Print Phase offers a variety of transfers that allow you to decorate a wide variety of products.
Opaque Hot Peel
First, we have our Opaque Hot Peel transfers, which are our most popular transfer. Opaque Hot Peel transfers can be applied onto 100% cotton and cotton/poly blend shirts. The ink is opaque and holds its color well on garments of all colors. If you are struggling to keep the opacity of the ink with our Opaque Hot Peel transfers, then you are likely using too much heat, pressure, or time when pressing them.
Low Temperature
Next, we have our Low Temperature transfers. The Low Temperature transfers are designed to be pressed onto polyester and other synthetic materials. Since most synthetic materials struggle to take the high heat required for our Opaque Hot Peel transfers we developed our Low Temperature transfers, so these garments could still be printed on a heat press. Our Low Temperature transfers have an adhesive powder backing, giving them extra adhesive strength to offset the loss of heat. Since they require adhesion powder these transfers are slightly more expensive. Our Low Temperature transfers can still be printed onto 100% cotton and cotton/poly blend shirts, but they will have a slightly thicker feel to them.
Soft Vintage
Our Soft Vintage transfers are our softest transfer, and they perform like a hot split rather than a hot peel. With hot split transfers half of the ink is transferred to the product and the other half is left on the transfer paper. The splitting of the ink is what gives it such a soft feel, since less is left on the garment. Primarily, our Soft Vintage transfers should be used on lighter colored shirts, though they can sometimes be used on darker shirts.
Glitter Sparkle
Our Glitter Sparkle transfers perform similar to a cold peel transfer. It takes some time to perfect the cold peel pressing process, but when done correctly the results are beautiful. After you press a glitter transfer you will want to rub the transfer paper with an eraser or rag for around 10 seconds before peeling. Doing so ensures that all the ink separates from the paper. Then, press the design once more with parchment paper to make sure the ink is completely cured. Discard the parchment paper after just ONE use, otherwise you will likely transfer specks of glitter to another print.
Metallic
Our Metallic transfers are very similar to our Glitter Sparkle transfers. The main difference between glitter and metallic transfer ink is the flakes are much smaller, giving the appearance of a more matte finish. The smaller flakes allows for metallic ink to obtain slightly more detail than glitter ink and gives the ink less of a shine. After you press a metallic transfer you will want to rub the transfer paper with an eraser or rag for around 10 seconds before peeling. This ensures that all the ink separates from the paper. Then, press the design once more with parchment paper to make sure the ink is completely cured. Discard the parchment paper after just ONE use, otherwise you will likely transfer specks of metallic to another print.
3D Puff
Our 3D Puff transfers are designed to be applied to cotton, poly, & cotton/poly blend products. Our puff transfers have a great 3D look and feel. This is a cool and popular effect that prints well on both light and dark-colored garments. These transfers come in over 60 different colors, and we offer PMS color matching.
Glow-in-the-Dark
Our Glow-in-the-Dark transfers are fun for children, teens, and adults of all ages. After charging in the sunlight, these transfers will glow in dark places. Glow-in-the-dark transfers print best on white cotton, poly, & cotton/poly blend products. We currently have more than five colors available for our glow-in-the-dark transfers.
Vinyl
Our Vinyl transfers are cut using a rotary cutter, and are not made using screen-printed ink. The vinyl is fed back and forth on the cutter, which cuts the design into the vinyl. Vinyl transfers are not the cheapest material, but can be a great option for a low run of single color transfers, or for names and numbers. We also sell number and letter kits made of vinyl that are easy to apply and give your customers extra customization options.
Sublimation
Our Sublimation transfers are printed digitally, which gives them practically zero feel. However, due to the special ink used to make these transfers, they can only be pressed onto white and 100% polyester shirts. Our sublimation transfers are great for full-color, photo-quality designs, but they are limited by the available product line.
Stretch Test
After you have pressed one of our transfers, how can you be sure it has been completely cured? It is really quite simple as all you have to do is perform a stretch test. A stretch test is performed by grasping the garment with both hands around the design and pulling horizontally. If the ink does not crack, then it has been properly cured. If the ink does crack, then simply press the garment again with Kraft paper for half of the original amount of time to finish the cure.
Fine Detail & Negative Space Requirements
When you send artwork to us for screen print transfers we need for any lines or negative space to be at least 2 points wide. If lines are less than 2 points wide, then they may either appear spotted or not appear at all. If negative space is less than 2 points in width, then it may be filled in when printed. We want to get your transfer made right the first time, so please help us help you by checking the width of your lines and negative space before sending them to us.
Distressed Design
If you want a design to be distressed, it is better if you send us the original artwork without any effects. We can then apply a distress overlay, which can be heavy, medium, or light. We request that you allow use to distress the artwork so that we can be sure it adheres to our fine detail and negative space requirements. If you send us an already-distressed image, then it is more difficult for us to adjust the artwork to meet both your needs and the requirements for screen printing transfers.
Conclusion
As you can see there are many options when choosing the right type of transfer for the job. The primary determinants of the type of transfer is based around the product being printed and the artwork itself. It is important to understand what types of transfers are available and what products they should be printed with. You can request a transfer sample pack to practice and see how our different types of transfers perform.
