Why is my heat transfer vinyl not sticking

December 26, 2020

If you are a fan of craft vinyl, you may not be able to apply vinyl to shirts, bags or other fabrics on your first try. In the beginning, you may have wasted a lot of materials, learning tailoring settings, heating time, temperature, pressure, computer problems, not mirroring, etc. Have you ever pressed or ironed heat transfer vinyl, or found that vinyl is peeling off your shirt or bag before or after washing? Have you ever felt that your HTV just barely stuck to the shirt, or did not stick to it at all when you peeled off the bracket? Maybe you even want to know if you have received an incorrect vinyl or if it is defective.

Why is my heat transfer vinyl not sticking? This is a common problem for most vinyl craft beginners. You don't have to blame yourself, this is a common problem in the entire vinyl industry. No matter what you think about vinyl peeling, we will tell you that we have been there. This is crazy and frustrating, but we can help. Working with HTV is not necessarily a nightmare.

If you don't know why heat transfer vinyl can't stick, then you have come to the right place. Below we provide some of the most common reasons why HTV does not stick to the fabric.

Why is My Heat Transfer Vinyl Not Sticking?

1. The main problems are: Time, Temperature, Pressure.

Each type of vinyl has its own instructions and needs to be used in conjunction with it. When using iron on vinyl(htv), time, temperature and pressure are extremely important factors. Check the description of the vinyl you are using and make sure all settings are correct. HTVRONT products have corresponding instructions in the package, and you can follow the instructions setting.

Time - If the ironing time is too short, the HTV will not stick to the fabric. Long pressing or ironing may produce the same effect. HTV works by using heat activated adhesives, which are too short to heat enough to stick. Too long, it may burn off the adhesive. Therefore, too much time spent on HTV or insufficient time will cause HTV to fail to adhere to the shirt. You need to find a specific time for the specific HTV vinyl you want to use. HTVRONT HTV is 10-15 seconds.

Temperature - Not all vinyls are used at the same temperature, you must check the manufacturer's recommendations for specific HTV vinyls. Check to make sure you are using the right temperature. Here, it is really convenient to use a heat press and iron-precisely adjust the temperature and time. Use at high or low temperature will cause HTV to fail to adhere. HTVRONT HTV is 305°F.

Pressure - using an iron instead of a heat press will usually encounter this problem, you must check the specific manufacturer's recommendations. It is difficult to press down your design with a soldering iron, especially for large designs. You must also consider what you will wear your shirt. Beware of granite, stones, or surfaces that absorb iron heat. Do not use an ironing board or anything else that will make the iron tightly pressed.

Good pressure is when your arm gets rid of such a hard push down. You are able to see the weave of the fabric through the vinyl. If you are not sure whether your household iron is under enough pressure, put some weight behind it. You must also consider the surface on which the fabric is placed. Beware of surfaces that will absorb the heat of iron. Do not use an ironing board or anything that will prevent you from pressing the iron hard. For a heat press, it is recommended that you put a piece of paper in the press (make sure the press is turned off) and close the press on your clothes. You are not able to pull out the paper. If the pressure is too high, it may cause the HTV to fail to adhere. The pressure needs to be adjusted for the different thickness of the fabric. If you press a sweater and then the t-shirt without adjusting the pressure, the vinyl will not stick to the t-shirt like the sweater.

2. Which fabric do you want to use vinyl on?

Check the label on the shirt. What is this made of? Is it nylon? Certain HTVs are not compatible with certain fabrics (such as nylon or spandex materials).

3. Are there thick seams, buttons, zippers, collars or hoodie, etc. that can get good pressure?

This will cause some problems for a baby suit, a toddler shirt, any hood that may not allow HTV pressure, etc. Pressing the pillow will help solve this problem, because the pillow will enter the under-stressed part of the shirt and lift it up. All these things may be the source of the problem. When the raised area on the shirt eliminates the pressure that actually affects the design, you will lose a lot of pressure. You can fix it with a heat transfer pillow.

4. Hot peeling or cold peeling?

You also need to check whether a particular vinyl/vinyl color is cold skin, not warm/hot skin, because some vinyls are very specific for this purpose. This is closely related to the vinyl formula. Certain types of HTV may need to be peeled off immediately after pressing or ironing. Others may need to cool down completely before removing the plastic carrier board. Incorrect peeling will definitely ruin your design.

Have you tried all these methods but still cannot make the vinyl stick? Here are some other things that may cause your headaches.

5. Has the shirt been washed with fabric softener?

The fabric softener will actually stick between the fibers of the shirt, the same as the fibers you are trying to stick to the adhesive or glue. Sometimes this can cause problems with heat vinyl adhesion. The best option is not to wash clothes beforehand. If you need a shirt that does not shrink, buy a pre-shrinked shirt to prevent it!

6. Do you pre-squeeze to remove moisture?

Professional materials suggest that you wear T-shirts or HTVs with "dry" and "moisture wicking" materials. Please use a spray bottle sprayed with alcohol and spray the material at the designed position. Then wipe a little with a cloth, dry or even heat to make it dry, and then as designed. This is because the material is a coated material, not an uncoated material.

7. Is there a waterproof coating on the shirt?

Waterproof or fireproof coatings can be a big problem. It does not allow vinyl glue to stick to the fibers of the fabric. You can try to remove the coating by rubbing alcohol on the cotton ball where the design is to be applied. There is no promise, but if you are in trouble, please give it a try.

8. Does your heat press distribute heat evenly?

Use the laser thermometer to point it at different locations on the hot plate and check the readings. Yes, this happens no matter how new your heat press is. This is caused by uneven heating of the heating coil.

9. Is your printing press working properly?

Sometimes, the heating element in the heat press will deteriorate, making it unable to heat to the set temperature.There may also have hot and cold spots on the entire pressure plate. So you can purchase a temperature gun to test the accuracy of the printing press.

HTV vinyl craft project
These are the instructions for HTVRONT Vinyl for heat press and home iron:

Application Note (heat press)
• Weed excess material
• Preheat the clothes for 2-3 seconds
•Teflon cover design
• Designed with 305° application
• Use medium pressure for 10-15 seconds
• Hot or cold peel carrier

Application Note (home iron)
• Set an iron dial between cotton and linen
•Teflon cover design
• Place on a flat, hard surface
• Press the iron with medium/definite pressure (do not slide the iron)
• Press the design for 10-15 seconds
• If the design area is lifted after application, please replace the cover and press again for 5-10 seconds
• Hot or cold peel carrier