Iron-on
Encyclopedia
Iron-on transfers are images that can be imprinted on fabric
. They are frequently used to print onto T-shirt
s.
On one side is paper, and on the other is the image that will be transferred in reverse. After placing it on the fabric and either running over the fabric side with an iron
or pressing with a heat press
, the image is transferred to the fabric. Iron-on transfer paper is available for use with computer printers.
Commercial quality heat transfer paper
used in a heat press will yield much better results in terms of 'hand' (how the print feels on the fabric) and durability than store bought papers or transfers applied with a home iron.
A number of inkjet, copier and laser printer toners have been developed to utilize this process. This is the process developed at BlackLightning by Walter Jeffries in the 1980s for negatively charged laser printer toners for use in black and white laser printers like those from Apple, HP, Xerox, Canon and other vendors.
The advantages of commercial heat transfer over screenprinting are that it is relatively cheap and easy to create one-off, full color designs. Also, when compared with dye sublimation techniques, heat transfers can be used on 100% cotton garments, whereas dye sublimation requires at least a 50/50 poly cotton garment.
Iron-on fabric has a glue backing that melts into another fabric it is applied to with heat. It is used in patching torn clothes or to apply extra fabric in places subject to extreme wear.
Iron-on applique
s are decorative embroidery items with a melt-glue backing.
Iron on patches can be created in a variety of ways. The key behind all iron on patches is an heat reactive adhesive is added to an imprinted materials to allow an iron or heat press to activate the glue. Different glues react differently to a variety of materials and fabric. An example of this process is demonstrated by Fusible Graphics at http://www.customirononpatches.com where a fiber based material has been combined with heat reactive glues to manufacture iron on patches.
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
. They are frequently used to print onto T-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
s.
On one side is paper, and on the other is the image that will be transferred in reverse. After placing it on the fabric and either running over the fabric side with an iron
Iron (appliance)
A clothes iron, also referred to as simply an iron, is a small appliance used in ironing to remove wrinkles from fabric.Ironing works by loosening the ties between the long chains of molecules that exist in polymer fiber materials. With the heat and the weight of the ironing plate, the fibers are...
or pressing with a heat press
Heat press
A heat press is a machine engineered to imprint a design or graphic on a substrate, such as a t-shirt, with the application of heat and pressure for a preset period of time. While heat presses are often used to apply designs to fabrics, they can also be used to imprint designs on mugs, plates,...
, the image is transferred to the fabric. Iron-on transfer paper is available for use with computer printers.
Commercial quality heat transfer paper
Transfer paper
Transfer paper is used in textiles and arts & crafts projects. Often, an ink-jet or other printer is used to print the image on transfer paper. Then a heat press can be used to transfer the image onto clothing, canvas, or other surface. Transfer paper is used in creating iron-ons.- Inkjet...
used in a heat press will yield much better results in terms of 'hand' (how the print feels on the fabric) and durability than store bought papers or transfers applied with a home iron.
A number of inkjet, copier and laser printer toners have been developed to utilize this process. This is the process developed at BlackLightning by Walter Jeffries in the 1980s for negatively charged laser printer toners for use in black and white laser printers like those from Apple, HP, Xerox, Canon and other vendors.
The advantages of commercial heat transfer over screenprinting are that it is relatively cheap and easy to create one-off, full color designs. Also, when compared with dye sublimation techniques, heat transfers can be used on 100% cotton garments, whereas dye sublimation requires at least a 50/50 poly cotton garment.
Iron-on fabric has a glue backing that melts into another fabric it is applied to with heat. It is used in patching torn clothes or to apply extra fabric in places subject to extreme wear.
Iron-on applique
Applique
In its broadest sense, an appliqué is a smaller ornament or device applied to another surface. In the context of ceramics, for example, an appliqué is a separate piece of clay added to the primary work, generally for the purpose of decoration...
s are decorative embroidery items with a melt-glue backing.
Iron on patches can be created in a variety of ways. The key behind all iron on patches is an heat reactive adhesive is added to an imprinted materials to allow an iron or heat press to activate the glue. Different glues react differently to a variety of materials and fabric. An example of this process is demonstrated by Fusible Graphics at http://www.customirononpatches.com where a fiber based material has been combined with heat reactive glues to manufacture iron on patches.