9 Must-Have Heat Printing Accessories

1. INTERCHANGEABLE PLATENS

Heat printing isn’t exactly a one-size-fits-all endeavor. As your business grows, you’ll have the opportunity to apply transfers to a plethora of items – sometimes oddly shaped. For this reason, it’s wise to invest in a heat press that offers interchangeable platens.

PRO TIP: We recommend the Insta 256 manual heat press for start-ups and mid-size businesses. This heat press comes with a standard 16”x20” platen and offers the following optional interchangeable platens: 6”x6”, 6”x9”, 6”x16”, 10”x16”, and a shoe platen.

This 6”x6” interchangeable platen is ideal for unique application placements.

2. TEFLON COVER SHEETS

A Teflon cover sheet will come in handy when you’re doing 2-step applications or mixed-media applications. You can cover the areas you’ve already printed to avoid over-curing or melting the transfer to your top platen. Another use for a Teflon cover sheet is to add sheen to an already applied transfer. If you prefer a shiny finish to your screen printed heat transfers, repress the transfer with a cover sheet for a few additional seconds.

PRO TIP: Re-press Glitter with a Teflon cover sheet to take the sparkle to a whole new level!

A cover sheet will act as a barrier to the heating element on your heat press and can drop the temperature up to 15 degrees. For this reason, we recommend never to use a cover sheet during a single-step application.

Teflon sheets are required for multi-step applications.

3. SILICONE PAPER/PARCHMENT PAPER

Silicone treated parchment paper can be used as a cover sheet in place of a Teflon sheet. This is a much safer option to protect the transfer, carrier, and platen. Unlike the Teflon sheet, it won’t act as a barrier and reduce the temperature reaching the transfer.

4. TEFLON PILLOWS/MOUSE PADS

When applying to difficult garments with large seams, zippers, or buttons, a Teflon pillow can help avoid these obstructions. Simply place a pillow that’s slightly larger than your image under your garment. The pillow should raise the surface so that the obstructions are below the plane of the top platen when closed.

PRO TIP: Be sure to adjust your pressure settings to account for the pillow. You’ll want to use slightly more firm pressure since unlike the lower platen, the pillow can create an inconsistent surface. 

5. HEAT TAPE

If you find your transfer is shifting while you close your platen, you can use heat tape to hold it in place. Heat tape can also be useful to ensure exact placement before threading your substrate onto the lower platen. Most heat tape can withstand temperatures of over 400 degrees F.

6. INFRARED THERMOMETER/TEMPERATURE TEST STRIPS

If you should experience issues while applying, you’ll want to test the surface temperature of your platen to make sure the heating element on your heat press is functioning properly. This can be done either with an infrared thermometer or temperature test strips.

7. LINT ROLLER

Use a lint roller to clean the blank substrate before application. Some lighter transfer applications will show any dust or debit trapped beneath the image.

Remove all dust and debris before application using a lint roller.

8. SCRAP MATERIAL

We recommend having plenty of scrap material around to test print before beginning each job. Start saving all of your “oopsie” garments to use for testing. In terms of fabric content, try to diversify the types of garments you save for testing.

PRO TIP: A great solution for test printing is utilizing fabric tubing. These 25 pound cases of scrap garment come in a variety of colors and fabric contents.

Scrap garments are great for test-printing.

9. COLOR GUIDES

One of the major advantages of using screen printed heat transfers is the color matching accuracy. Because computer monitors and cellphone screens can distort the output of a color, it’s best practice to order color guides with actual printed swatches to help you make your color choices.

As your clientele grows, you may find that you need to purchase a Pantone® Formula Guide. While pricy, this is your best option for matching customers’ exact colors. Pantone® is a standardized color system commonly used in manufacturing of graphics and textiles to ensure accuracy of color profiles.

PRO TIP: Our color matching fee is a ONE TIME $20 charge per Pantone® match. We will keep your ink on our shelves if you ever need to re-order – no extra charge.

Ink and Vinyl Series Color Guides feature actual printed swatches of all stock ink and vinyl options.