Posted By TeckWrap Craft On March 18, 2023
How To Use Transfer Paper For Shirts: The Ultimate Guide
Table of Contents
- The Transfer Paper/Heat Transfer Paper
- How Does Transfer Paper Work?
- Types of Transfer Paper
- How Can Transfer Paper Be Applied to Shirts: Step-by-Step Process
- Step One - Prepare your workplace.
- Step Two - Load your heat transfer paper
- Step Three - Print
- Step Four - Prepare the t-shirt
- Step Five - Cut your Design
- Step Six - Press
- Suggested Temperature And Pressing Times:
- Helpful Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
Using heat transfer paper on shirts generally has two main procedures- (1) printing the design on the transfer paper, (2) then transferring the design by heat press onto the shirt. To learn more about this in detail, here is the Ultimate Guide.
The designs in your mind will land on your shirts because of this important material- the transfer paper. Learning to use transfer paper for shirts is a must and a leveling up in the t-shirt printing business. Plus, if you are a newbie who wants to customize using heat transfer, you’ll learn more. Read on!
The Transfer Paper/Heat Transfer Paper
Transfer Paper goes by many names, such as heat transfer paper/Iron On Transfer Paper/T-shirt Paper, a paper sheet, or a translucent film that gets in contact with a desired surface and for an image printed on it to be transferred. It is a game changer and the main element in the textile printing of canvas, fabric, t-shirts, or clothes.
Heat transfer paper uses designs created using an inkjet printer and transferred on fabrics using heat transfer paper. Crafting and printing the design is easy when you use your computer. Pictures are transferred as it was printed!
Printing using heat transfer is thin enough, like a screen print, but much better because of the unlimited designs and colors. And when we talk about shirts, what is the most effective to transfer images, text, or both onto fabrics? Read on to learn about transfer papers.
How Does Transfer Paper Work?
Generally, two steps exist to place a design from heat transfer paper onto a shirt. This is also applicable to other types of fabric. First, you must set up the printer before loading it with your image. Then, once your images have been loaded, print out the design, which will then be transferred onto any piece of clothing or fabric.
Types Of Transfer Paper
Light Transfer Paper
Use TeckWrap Craft’s Light Fabrics Heat Transfer Paper pack to print t-shirts on white or light-colored fabric. When using light transfer paper, always set your print editing software to “ mirror image.” When you use light transfer paper on black or dark-colored t-shirts, the quality of your prints will not be great and may look opaque. Light-colored transfer papers are generally thin and transparent.
Dark Transfer Paper
When you want to print on dark-colored shirts, use dark transfer paper. TeckWrap Craft’s Dark Fabric Heat Transfer Paper pack is an excellent choice for transfers on black or dark-colored shirts. The good thing about dark transfer papers is you may also use them on light-colored t-shirts. But this may not be economical; it is more expensive than light heat transfer paper. Additionally, with dark heat transfer papers, mirroring is unnecessary.
The best thing to do is to use light heat transfer paper for light fabric and dark heat transfer paper for dark-colored shirts. Take note that dark heat transfer paper made for dark fabrics will have a white background which makes the image visible on a dark fabric.
How Can Transfer Paper Be Applied to Shirts: Step-By-Step Process
Designs from the transfer paper printed using an inkjet printer are transferred to t-shirts and other fabrics using a heat press. Here is the detailed process:
Step One - Prepare Your Workplace.
Find a hard surface that can withstand heat. It is where you’ll work with your heat transfer paper. Prepare the surface by covering it with a cloth or any material you wish to use. Be sure to use something hard and firm for the main surface, where you will do the heat transfer.
Do not use ironing boards, as you won’t be able to apply extreme pressure: a hard, firm surface is the best option.
Step Two - Load Your Heat Transfer Paper.
Load your heat transfer paper onto a regular inkjet printer, with the white side up as it is where the designs should be printed.
Step Three - Print
Print your designs. Ensure that you have set your printed output to “mirror pages”. A mirror image has a reversed structure compared to the target output. Yes, you’ll see your prints mirrored, so it will be perfect when you transfer them to t-shirts. Mirroring is mostly used when printing texts. But you can still mirror your designs whether or not they have text. It’s up to you!
The good thing about using transfer paper is that your design could be anything from pictures, drawings, paintings, or texts. What will be printed out will be the one you’ll see on your shirt once you’re done transferring.