Heat Transfer
Pressing a pre-made design onto fabric with heat — covers vinyl, plastisol transfers, and DTF.
Heat transfer is a broad term for any method where a design is first prepared on a separate carrier (vinyl sheet, transfer paper, film) and then bonded to the garment using a heat press. The most common variants are HTV (heat transfer vinyl), plastisol transfers, and DTF transfers.
HTV is cut from colored vinyl sheets with a plotter and pressed on — best for names, numbers, and simple shapes. Plastisol transfers are screen-printed onto release paper at the shop, then pressed on later — great for sports teams that need names added to pre-printed jerseys. DTF transfers (see DTF Printing) are full-color and work on any fabric.
Heat transfer is the right choice for personalization (names, numbers), small batches, mixed-fabric runs, and rush jobs where a screen print setup is overkill. Quality varies widely by the carrier material — cheap vinyl will crack within 20 washes; commercial-grade transfers last as long as screen prints.
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