We saw previously how dye sublimation printing can help us in printing personalized gifts.( Click here if you wish to know more about dye sublimating printing). In this section, we will see how Heat Transfer Printing can extend idea of personalized printing further, where dye sublimation printing does not work so well.

You may read this page from start to end or click on the links below to quickly jump to any particular topic.

Table of Contents

• What is Heat Transfer Printing ?
• Applications of Heat Transfer Printing
• Transferring on light or dark coloured surface ?
• Heat Transfer Printing using Inkjet Printers
• Heat Transfer Printing using Laser Printers
• Applying readymade transfers onto the surface

Heat transfer printing is the process of transferring ink on the "carrier paper" onto another surface. In this process, the artwork / image is printed as mirror image on the carrier paper, also commonly known as transfer paper, using either the "normal" inkjet printer or "normal" laser printer. This paper is then kept on the substrate (the material on which the artwork is to be transferred) with its printed side facing the surface to be printed and heat and pressure is applied using a flat heat press. After pre-set time, the substrate is removed from the heat press, the carrier paper is peeled off in either the hot condition immediately or after 4-5 seconds (as per instrauctions given by transfer paper manufacturer). This gives us the substrate printed with the artwork.

Heat Transfer Printing can be done using heat transfer paper in sheet form (generally in A4 and A3 sizes) or roll form. In roll form, a roll of specified width (matching to your drum type heat press) is printed using large format printers. For commercial grade huge volume tansfer printing where the substrate length is also more (typically garment printing, banner printing, etc.), roll form heat transfer printing is used.

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Heat Transfer Printing can be used for variety of applications as mentioned below. This list is limited only by your imagination power.

• Garment printing
• Poin of Purchase banners, displays
• Mousepads, coasters, key-chains
• T-shirts, caps, water-sport jerseys, helmets
• Jigsaw puzzles
• floorings, skirtings, carpeting

applications unlimited...

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Depending on whether you wish to transfer on light coloured (white, pastal colour and all light shades) garments, generally T-shirts, or dark coloured surface, transfer papers are also divided in 2 types, viz. for transfer papers for light (coloured) garments and transfer papers for dark (coloured) garments. These are also most commonly known as T-shirt transfer papers.

The inks that are used in inkjet / laser printing are transparant inks. They cannot print "white colour". Hence wherever your artwork has white colour (or transparency), no ink is printed. Such artwork when transferred using transfer papers for light colour, it "shows" the base-colour of the surface wherever it is supposed to print "white". Hence light colour transfer paper is best suited for printing on white coloured surfaces (or light coloured surfaces)

Artwork on "Transfer Papers for Light Coloured T-shirts" are always printed as mirror image.

To overcome this problem on "transparency", dark coloured transfer papers have opaque backing paper (generally white or light yellow colour) which sticks onto the surface of the substrate.

Some manufacturers supply a separate opaque sheet which is kept on the surface on the dark coloured surface. Printing is done on normal "heat transfer paper for light coloured substrates" which is then kept on this opaque paper with printed side facing towards it. Then heating cycle is followed as per the instructions given by the paper manufacturer.

Artwork on "Transfer Papers for Dark Coloured T-shirts" is always printed as it is (NO MIRROR).

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You will have to use transfer papers for Inkjet Printers to print the artwork using inkjet printers. This is the most convenient way of heat transfer printing for any home based business.

Generally heat transfer papers for inkjet printers are available in sheet format (A4 / A3 size).

Do not forget to mirror the artwork if you are printing on "heat transfer paper for light coloured surface" and "print as it is" if you are printing on "heat transfer paper for dark coloured surface".

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You will have to use transfer papers for Laser Printers to print the artwork using laser printers. Earlier, this option was only limited to large organisations due to prohibitive costs of the Colour Laser Copiers (CLCs). However, with ever-decreasing cost of desktop Colour Laser Printers (CLPs), this is fast becoming the convenient way of heat transfer printing for any home based / medium sized business.

The cost per print using CLP however is significantly higher than CLC. Hence it is best to do the small lot / single jobs using CLPs in-house and outsource to commercial CLCs for large orders.

Laser printers are of 2 types, those which use "fuser oil" and those "without fuser oil". Accordingly, laser transfer papers also differ. The transfer paper may get jammed if appropriate paper is not used for your CLC / CLP.

Commercial grade CLCs have the facility to adjust/lower the temperature of its fuser assembly so that transfer paper do not stick to the fuser drum. It is better to consult the laser paper manufacturer and clarify about compatibility of their papers for your particular CLC / CLPs before buying the papers.

In-appropriate settings (temperature, paper type) can jam the paper inside the printer and can prove a costly affair by damaging the fuser assemply. Please take proper care and use manufacturer recommended settings to avoid permanent damage.

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Readymade transfers, also known as suppliers transfers are generally screen printed using sublimation inks. They are available as a generalised product in the market. Typical examples include common and very famous characters like "Harry Potter", "Tom & Jerry", etc.. These transfers are applied on variety of surfaces, but mainly T-shirts, as per the instructions given alongwith the transfers. Since they are screen-printed, they can be applied on light as well as dark coloured surfaces (inks used in screen printing are opaque).

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