A few weeks ago a friend reached out asking if I could make tank tops with peaches on them for a party. She sent me a picture of something she had seen, and the peaches had a watercolor look to them. This wasn’t a job for regular HTV because I couldn’t get that watercolor look with solid colors… no matter how hard I tried. I knew I would have to use printable heat transfer vinyl.
I’ve tried using printable HTV before with ‘okay’ results. When I make things for customers I want more than ‘okay’ quality though. I did some research and decided to order StarCraft Inkjet printable vinyl.
StarCraft Printable Heat Transfer Vinyl
Here are some things to note about the brand of printable HTV I used:
- Price from Brilliant Vinyl was $12.50 for 10 sheets
- Sheets are 8.5×11 inches
- Print the design using an InkJet printer (not a laser printer)
- A heat press is highly recommended because the application temperature needs to be 375 degrees for 30 seconds with HIGH pressure
- Peel while HOT
- Instructions say to wash inside out with cold water and hang dry or tumble dry on low
I always get nervous with those washing instructions because they go against the way I normally wash my laundry. I toss everything into the dryer and often forget when something needs to hang dry.
How the Printable HTV Held Up in the Wash
I wanted to test the design in the wash. This came after I made and gave the tank tops to my friend. I probably should have tested before but I was on a time crunch with her order.
Against the manufacturer instructions I washed them as I would normally do my laundry. I did not turn the onesie inside out and washed with warm water. I dried it with a on medium heat in the dryer.
Result – The onesie came out looking the exact same as when I put it in!
Video Tutorial on Applying the Printable Heat Transfer Vinyl
Where to Purchase Clipart
If I don’t make my own clipart images, I purchase them from ETSY. They have clipart of just about anything you can think of. A lot of cut files can also double as clipart if they come in PNG format.
The watercolor peach clipart came as a pack on ETSY. They are too cute and I’ve already been thinking of other ways I could use them!
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