Making your own heat transfers is a great way to personalize t-shirts, bags, and other fabric items. The process is relatively simple and only requires a few supplies that you likely already have at home. Here's how to do it:
Supplies needed:
-Fabric inkjet printer
-Heat transfer paper
-Scissors or cutting machine (optional)
-Iron or heat press
1. Start by printing your design onto the heat transfer paper using your fabric inkjet printer. Make sure to mirror your image before printing so that it will print in reverse on the transfer paper. This is necessary so that when you apply the transfer to your fabric item, the design will be right side up.
2. Once your design is printed, carefully cut it out leaving a small border around the outside of the design. If you're using a cutting machine, make sure to set it to 'mirror' mode so that it will cut your design in reverse just like you did when you printed it.
3. Now it's time to apply the transfer! Place your fabric item face down on an ironing board and preheat it with an iron set to the hottest setting without steam (this varies depending on what type of fabric you're working with - consult a Heat Transfer Guide for more specific instructions). Then place the heat transfer facedown on top of the fabric where you want it positioned and cover with another piece of scrap fabric or parchment paper. Use even pressure as you run a hot iron over the top for 30-60 seconds until adhered.* Peel back the parchment paper or top layer of scrapfabric to reveal your newly transferred image!
*Note: You can also use a heat press machine to apply heat transfers if you have one available - simply follow directions specific to your machine model