Washing / Care
For shirts & sweatshirts with vinyl applied:
Temperature
Wash your garments in cold water to prevent shrinkage and protect your transfers. Hot water isn't just rough on your designs - it's the leading cause of both fabric and transfer wrinkles. If your washer has a "delicate" or "permanent press" cycle, use it. These gentle cycles create less friction and agitation, which helps your transfers maintain their smooth appearance.
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Don't overcrowd your washer-give your printed garments room to move freely. Turn them inside out before washing to protect the transfers from rubbing against other clothes. For maximum protection, wash similar items together and avoid washing custom apparel with heavy items like jeans or towels, which can create excessive friction and creasing.
Drying
The dryer poses the biggest risk for transfer wrinkles. Remove items promptly; letting them sit creates deep-set wrinkles that are harder to remove. Use low heat, and don't overload the dryer. For best results, remove items while slightly damp and hang them to finish drying. If wrinkles appear, a quick 10-minute tumble on low heat often smooths them out.
Fixing wrinkled transfers
Even with perfect care, wrinkles sometimes happen. Here's the condensed action plan you can share to smooth out different types of transfer wrinkles, from quick fixes to more intensive solutions.
Quick fixes
Pop wrinkled garments in the dryer with a damp cloth (or spray with water) and run for 10 minutes on low heat. This often smooths out normal fabric wrinkles. Hanging the garment in a steamy bathroom or using a wrinkle-release spray can work for light wrinkles in a pinch. Stretch your garment gently and shake while damp to help it regain shape.
Ironing it out
Always iron transfers from the inside out, using high heat with no steam. Place your garment on a flat surface, turn it inside out, and iron the back of the design. For hoodies or structured garments, use the same heat and pressure but place a thin cotton cloth over the transfer and iron from the front.
Steam option
Work from inside the garment and keep the steamer moving. Hold it several inches away from the fabric and avoid saturating the area. Use it as a last resort, and never apply steam directly to the transfer's surface.