style doesn't do well with a high pressure heat pressing, opt for a heat transfer that is a lower pressure next time. Did this help answer your question a little bit?

[@jacobkoberstein9793]

@@transferexpress Thanks for such a in depth reply, keep up the hard work! 🧡

[@maddaug9142]

Thanks, Dave. I’ve heard with Ultra color transfers to not change the pressure when using smaller plattens. Is this true? Thank you!

[@transferexpress]

Fantastic question! We do still recommend lowering the pressure according to the Perfect Pressure Guide with UltraColor transfers and the smaller sizes of Hotronix interchangeable platens. The baseline pressure of 8 in the PDF aligns with the pressure recommendations for UltraColor Pro and UltraColor Stretch transfers. For the UltraColor Max DTF Transfers starting pressure with a full printing area is more in the medium range, so around a 6 instead. Were you having trouble decorating on a specific style or item with a smaller platen?

[@maddaug9142]

I’m doing left chest logo with 6x10 platen on zip up hoodies with Ultra Color Max DTF. I just wanted to be sure on the pressure with using Hotronix Fusion IQ. Thanks again.

[@transferexpress]

Perfect! You’ll likely have zero issues with any press boxes and great application printing at a 2 on pressure settings with UltraColor Max 👍

[@maddaug9142]

Thank you! I appreciate it.