Are Iron On Transfers Still A Good Idea?

by | Nov 9, 2013 | Business

Top Stories

Categories

Archives

As with so many questions, the answer to this one is: – “well, it all depends”. It might be better if we start with – “what are they?”

 

Transfers

 

In this context, transfers refer to pictures or words placed onto a backing material in a mirror image of the view eventually required. Just like those transfers that the less young amongst us may remember collecting as kids and then holding them tightly against our arm to cause the picture to come off its backing paper and be transferred onto our arm as a “splendid” tattoo – back then, more often than not, not all the picture came off the backing paper and; the parts that did, often failed to adhere properly to our skin.

 

Iron On

 

Here, we refer to using a heated flat surface to apply the pressure to the back of a transfer paper to assist its applied design’s release from the paper and ultimate adherence to the surface in contact with the transfer. In this context the heat source is a normal domestic clothes iron and the pressure comes through your arm.

 

Heat And Pressure Complete The Transfer Process

 

So, if, for whatever purpose, we wanted to apply words and pictures to (say) the front of a plain T-shirt, we could do so by using Iron On Transfers; whereby words and pictures are placed onto transfer paper which we then place in position against the T-shirt and use our domestic iron (heat not steam) to transfer the design off its backing and affix it onto the shirt. While this sounds extremely straight forward, there are a number of variables that might affect the appearance of your finished shirt:-

how accurate are the temperature controls on your domestic iron?

 

can you accurately gauge the pressure generated by force of your arm over the irons surface area?

 

is your available support surface flat and stable enough?

 

If the above are not correct then your Iron On Transfers might not transfer to your shirt with a totally acceptable result.
Technology To Our Rescue
Transfer backing sheets have improved; methods of applying the “reverse” design onto the sheet have improved and so have the inks and dyes used for transfers but; can you leave the final result to an iron in your hand? Special heated mini-presses are now available that are relatively economic to purchase and inexpensive to run – well within the budget of a small business or club and could even be considered in a domestic environment – they are known as “heat presses”. For best results, the modern transfer is very viable but the “iron on” part would be better replaced with a heat press.

 

You can produce Iron On Transfers at home with the correct computer peripherals but, is that really practical? Wouldn’t it make sense to buy ready prepared transfers from experts like Gulfside Heat Transfers? Check out their website at visit website and, maybe consider upgrading to heat press transfers?