What is HTV and Vinyl?

What is HTV?

Heat Transfer Vinyl or HTV for short is the typical type of vinyl used to decorate apparel, bags, cushion covers, t shirts, sweatshirts and other soft goods. Not to be confused with adhesive vinyl or sign vinyl, HTV is printed onto or can be cut with a Cricut Machine and then applied using a heat press for a certain amount of time.  The time will depend on the item and the HTV.  You can get hot release HTV which you remove the backing straight away.  The second type of HTV you need to let it cool down before peeling away the backing.

As said previously the most made things made with HTV tend to be t shirts and sweatshirts. If the HTV is applied at the correct temperature and pressure and washed correctly it will last as long as any shop bought product.  The best way to know that the HTV is applied correctly is to look closely and you should see a light imprint of the fabric of the garment coming through the HTV.

You are able to use a hand iron to apply HTV but it is difficult to get the constant heat and of course the pressure this way.

The advantage of the heat press is you can set both exact temperature and pressure.  You also have a timer which allows you to follow the manufacturers instructions exactly.

What is Vinyl

On the other hand Vinyl, is basically a sticker that you cut out with your Cricut and using transfer tape, which looks like a giant roll of cellotape,  which allows you to put it on the surface of various materials. It can be used on wood, ceramics and glass to name a few surfaces. It has an adhesive backing that causes it to stick firmly to your surface and can be very detailed in design if desired.  It comes in various colours and of course can be cut into any shape or pattern you wish.

Although it seems like a very basic product it can give you excellent results.

As you can see they make great gifts and also a unique product to sell.

Thanks for reading my article and hopefully you now know the differences between HTV and Vinyl?