What is Heat Transfer Vinyl?
Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) is a specialty vinyl material that is used to decorate or personalize apparel, accessories and other fabric items. HTV contains a heat-activated adhesive backing, which allows the vinyl to permanently transfer to your garment when heat pressed with sufficient time, temperature, and pressure.

One of the great things about heat press vinyl is that there are so many different varieties of colors and finishes - glossy, matte, puff, flock, stretchy, glow-in-the-dark, glitter HTV - you name it! No matter what project you've got, there is an HTV that's perfect for it.
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Generally, heat transfer vinyl can last up to 50 wash cycles. This means roughly one to two years depending on the frequency of usage. Some HTV designs even last for 50 to 100 wash cycles. It all comes down to the quality of the film and maintenance of heat transfer vinyl after application.
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Recommended Wash Guide:
- Wash & Dry Inside Out
- Use Cold or Warm Water (Not Hot)
- No Fabric Softeners or Bleach
- Tumble Dry Low or Hang Dry
- Do NOT Iron Directly on the Vinyl
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Why Do We Use HTV?
Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) does not require the use of a screen and the material needed to prepair the screen for print. Meaning the cost is lower for smaller print runs. We offer HTV for orders that contain less than 12 garments. If you're looking for more than 12 garments (tees, sweatshirts, bags, jackets, etc) then screen printing is best for your custom order!
Learn more about our screen printing services here.