Pressing Instructions

Quick reference

Product	Temp	Time	Pressure	Peel
DTF transfer	284–320°F	5–15 sec	Medium	Hot or cold
Heat seal patch	300°F	15 sec	Medium	N/A

Verify your press. Platen thermostats drift, and a press that reads 320°F often is not. Check it with an infrared thermometer or a heat strip before you blame a transfer.

DTF transfers

Pre-press the garment 5 seconds to drive out moisture and flatten seams. Skipping this causes more failures than any other single thing.
Position the transfer, film side up.
Press at 284–320°F for 5 to 15 seconds at medium pressure. Use the lower end of the range on thin, delicate or dyed fabric and the upper end on cotton and heavy goods. 310°F for 12 seconds suits most cotton tees.
Peel hot or cold, whichever suits your floor. Our film is a dual-peel film: lift it about 10 seconds after pressing, or let it go stone cold and peel then. Both are rated. What it does not like is being peeled the instant the press opens, before the adhesive has set.
Re-press 5 seconds with a cover sheet. This is not optional if you want the wash rating — it sets the adhesive and knocks the gloss down to a matte finish.

Pressed to this spec, transfers are rated for 50 home washes. Wash inside out, cold, tumble low. No bleach, no fabric softener, no dry cleaning.

Heat seal patches

Pre-press the garment 5 seconds.
Position the patch and cover with a teflon sheet or parchment.
300°F for 15 seconds at medium pressure.
Let it cool completely before handling. The adhesive sets as it cools, and lifting a warm patch to check it is how you get a patch that never sits right.

For structured hats use a cap press or a hat pillow so the patch seats flat against the curve.
On leather and leatherette, do not exceed 300°F. Higher and the material scorches and stiffens.

Fabric notes

Fabric	Setting	Watch for
100% cotton	Standard	Nothing. This is the easy one.
50/50 blend	Standard	Nothing.
Polyester	284°F, 10 sec	Dye migration on reds, maroons and royals. Run the low end of the range and press one first.
Sublimated poly	284°F, 10 sec	Migration is likely even at the low end. Test before you commit a run.
Tri-blend	290°F, 10 sec	Scorching. Use a cover sheet.
Nylon	284°F, 5–8 sec	Scorches and melts easily. Test one first.
Canvas / duck	320°F, 15 sec	Needs more pressure than you think

We run one film, and there is no low-temperature version to ask for. It is rated from 284°F, so on dyed or sublimated polyester run the bottom of that range rather than the top. That reduces migration; it does not prevent it. Press a single blank, leave it 24 hours and look again before you commit the batch, because migration usually appears as the garment cools rather than on the press.

Troubleshooting

Ink lifts with the film

Peeled too hot, or not enough dwell time. Wait the full 5 seconds after opening the press. If it persists, add 2 seconds to the press time.

Edges lift after the first wash

Not enough pressure, or you skipped the re-press. Medium means the press takes real effort to close, not that you lean on it.

A colored haze appears in the garment around the design

Dye migration. The polyester dye has gassed into the transfer. Dropping to 284°F and a shorter dwell reduces it, but no setting eliminates it and we have no film that prevents it, so past that the answer is the blank itself: a lighter color, or a poly known to be migration-resistant. Press one and wait a day before committing a run.

The design looks cracked after washing

Almost always over-pressing — too hot, too long, or both. Verify your platen temperature with a thermometer.

A patch will not stay on a hat

The curve is fighting you. Use a cap press or a hat pillow so the whole patch contacts at once. On a flat platen the edges never seat.