When pressing heat transfer vinyl with a heat press or a home iron, it’s very important to pay attention to the time and the temperature. But many beginners aren’t aware there are other variables to keep in mind to ensure a perfect result.
Every vinyl manufacturer will have different products that require different press times and temperatures. Even similar products from different companies will have different pressing settings. Our number one piece of advice for pressing vinyl is Always Read the Manufacturer's Instructions Before You Start!
We have compiled what we hope will be a handy reference chart for Siser Heat Transfer Vinyl. Siser HTV products are the most popular, high quality vinyl goods available for crafters and t-shirt makers, and are widely available at online and brick and mortar stores.
We have also added a chart for basic HTV heat settings for pressing Silhouette's most popular heat transfer vinyl with common base materials.
This chart will help you track all of the important variables when pressing Siser HTV:
- Siser product name
- Base fabric compatibility
- Press temperature
- Press time
- Pressure
- Peel option
- Layerability (yes/no)
- Dryer Setting
Siser Printable HTV Settings
Siser also makes printable vinyl for use with a heat press only (no home irons!) The chart below refers to the full range of Sisre printable vinyl products, but please note, none of these products are compatible with inkjet or laser printers. You must use solvent, eco-solvent or latex printers only.
Silhouette HTV Settings
Silhouette sells iron-on vinyl for its line of cutting machines and the settings and instructions vary from Siser’s. Below is a summary of Silhouette’s recommendations for time and temperature for their HTV.
HTV Style | Temp. | Time | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
Smooth HTV | 330-335°F 165-168°C | 17-20 sec. | firm |
Flocked HTV | 310-330°F 154-165°C | 10-15 sec. | firm |
Printable HTV | 375° F / 190°C | 20 sec. | firm |
Printable HTV (dark fabric, 50-100% cotton) | 350° F / 177°C | 25 sec. | firm |
Printable HTV (dark fabric, 0-50% cotton) | 275° F / 135°C | 25 sec. | firm |
Cricut Heat Press Temperature Chart
Cricut’s time and temperature settings for their heat transfer products are different depending on factors including:
- heat source
- base material
- padding material
Cricut offers a cool interactive guide that lets you select your Cricut HTV product and cross reference with your specific base material. It's a really good tool for mobile users, but sometimes you just want a chart you can print out when you don't have an internet connection available.
How to choose your Cricut Heat Settings
So, if you are using Cricut's interactive guide, you will quickly see that it is geared for picking the right time and temperature if you are using an Easy Press and a special Cricut heat pad. If that's your situation, it's very straightforward, but there are many variables that may require you to make adjustments.
So what about these other situations?
Can Cricut Iron-on vinyl be used with a home iron?
If you are using Cricut heat transfer products with a home iron, Cricut recommends using the iron's highest heat setting (usually cotton/linen) with the steam setting OFF. Preheat your base material for 10 to 15 seconds and then apply your weeded design liner side UP.
Use medium pressure on the iron and press for 25 to 30 seconds, then flip the garment over and apply the iron for another 25 to 30 seconds (again, with medium pressure). Use a cool peel to remove the liner.
Can Cricut Iron-on vinyl be used with a heat press?
If you have a conventional heat press, like a clamshell press or a swing away style press, you can use Cricut iron on vinyl just like you would other brands like Siser or Thermoflex.
Use Cricut's temperature and time recommendations, but you won't need to flip the garment and press the back side.
Using Siser vinyl with a Cricut Easy Press
Siser vinyl users can use a Cricut Easy press to apply Easyweed HTV with a few adjustments. Siser recommends that users be very careful about manually applying pressure evenly over the heating platen, as uneven pressure can lead to uneven application and one side of your design coming loose.
One more very important thing to know about using Siser vinyl with a Cricut Easy Press is that Siser recommends increasing the heat 30 degrees (Fahrenheit) above the normal press temperature.
For example: The recommended time and temperature for Siser Easyweed is 305°F for 10 to 15 seconds. When using an Easy Press, you should set the temperature for 335°F and press for the same amount of time with firm pressure!
Our recommendation is to use Cricut’s heat press guide to select the best time and temperature for you, or have a look at the very hand printout created by our friends at HeyLetsMakeStuff.