Let’s Puff HTV Vinyl

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Let’s Puff HTV: An Introduction to Puff HTV Vinyl

While deciding what type of heat transfer vinyl best suits your garment, you keep on asking and craving for more, having the urge to produce successful result. Well, when it comes to HTV there are a lot of options. Whether you go with standard types, flocked, glittery, glow in the dark, holographic, metallic, reflective, stretch, or patterned. The type of HTV you choose allows your design to shine through.

But if you are looking for a vinyl which can make your style a magical 3D in just one press Puff HTV is the one for you. If you have not tried this yet, you are missing out!

Although basic application process is the same for all HTV, we have to consider that certain details differ among them. In this article, we are going to know Puff heat transfer vinyl.

What is Puff Vinyl?

Puff Heat Transfer Vinyl is a specialty iron on material designed to give your garments some depth, dimension, and texture. It expands or puffs up when exposed into iron or heat press giving your graphic a unique, 3D design.

How do you make Puff vinyl?

Puff heat transfer vinyl is not too difficult to work with. To create a perfect puff effect on your garment, Time, Temperature, and Pressure is the key.

This 3D puff HTV is so unique and you must try it. You don’t need to worry; we prepared some tips for you to make your puff installation easy-peasy.

I know how excited you are, so let’s start with the tools and materials that we are going to use.

1. Puff HTV – First thing first! This is our main ingredient for today’s project.

2. Blank T-shirt – Of course, when there is a decal there must be something to put it on.

3. Vinyl Cutting Machine and Cutting mat – a machine to make your design cutting easy.

4. Heat Press Machine and Mat – engineered to imprint or transfer graphic to a substrate with the application of heat and pressure for a preset period of time.

5. Weeding Tool – something to scrape off excess vinyl from your design.

Are you ready for the procedure? Here are the six simple steps to make puff vinyl:

Step 1: Cut your Design

Using your vinyl cutter machine and mat, cut out your design with the vinyl side down. Pre-cut design puff HTV is also available in the market.

Step 2: Set the Heat Press

Pre-heat your iron or heat press to 320°F or 160°C, the ideal temperature for applying puff HTV.

Step 3: Weed 

Remove the unwanted parts on your vinyl. Use a weeding tool for complex areas.

Step 4: Set the Puff HTV 

Put the HTV on the center of the shirt, or place it exactly to your desired location. Do not fold.

Step 5: Press 

With strong or firm pressure, heat and press your design for ten seconds.

Step 6: Peel the Backing

While the shirt is still hot, peel the backing off the vinyl.

Congratulations! You applied puff heat transfer vinyl flawlessly.

Can you use Puff Vinyl on Cricut?

Putting a strong or firm pressure sometimes makes it difficult to use a Cricut heat press. But what are you going to do if you did not own a heat press machine and you don’t have a choice but to use your Cricut? 

 If you perform a precise procedure it is possible to make your puff HTV, today we will do it together.

We are going to put puff HTV on a pair of socks as grippers. Our kids would definitely love it.

Here are the supplies we need:

  1. Puff HTV- I have here a black and white puff HTV for my chosen design, a rocket.
  2. A pair of socks – This is where we are going to adhere our puff HTV decal.
  3. Electronic Cutting Machine and Mat– Cricut 
  4. Weeding Tool – to trim negative vinyl
  5. Heat Press – I have here a Cricut EasyPress 
  6. Teflon Sheet – as a vinyl cover 

Step 1: Create your design or open the cut file in Cricut Design Space. Choose a size that fits your socks.

Step 2: Place the puff HTV liner side down on the cutting mat and hit the arrow button to begin cutting it. 

Step 3: Using your weeding tool, trim around the design to remove excess vinyl.

Step 4: Put the sock on the mat. Set the heat on the Cricut EasyPress to 315-320°F. Heat the sock for five seconds. Then, place the puff vinyl design on the bottom of the sock. Cover it with Teflon sheet before heating it for ten seconds. Make sure your hands are even and give your whole weight to it for strong and firm pressure. Remove the cover sheet and heat again for another 15 seconds. 

Step 5: After heating, the vinyl will puff up making the plastic carrier sheet easy to grab and remove.

Step 6: Repeat the steps to the other pair of sock.

There we have it! No more slipping and sliding with this DIY custom socks. 

Why is my puff vinyl wrinkling?

Did your puff HTV stick correctly? Is your 3D design accomplished? 

With that forlorn look in your face I already knew the answer.

There will come a time that you may feel unlucky in pressing your puff HTV. And having wrinkles on it is really exasperating. But why are wrinkles showing up?

It’s either you pressed your puff HTV too long or you pressed it too high of a temperature. Or maybe you have done both.

Just like other types of HTV, puff HTV must be pressed with accurate time, temperature, and pressure.

320°F or 160°C is the ideal temperature in pressing your puff HTV.

But how long do you press puff vinyl?

One press and your 3D design will expand its raised and textured effect. To achieve this result, puff HTV must be pressed for ten (10) seconds.

Remember to use a hard, flat surface to iron your puff HTV to your project. The more pressure you apply, the better it will stick to the fabric.

Is puff vinyl shiny side down?

The carrier sheet for puff HTV is not as shiny compared to other standard HTV you’re used to. Make sure that the carrier sheet with shiny “wet looking” side is facing up on the mat. 

Which side do you cut puff vinyl?

Most HTV is cut with the “shiny” side facing down while Puff HTV is cut on its shiny side up. But sometimes it may not be too easy to determine which side should go down. So I suggest you run a test cut, a little bit of effort to save your work and avoid setback.

Can puff vinyl be layered?

Layering vinyl for a magnificent mixed design is such a great idea but when it comes to puff vinyl it is not recommended. There are some types of HTV that is perfect for layering but Puff HTV is independent that it can stand out on its own. 

Also, puff HTV is a one press vinyl, pressing it repeatedly as you need to do when layering, can make the puff design shrink. You don’t want to waste your design, that’s for sure.

Can you remove puff vinyl?

Ooopppsss!!! There’s something wrong on my design. What am I going to do?

Mistake is a common thing for newbie crafters. Don’t get frustrated if your puff HTV doesn’t work perfectly on your first try. It may also happen even to some professionals. 

Probably, you want to remove it and replace it with new design. No worries because if there’s a will, there will always be a way!

So common, cheer up and let’s remove your puff HTV with the following guidelines:

Beginning with the eco-friendly, chemical free method

You only need five items:

  1. Scissors
  2. Tweezers
  3. Hot Iron
  4. A piece of Rag
  5. Rubbing Alcohol

Step by step procedure:

  1. Turn your home iron to its hottest temperature.
  2. Put the backside of the vinyl to the hot surface of the iron. Be careful not to burn yourself.
  3. Pull tight the fabric to the iron plate using your one hand. 
  4. After being heated for a bit, vinyl will start to peel off. Using your scissors, gently sweep the unwanted vinyl starting at the top. Use tweezers to grab the removed HTV.
  5. Clean your scissors with a rubbing alcohol in a piece of rag throughout the process.
  6. Once you removed all unwanted vinyl and its residue, wash the garment inside out.

If you find HTV is not coming off, then it’s time for a little help.

Let’s now try removing your HTV with vinyl remover solvent.

Materials:

  1. Vinyl remover solvent – Goo Gone or VLR
  2. Gloves
  3. Tweezers

The Steps:

  1. Put your garment on a flat surface or mat.
  2. Safety first! Wear your gloves.
  3. Pour your vinyl remover solvent directly into the unwanted puff vinyl. Be sure to saturate your vinyl well.
  4. Let the solvent sit and wait until its magic works.
  5. As you can see the puff vinyl is now ready to be removed. You can use your hands to do it but it’s better to use tweezers for picking small parts.
  6. Wash the garment inside out.

Since we used a chemical to remove the vinyl, I recommend wearing or using the garment 24 hours after washing to avoid irritations especially for those who have sensitive skin.

For both chemical and eco-friendly process, in case some residue left from the vinyl on the garment, set in petroleum jelly. To loosen the adhesive, rub the petroleum jelly over the vinyl. Then get a fabric detergent and rub it to the same spot. Then hand wash the mixture off to eliminate the vinyl residue.

You got it right! You can start a new and install the correct design to your garment.

Now that you already have all the information you need about puff HTV, don’t be afraid to add dimensions on your unique graphic decal. You can do it! Explore crafting world, have fun with puff HTV and let your creativity reign.

 

 

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