Getting into the HTV business can be very exciting! Whether you’re just getting started from your home or you’re a seasoned veteran who’s been in this industry for a long time, hopefully this post will spark creativity for you! T-shirts and apparel are definitely staples in most print jobs, but some of you may be wondering what can you put HTV on? This is where your imagination and a little creativity comes in! There are so many possibilities when it comes to heat pressing beyond the traditional T-shirt.
Back in August, we took a poll on Facebook to see what off-the-wall items people have heat applied with HTV. It’s no surprise that STAHLS’® loves their customers and innovation. Thanks to this poll, we decided to heat apply some “obscure” items on a live webinar to hopefully put that question to rest. What can you put HTV on? Thinking outside the box with HTV will grow your business with all the possibilities for personalized gifts or add-on items that can be sold alongside a T-shirt.
Ornaments
Most people are shocked when they hear that you can put harder items under a heat press! Since these are thicker, make sure you test the pressure on your press first. For these wooden ornaments, we recommend our CAD-CUT® Glitter Flake™ to add a nice sparkle to your tree!
Pro Tip: Keep in mind the substrate you’re applying HTV to. Since wood is very porous, avoid products such as Sign Vinyl. Sign Vinyl adheres well to hard goods, but not porous materials such as these wooden ornaments.
Wooden ornaments were sourced from Amazon.
Pillow Cases
Home decor is super popular no matter the time of year. Depending where you live, certain patterns and prints can be on trend. Here in the Midwest, buffalo plaid is still very in! We love this subtle gray color in addition to the traditional red/black and black/white color ways. Something about the gray makes it feel very “homey” and can provide a perfect decoration opportunity for any home! Since throw pillows can be laundered, we recommend our CAD-CUT® UltraWeed™ as the best every day option.
Pro Tip: Always use the top edge of the actual sham to line up your design and not the pattern itself. Patterns may not always be sewn straight in production.
Pillow cases were sourced from Amazon.
Eyeglass Cases
When the Facebook results came in, we were pleasantly surprised to see that eyeglass cases made the list! This is such a fun decorating opportunity. Whether you have sunglasses or regular eyeglasses, a personalized case is such a fun gift idea that would set you apart from other shops. This case was particularly unique because of the material it’s made from. It’s a faux leather material that contains some plastic coating in it.
Pro Tip: Use a flexible application pad for heat sensitive materials under high heat. This will prevent any scorching or melting.
Eyeglass cases were sourced from Amazon.
Baby Shoes & Headband
Let’s be honest, baby and toddler fashion is one of the most popular industries on Etsy or the crafter market. There are endless possibilities that go beyond the traditional onesie. Because STAHLS’ offers a wide range of accessories and platens, it’s easy to heat apply items this tiny. To get this look, we used our Shoe Platen to get a nice application on the top of the shoe. As for the headband, we used the 6 x 10″ Platen to ensure an easily threadable experience to get a smooth print area.
Pro Tip: You can use a small tacking iron for smaller items if you don’t own any interchangeable platens.
Baby Shoes and Headband were sourced from Amazon.
Umbrellas
Umbrellas are a great profit opportunity for the promo market and school/team stores. Given the nature of umbrellas, try and aim for one that is made from 100% polyester, instead of nylon so that you have a wider range of HTV materials that are compatible with the umbrella fabric. We recommend using one of our full-color transfers, called SuperTEK® Sublistop™ for this job. Its black “stopper” backing is great for 100% polyester materials and holds up nicely on light or dark colors. The most important thing to note with umbrellas, is to isolate the wires from the print area by using a smaller platen.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have an interchangeable platen, use can use a Heat Press Pad to raise the print area above seams to ensure even pressure and zero scorching.
Umbrella was sourced from Leed’s.
Yoga Mat
Lastly, a yoga mat is something that you may not automatically assume could be heat applied. If you work in any sort of health and wellness market, this could be a game changer in terms of personalization and branding. As mentioned earlier, CAD-CUT® UltraWeed™ is relatively new to our lineup. The reason it is such a well- rounded HTV is because of all the benefits it has. Not only can it hold super fine detail, but it can also heat apply at such a low temperature. Since yoga mats are made of squishy foam, we wanted to put this item to the test with heat application. We were very happy with the results! Jenna was able to heat apply this with just a cover sheet!
Pro Tip: To avoid bruising, you can drop the temperature of the heat press with this material. A flexible application pad can also be used, but you must add 10 seconds to your dwell time.
Yoga Mat was sourced from Amazon.
All in all, we hope this post gives you inspiration for your next heat printing job. Always think of unique ways to add items to your T-shirt jobs for maximum profits. As you could read here, adding a headband and some baby shoes to a printed onesie and selling it as a set can really change your business! To watch our full webinar with all these products mentioned, view it below.