How to Print a Heat Transfer

Designs can be applied to t-shirts with the use of transfer paper and a heat source.

Heat transfers require a specific heat-transfer paper. The desired design must be created on-line and then printed on the heat-transfer paper to create a decal that can be transferred onto the surface you desire. (Read the manufacturer's directions to see what surfaces will take the transfer.) An iron or heat press is then used to transfer the design to the desired surface. The process is relatively simple, but must be done carefully to ensure that you are not wasting the heat-transfer paper with "almost" perfect decals.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Photo-editing software
• Ink-jet printer
• Printer paper
• Decal heat-transfer paper
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Create a design with the use of photo-editing software or obtain an existing image to print on the decal heat-transfer paper. Edit the image, if you wish, by adding text and making the desired changes to the image in your photo-editing software.

2. Print the image on regular printer paper to ensure that the image looks the way you want in print. Make any final adjustments to the image and test print the image a second final time.

3. Remove the regular printer paper from your printer and insert the heat-transfer paper onto the loading tray. Usually the paper has instructions the reverse side of the page about how to load the paper into the tray properly as this may depend on the brand of heat-transfer paper being used.

4. Adjust the printer settings according to the manufacturers' instructions. Usually, no changes have to be made to the printer settings, but some types of paper require specific settings.

5. Print the design on the heat-transfer paper. Allow the heat-transfer paper to dry for five to ten minutes.

6. Cut around the image on the heat-transfer paper with scissors, leaving a 1/4 to 1/2 inch border around the image. This will create the decal you can use to transfer on surfaces such as t-shirts.

Tips & Warnings

• When using images from the Internet, make sure to read any copyright information accompanying the image to make sure you have permission from the image's creator to use it.

References

• Hewlett-Packard: Print your own iron on transfers
• Mr Inkjet: TShirt Transfer Paper Instructions