Creating Custom Iron-On T-Shirts At Home

Creating a homemade iron-on T-shirt is a fun and simple way to personalise your clothing with unique designs. All you need is a T-shirt, a printer, transfer paper, a standard household iron, and a hard, flat surface like a table or cutting board. You can design your own image or choose one from the internet, just be sure to have the rights to reproduce it. After creating your design, print it onto transfer paper and trim the paper along the edges of the image. Place the T-shirt on your flat surface and iron out any creases. Then, position the transfer image-side down on the T-shirt and iron over it using the hottest heat setting. Once the transfer has cooled, slowly peel off the backing paper to reveal your design.

Choosing the design

Choosing the right design is crucial to making a homemade iron-on T-shirt. Here are some tips to help you select the perfect design:

Choose a Suitable Image:

Start by selecting an image, design, logo, or text that you want to use for your T-shirt. You can use your own creation or choose from various online sources. Ensure that you have the rights to reproduce and sell the image if you intend to sell the T-shirts. Consider using images with dark colours, as they usually show up better on fabrics. If you're using light-coloured fabrics, keep in mind that transfer paper creates a mirror image, so you'll need to reverse or mirror the image before printing.

Select the Right Type of Transfer Paper:

Transfer paper comes in two types: one for light-coloured fabrics (white, yellow, light grey) and one for dark-coloured fabrics (black, dark grey, dark blue). Using the correct type of transfer paper will ensure the best results. For light fabrics, the transfer paper is transparent, so areas with white colour will appear clear once ironed onto the shirt. For dark fabrics, the transfer paper has a white backing to make light colours stand out.

Edit and Manipulate the Image:

Use image editing software to resize, add effects, change colours, or make any corrections to your image. Remember to mirror or flip the image horizontally if it contains text or needs to be reversed. Test print your image on regular paper to ensure the colours and size are correct before printing on transfer paper.

Consider Trimming and Placement:

If you're using transfer paper for light-coloured fabrics, you might want to trim the design closely to reduce the transparent areas around it. For dark fabrics, carefully cut around letters or design elements if you want the shirt's colour to show through. Determine the placement of your design on the T-shirt before ironing. Centre your design or place it according to your preference.

Preparing the surface

Choose a Suitable Surface:

Start by selecting a hard, flat, and heat-resistant surface to work on. Avoid using an ironing board as it can diffuse heat. Instead, opt for materials such as Formica or a wooden cutting board, which retain heat well. Ensure that your chosen surface is large enough to accommodate the entire area of your transfer for efficient ironing.

Prepare the T-Shirt:

Place your t-shirt on the chosen surface and smooth it out, ensuring it lies completely flat. If your shirt is wrinkled, use an iron to remove any creases before transferring your design. It is recommended to pre-wash the fabric before applying the transfer to remove any sizing and improve the adhesion of the transfer.

Protect the T-Shirt:

Place a barrier between the layers of fabric to prevent the transfer from bleeding through to the other side. Slide a piece of cardboard, a sheet, or a large pillowcase inside the shirt, directly underneath the area where the transfer will be applied.

Position the Transfer:

Carefully position the transfer onto the t-shirt, image-side down, in the precise location you want your design to appear. Ensure that the transfer is straight and aligned correctly before proceeding to the next step.

Ironing Technique:

Set your iron to the hottest setting without steam, as steam can hinder the adhesion of the transfer. Apply steady and even pressure while moving the iron in large circles, starting from the outside edges and gradually working your way towards the centre of the transfer. Continue ironing for about 3 minutes, keeping the iron in constant motion to avoid scorching the paper and burning your design.

Cooling and Removal:

Once you're satisfied with the adhesion, turn off the iron and allow the transferred design to cool down for a few minutes. This step is crucial, as removing the backing paper before the image has cooled may result in cracking or distortion of the image. After the image has cooled, gently start peeling off the backing paper from one of the corners.

By following these detailed steps for preparing the surface, you will ensure a smooth and successful application of your iron-on transfer to your t-shirt.

Using the right transfer paper

The type of transfer paper you use will depend on the colour of the fabric you are printing on. Using the right transfer paper will ensure that you get the best results from your iron-on transfer.

Transfer Paper for Light-Coloured Fabrics

Transfer paper for light-coloured fabrics is meant for white, yellow, light grey, or any other light-coloured fabric. This type of transfer paper is transparent, which means that any areas of your image that contain the colour white will appear clear once ironed onto the shirt, and the fabric colour will show through. If your image has light colours other than white, the image may appear distorted and discoloured once transferred. Therefore, it is best to use medium to dark colours with this type of transfer paper.

Transfer Paper for Dark-Coloured Fabrics

Transfer paper for dark-coloured fabrics is meant for black, dark grey, dark blue, or any other dark-coloured fabrics. This type of transfer paper is thicker and has a white backing so that light colours can show up distinctly on the fabric. However, any background areas of your image will appear white rather than translucent, so you will need to carefully cut around and inside any letters or other design elements if you want the colour of the shirt to show through.

Reversing the Image

When using light transfer paper, you must reverse the image and print it in mirror mode. The image will be placed face down on the fabric, so reversing the image will ensure that it appears the right way round once the transfer process is complete. When using dark transfer paper, the image is placed face up on the shirt, so there is no need to reverse the image.

Suitable Printer Inks

The secret to the transfer process lies in the paper rather than the ink, so there is no preference for which ink you use as long as you are using an inkjet printer.

Ironing the design

Now that you have your design printed on the transfer paper, it's time to iron it onto your T-shirt!

First, lay out your T-shirt on a hard, flat surface. You want to make sure the surface is heat-resistant and large enough to iron the entire area of the transfer. A material such as Formica or a wooden cutting board is ideal for doing iron-on transfers because they retain heat well. If you are using an ironing board, ensure that you place a hard, flat surface inside the shirt to iron on.

Next, trim the transfer paper as necessary. Whatever is left after trimming will be transferred to your T-shirt. If you are using light-coloured fabric, you will need to wait to peel off the backing of the transfer paper until after it has been ironed on. For dark fabric, peel off the backing before ironing on the design.

Place a piece of cardboard or a folded-up brown paper bag inside the shirt directly underneath where the transfer image will be ironed on. This will prevent the image from transferring to both sides of the T-shirt.

Now, place the transfer image-side down on the fabric. Put the transfer on the fabric precisely where you want the image to be. Cover the transfer with a soft kitchen towel, terry cloth towel folded in half, or the parchment paper from the transfer package.

Set your iron to the hottest setting and ensure that the steam function is turned off. Then, place the hot iron onto the towel and work in a circular motion from the middle of the transfer to the edges. How long you do this for depends on the instructions included with your transfer paper, but be sure to keep the iron moving to prevent scorching the paper and burning the image.

Once you have finished ironing, turn off the iron and let the image cool down for a few minutes. If you remove the backing paper before the image is cool enough, you could ruin the transfer.

When the image has cooled, gently peel off the backing paper, starting at one of the paper's corners.

And that's it! You've now successfully applied your design to your T-shirt.

Washing instructions

Before the First Wash

Wait at least 24 hours after applying the iron-on transfer before washing your fabric. This gives the thermoadhesive layer time to crystallize and sink into the fabric fibres. If you wash and dry too soon, the HTV could peel or crack.

Washing

• Wash and dry your garment inside out. This will protect the decoration from friction with other clothing, zippers, or buttons.
• Choose the correct temperature for washing by checking the recommended temperature on the product sheet. High temperatures can weaken the adhesive or cause abrasion of the heat transfer vinyl.
• Use a mild detergent. Avoid detergents that promise to "whiten" or "fight stains" as these contain additives that can damage the decoration.
• Do not dry clean. The harsh temperature and solvent-based solutions used during dry cleaning may damage the HTV.

Drying

Dry on a delicate setting or hang dry. Check the product sheet to see if the material is suitable for dry cleaning and to find the recommended program. Hang drying is the safest way to dry your decorated garment.

Ironing

• Do not iron directly on the HTV. The heat of the iron could melt the material and ruin the garment.
• Before ironing on the decoration, cover it with parchment paper or a cotton cloth and set the iron to a low temperature (no steam).
• Alternatively, iron the t-shirt inside out.

Frequently asked questions