The Secrets to a Perfect Opaque Transfer

Heat transfers for dark garments (otherwise known as opaque transfers) are a necessity when it comes to heat transfers – not many businesses can be based on white garments only! However, opaque transfers have a unique problem: in order to allow the image to transfer onto a dark garment without the color of the garment bleeding through, the base of the transfer must be completely white. Therefore, if you don’t do anything to eliminate it, you will be left with an unsightly white box around your image. Thankfully, there are solutions beyond trimming around the image by hand!

The best and most widely available solution is to use a vinyl cutter. The software that comes with our vinyl cutters allow you to add registration marks to your image, which can then be read by the cutter’s optical eye. The optical eye will tell the cutter exactly how to cut around even the most intricate images. After the cutting is complete, simply weed away the excess polymer background and press onto your garment. This process will leave nothing behind but your image.

Heat transfer mask is a great way to keep your images straight!

Coastal also carries a heat transfer mask, which helps AFTER the weeding process. If you’ve spelled out the word “coastal”, then weeded around all of the letters, you would have to pick up each individual letter and move it to the garment for pressing. However, with our heat transfer mask, which works with most opaque transfers, you can simply lay the mask on top, smooth it over, and pick up all of your letters in one easy move. Transfer to the garment, press with the masking on top, and you’re ready to go.

Another option to eliminate the ugly white background is to use one of Neenah’s self-weeding ImageClip products. ImageClip Laser Dark is a two-step transfer paper that eliminates the white background by pressing the image against a second sheet of paper. The second sheet of paper will soak up any areas that do NOT have toner, which may also include white spots, very light colors and gradients in your image. While not perfect for every design, such as those including photographs, ImageClip Laser Dark is one of the most advanced transfer paper available.

ImageClip Koncert T's allows you to transfer all-white images to dark garments!

ImageClip Koncert T’s is also a two-step transfer for dark shirts, but is designed solely for the heat transfer of a white image or text to pastel, dark or bright colored garments. Again, the second step in the process eliminates the need to trim around the image. Image Clip Koncert T’s paper satisfies the needs of consumers who want to promote concert or sports schedules on dark t-shirts, or even print a treasured family recipe on an apron without the wear and tear found with vinyl.

With these new options, there’s no reason you can’t use an opaque transfer to create an amazing and professional-looking dark garment.

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Author: Kim Kelley

Kim Kelley works in technical support, marketing and social networking at Coastal Business Supplies.