22 April, 2026
Best practices for printing textile with transfers
How to apply textile transfers with a heat press: our best practices
In this article:
- Settings for your heat press: pressure, temperature and time
- Different types of transfers: type of carrier, hot peel vs. cold peel
- Do’s and don’ts when pressing
- When the fabric shrinks
- How to avoid press marks
- Garments with zips, buttons or thick seams
Applying textile transfers correctly is a crucial step to guarantee a sharp, durable print. Pressing errors cost money, time and customer trust. This guide covers the essentials: optimal heat-press settings, transfer types and practical do’s & don’ts.
Heat press settings: pressure, temperature and time
For applying textile transfers we recommend a professional heat press that allows you to accurately control both pressure and temperature. Other heat sources, for example a domestic iron, can work in theory, but they have a major disadvantage: you cannot reliably set exact pressure and temperature. That increases the risk of poor adhesion or transfers coming off prematurely.
If you work professionally with textile printing, a good heat press is a relatively small investment that gives you huge flexibility to do your printing in-house quickly and efficiently.
Three parameters are crucial when applying transfers:
1. Pressure
We recommend a pressure setting between 3 and 4 bar for all our transfers. Too little pressure can prevent the design from bonding correctly; too much pressure risks leaving a visible mark from the press. Always follow the pressure specified in the press instructions.
2. Temperature
Temperature depends on the transfer type. Most universal transfers require
3. Time
15 seconds under the heat press is generally sufficient for secure bonding of our transfers.
Different types of transfers
Press instructions may vary depending on the transfer type. These are the key properties to consider when applying a transfer:
– Type of carrier
Transfers are supplied either on a transparent carrier film (typically polyester) or on an opaque carrier (polyester or paper).
Our premium transfers come on a transparent polyester carrier by default: the film is see-through, which makes accurate positioning on the garment much easier.
– Hotpeel vs. coldpeel
Whether a transfer is hot or cold peel depends on the type of carrier it was printed on. With hot peel transfers, the foil must be removed immediately when the press opens, i.e. while the print is still hot. Cold peel transfers must be left to cool completely.
Then there are warm peel transfers, which you can remove while the print is still warm, although it is best to wait a few seconds after opening the press.
In practice, the substrate’s heat conduction also affects peel behaviour. If the garment or the pressing surface retains heat for longer, a hot peel transfer can behave like a warm- or even cold-peel. Fine details are often more fragile and can benefit from a short wait or a full cool-down. In those cases, the safest approach is to rub it in briefly, allow it to cool down and then cold peel.
Do’s and don’ts when pressing
When working with textile transfers, some practical points regularly cause issues. Below are the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them:
-Choose the right transfer
Most pressing issues are caused by using an unsuitable transfer. This may seem obvious, but it cannot be stressed enough.
Always check in advance which garment and fabric you will print on, and which transfer is appropriate. For fabrics prone to dye migration, such as sublimated polyester and softshell, choose an anti-migration transfer. Fabrics treated with a water-repellent coating (rain jackets, windcheaters) require a specific type of transfer as well. Our product filter helps you quickly find the right transfer for your application.
Always start with a single test print before running a full production batch. That prevents unpleasant surprises.
– When the fabric shrinks
Some fabrics, especially knitted cotton (tricots) and certain polyesters, may shrink when exposed to heat during pressing and later during washing. The print shrinks slightly with the garment, but only to a limited degree.
Shrinkage after washing can cause blisters or creases in the print, creating weak points that may lead to cracking. Water can penetrate under the print during washing, causing the print to lift.
How to handle shrinkage:
- Test for shrinkage: mark a 20 cm sample on the fabric, press for 15 seconds and measure again. Knitted cotton can shrink up to ≈5%, so 20 cm can become about 19 cm.
- Pre-shrink the garment: if the fabric shows shrinkage, pre-press the garment before applying the transfer. Pre-shrinking is more effective than post-pressing to avoid later adhesion issues.
-Avoiding press marks
On some textiles, the press can leave a visible imprint. Often this fades after the first wash, but delivering garments with an obvious press mark is far from ideal. This problem occurs most frequently on fleece and brushed synthetics, but it can also affect other materials. This is how you can minimize press marks:
- Reduce temperature and press time
For fleece, choose a transfer that bonds at the lowest possible temperature: our premium full color transfer Digiflex can be pressed at 130°C, and press time can be shortened to 10–12 seconds. - Pad under the print
Place a piece of corrugated cardboard or foam under the printing area. This raises the zone slightly so the press makes full contact only where the print is, reducing visible markings on the surrounding fabric. - Cover the garment
Use a thin protective sheet (e.g. Teflon or baking paper) covering the full press surface to protect the fabric and reduce press marks. - Re-moisten the garment after pressing
On natural fibres such as cotton, press marks can appear because moisture in the fabric evaporates unevenly under heat: the area under the press dries faster than the rest, creating a temporary visible flat spot. You can easily fix this by lightly misting the garment with water after pressing (fine spray from a plant mister). This equalizes the moisture and the mark will disappear once the fabric dries.
– Garments with zips, buttons or thick seams
Garments with zips, buttons or bulky seams prevent even distribution of pressure from the heat press, which can lead to poor adhesion. For these garments we recommend placing a piece of corrugated cardboard or foam under the print area to level and raise the surface so the transfer receives uniform pressure.
