How to Decorate Heat Transfers for Wetsuits

Many wetsuits are plain; customize yours to stand out.

Wetsuits come in many colors and some include eye-catching designs that help you stand out while you are in the water. Unfortunately, wetsuits that include artistic designs may cost more than plain wetsuits. Luckily, you don't have to break your budget to get a stylish wetsuit. You can customize any wetsuit with logos and your favorite images by using printable heat transfers.

Things You'll Need

• Ruler
• Printable heat transfer, compatible with neoprene fabric
• Graphic design software
• Computer
• Paper
• Scissors
• Printer
• Iron

Instructions

1. Choose a location on your wetsuit for the design. Measure the height and width of that area with your ruler. The area must be the same size or smaller than your printable heat transfer.

2. Launch the graphic design software on your computer. Create a document that is the same length and width as the area you measured.

3. Add images to your document. Choose images that contain colors that complement the colors of your wetsuit. Create the images from scratch using the tools in your software, add non-copyrighted images from the Internet or scan and modify pictures from magazines, books and other print media. Do not let the images extend beyond the document's margins. If they do, the images will be cut off when you print your design.

4. Add text to your document. Experiment with different fonts and sizes.

5. Flip the the entire design horizontally.

6. Print a test version of the design on a piece of paper. Cut out the design with your scissors and place it on your wetsuit. If you are unhappy with the design, modify it and print out test images until you are satisfied.

7. Load a heat transfer sheet into your printer. Read the heat transfer's instructions to find out which way to load the sheet and which paper and print quality settings to use for your printer. Print the design onto the transfer.

8. Cut out the printed design.

9. Iron the transfer onto your wetsuit according to the instructions provided with the heat transfers.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are having trouble designing an image, ask an artist to create the design for you.

• Using heat transfers that are not compatible with neoprene may damage your wetsuit.

• Heat transfers that have been designed for cotton may crack when ironed onto a wetsuit.

• Adding a heat transfer to your wetsuit might void its warranty.

References

• Transfer Paper; How to Use a Printer with Heat Transfer Paper; March 2011
• The Silhouette Blog; How to Make a Multi-Layered Heat Transfer Design; June 2011