Can you use HTV on Canvas?

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Can you use HTV on Canvas?

Heat Transfer Vinyl also known as HTV is a very popular trend in the world of crafting.  When you want to decorate your own designs, whether you are making uniform shirts for a family reunion, personalize T-shirts or dressing up in any event or occasion, or maybe creating promotional products, you must have HTV. 

Yes, it’s right; you can absolutely use HTV on canvas because it is ideal for various material and fabric type projects as it contains a heat-activated adhesive backing that offers convenience with each use and makes it easy to weed, cut, and place before it is permanently transferred to your garment when heat pressed with sufficient time, temperature, and pressure.

How do you add HTV on Canvas?

HTV is not the easiest to work with and maybe you are a little bit nervous about learning how to do this one, but with practice and patience, you can definitely get great results and by this step by step guide I know that you are confident and you’ll be up and running in no time. So let’s get started.

In this project we will need the following materials:

  1. Vinyl Cutter and Heat Press

A vinyl cutter is an entry level machine for making signs, popular machines are Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore 2, Silhouette Cameo 4, Silhouette Portrait, US Cutter MH Series, and Brother Scan and Cut. Computer designed vector files with patterns and letters are directly cut on the roll of vinyl which is mounted and fed into the vinyl cutter through USB or serial cable. While heat press is used to permanently apply a heat transfer to a surface.

  1. Heat Transfer Vinyl

Do not forget the core ingredient to this project; otherwise this blog will be wasted. 

HTV is available in both rolls and pre-cut sheets. It comes in a lot of colors and finishes but I recommend starting out with standard colors like black, white, navy and red. Once you get the hang of things, you can start experimenting with additional colors and finishes.

  1. T-shirts/Garments

It is where you are going to press your HTV. It can be cotton, polyester, blends, and leather. There are also additional HTV that will work on nylon and Lycra/spandex.

  1. Weeding Tool

After cutting your vinyl, you need to weed away the excess. You can remove larger portions by hand, but for smaller parts you will find the weeding tool extremely essential.

  1. Teflon Cover Sheet 

A non-stick cover sheet that will protect your garments from direct heat and will prevent them from being singed or scorched. 

Have you prepared all the materials? Now let’s dive in with the process of decorating with HTV.

Step 1:  Design your Cut File

The easiest way to do this is by using the software that comes with your vinyl cutter such as Silhouette Studio or Brother CanvasWorkspace. 

Always make sure to pause and check your work from time to time. Measure your items and adjust your settings to ensure the design outputs are correct. If your artwork includes text, check to make sure all spelling appears correct and all fonts are formatted consistently.

If you are not that techy, there are millions of tutorials at YouTube that will surely help you get started and if you feel you are graphically sharp-witted don’t worry, you can even buy ready to cut premade designs.

Lastly, your design needs to be mirrored or reversed horizontally before you send it to the cutter. It is because you are cutting the backside of the HTV so when you go to press it, it will be facing the correct way.

Step 2: Load Your Vinyl Cutter & Set Cut Settings

When your cut file is ready, it’s time to load it on the vinyl cutter. Note that there are couples of things to pay attention with.

HTV has both a shiny side and a dull side. The shiny side is the carrier that holds the HTV pieces in place during application to ensure the cut design is aligned correctly while the opposite side, which has dull color, is the adhesive side that will end up receiving the cut and the side that will touch the garment when you go pressing.  You have to load your vinyl cutter with the carrier side face-down and remember that you are going to cut on the adhesive side.

There are a lot of different HTVs with varying thickness on the market. That is why; you have to make sure that your cutter is set to the correct settings for the vinyl you are using. Some vinyl requires more “force” than others. Too much force and you can end up cutting through the plastic carrier. Too little, and you won’t be able to properly weed away excess vinyl.

Step 3: Run a Test Cut

To make sure that your cutter is perfectly set after the HTV is loaded, have a test cut. Do it in a small square or triangle in your vinyl so you can see if you need to make any last-minute changes to your cut settings prior to cutting. Just a small amount of effort that can save your work from cutting an entire design not fully cut through the vinyl. The goal when cutting HTV is to not cut through the clear carrier sheet.

Step 4: Cut the HTV

The big moment that we are waiting for has finally arrived! Now is the time to send your vinyl to the cutter and wait until it works its magic.

Step 5: Weed Excess Vinyl

After cutting, it is now the time for weeding. This process is removing the excess vinyl that is not a part of your cut design. You can start peeling the big portions by your hand, but for the complex parts and smaller pieces using a weeding tool will help you a lot.

Step 5: Heat Press your T-Shirt/Garment

Once you’ve done removing all the unwanted parts of your HTV, it is now ready to undergo heat pressing to stick your design permanently on your project.

First, load your garment onto your heat press’s bottom platen. Then, align and place your HTV on the top of the shirt facing the correct direction, not mirrored, and cover with Teflon. 

Next, press your HTV onto the garment using the recommended press settings for the HTV you are using. For an ideal result, you can refer to the manufacturer’s guide to know the specific time, temperature, and pressure. By exploring this blog, you can find Heat Press Temperature Chart and Time Setting for beginners.

When your timer goes off, open the heat press, and finally, you can now peel the plastic carrier from the garment. 

Congratulations! Your vinyl is successfully adhered to the garment. 

What temperature should HTV be on Canvas?

It could be that the design wasn’t coming off well, or the heat transfer vinyl could not stick to the surface. This may be a huge setback especially when you are new to this kind of crafting. The quality and clarity of the HTV depends on some factors. And one of these is temperature.

Maybe you set the temperature setting too high or too low.

And to help you avoid this kind of problem, we have compiled heat press temperature chart and time setting for some common fabrics. 

Heat Press Temperature Chart

Polyester: 270° F

Cotton: 380°F

Stretch Material: 335°F

Vintage: 350°F

Full Color: 350°F

Glitters: 350°F

High-Quality Digital Prints: 305°F

Reflective Fabrics: 305°F

Glow in the Dark Fabrics: 350°F

Stubborn Fabrics: 330°F

Metallic Finish: 320°F

Graphic Transfer on Light Fabrics: 385°F

Graphic Transfer on Dark Fabrics: 365°F

Multi-Purpose Material: 350°F

In order to achieve a successful transfer, you must set the temperature of the heat press precisely according to the certain temperature required for each type of fabric you are using. 

Time Setting

Setting the time is not a difficult task. Most heat presses have digital time display settings, which you can adjust by pressing any of the “up or down” arrow keys or buttons. Some have a more traditional dial that you just need to simply turn it to the time you preferred.

Modern heat press machines have an automatic shut-off function. When the timer runs out, it will turn the engine and even open the lid. You can identify the time dial by the minutes or seconds next to the numbers.

What kind of vinyl should I use on canvas?

In this wonderful world of vinyl crafts, everybody starts from being a novice before they became a pro. So, starting with the fundamentals of vinyl is a good idea, am I right?

We have two basic types of vinyl – Adhesive Vinyl and Heat Transfer Vinyl. 

Adhesive vinyl also known as sticker vinyl is a thin flexible material with a pressure-sensitive adhesive that can be cut in any design and applied to all kinds of smooth and hard surfaces. Heat Transfer Vinyl which known as iron on vinyl, t-shirt vinyl, or HTV, contains similar material with a heat-activated adhesive designed to work with fabric surfaces or any surface that can withstand heat. Both types come in a roll or sheet usually 12” wide.

We clearly mentioned earlier that the HTV is engineered for fabrics, it has a clear plastic carrier sheet that covers the top of the vinyl and on the opposite side is where the adhesive is. On the other hand, Adhesive vinyl always has a paper backing that you need to peel off before applying on the surface.

Let’s talk about the types of HTV.

  1. Flocked HTV

An easy to weed heat transfer vinyl that gives your design an added dimension given a raised, soft, and textured suede/velvet feels that is a perfect alternative to embroidery. This makes it great for children’s garments and as well as with adult’s.

  1. Glitter HTV

Create eye-catching design with textured glitter flakes that is perfect for your bags, T-shirts, pants, hoodies, shoes, even pillows, and a lot more fabrics you want to decorate.

  1. Metallic HTV

If you want to bring sparkle and shine to your projects like t-shirts, bags, apron, scarves, and etc. use metallic HTV. It will make your designs reflect and dazzle. 

  1. Holographic HTV

This vinyl creates color changing designs with a kaleidoscope feel. The shimmering material makes eye-catching creations and accents to bags, t-shirts anything your heart desires.

  1. Reflective HTV

Glitter eye-catching design used to add sparkling and shining effects to the embellishments for your T-shirts, sweatshirts, club wear, hats, bags, and all other projects you wished for. 

  1. Stretch HTV

It works great on stretchy materials like Lycra/spandex or cotton, and it’s also fabulous for cotton poly blends, polyester and even leather.

  1. Patterned HTV

For extra pop on your project you can use this custom printed pattern HTV with matte finish and soft touch. Its continuous pattern is printed with heat-sensitive latex ink. Unlike regular Heat Transfer Vinyl, printed HTV does not have the carrier sheet pre-applied to the face of the product. Printed pattern requires a TTD EASYMASK (adhesive polyester films) carrier sheet.

At this point I ’am 100% sure that you can now choose which among HTVs will best suit your desired graphic design. 

Do you need to seal vinyl on Canvas?

Vinyl has a durable adhesive that is designed to stick on the surface. When applied properly, it does not need a sealant to stay on the canvas. So, you do not need to seal vinyl on canvas. In fact, it can keep the vinyl from adhering properly to the canvas; therefore it is better not to seal it. Sealing vinyl on canvas can cause air bubbles or even cause the decal to deform.

HTV on canvas with EasyPress

EasyPress is a heat tool intended specially for adding iron-on materials to your creative projects. You can use this tool to iron designs onto shirts, bags, pillows, banners, shoes, hats, blankets, and much more.

It has a digital control panel that gives you full control over the temperature settings and includes a handy timer. Unlike a conventional iron, the EasyPress applies even, consistent pressure helping you to install your vinyl like a pro.

Let us try the heat press method on a canvas hand bag together and see how great EasyPress is: 

  1. Choose a Canvas and HTV.

First things first! 

Iron your canvas and make sure it is clean so that your vinyl could stick well.

HTV comes in different colors for you to choose your design that fits perfectly with the type of canvas you are using. 

I selected a polyester fabric hand bag and I want a shiny shimmering look so I chose Glitter HTV. And since holidays are coming I prefer Christmas tree as a design.

  1. Cut and Weed HTV.

Weeding always come after cutting, it is necessary to remove the excess parts of the vinyl. Take your time in doing this, no need to rush.

  1. Lay out HTV onto the canvas.

When the vinyl is ready, place the canvas to a perfectly flat surface; an EasyPress mat will  be used to avoid canvass from moving while pressing it. Put HTV to the desired place.

I put my designed vinyl on the center of my hand bag. 

  1. Set the EasyPress on.

I set my Cricut EasyPress 1 to 270 degrees Fahrenheit in 10 seconds. If you are using different type of fabric you may use the temperature setting guide.

  1. Press the HTV.

With moderate pressure, press the HTV with EasyPress.

  1. Lift the EasyPress.

When the timer stops, lift the EasyPress with its handle and put it back to the safety base.

  1. Peel off the plastic carrier sheet.

Slowly peel off the clear plastic according to the type of fabric you use (see temperature setting guide to choose between hot or cold). Since mine is polyester type, I removed the carrier sheet while my hand bag is still hot.

That’s it!  Did you find it easy with EasyPress? Now you are ready to showcase your HTV on canvas. 

Mine will be kept and count in as one of my presents this coming Christmas.

Temperatures Settings on Canvas

As we mentioned earlier, Time, Pressure, and Temperature are the most important factors that you must consider for the graphics transfer to be successful. The values of these factors must be set to the value required for the fabric you have chosen to work with.

Note that the light-colored fabrics are better off with lower temperatures while darker colors will go with higher temperatures. Also, you have to make sure that the canvas is pressed and free of dirt and creases to avoid making your transfer untidy.

Another important thing is to know when to remove the carrier paper. Is it while the vinyl is hot, or when it is already cold?

It can be a bit overwhelming especially when you want to produce a faultless result. But, you don’t need to worry at all as we’re going to look at the correct heat and temperature when applying a heat press to different materials with this quick guide.

  1. Vinyl 
  1. Matte Finish
    • Temperature –285-315 Degrees Fahrenheit
    • Time – 3-12 seconds
    • Pressure – Medium
    • Peel- Hot/Cold
  1. Metallic Finish
  • Temperature –285-320 Degrees Fahrenheit
  • Time – 10-15 seconds
  • Pressure – Medium
  • Peel- do it while the transfer is warm

C. Hologram

  • Temperature –305-315 Degrees Fahrenheit
  • Time – 10-15 seconds
  • Pressure – Medium
  • Peel- when it’s completely cooled off

D. Glitter Design

  • Temperature –315-350 Degrees Fahrenheit
  • Time – 12-15 seconds
  • Pressure – Medium
  • Peel- while it’s hot
  1. Polyester  or Sublimated Fabric 
  • Temperature – 270 °F
  • Time – 10 sec
  • Pressure – medium
  • Peel – when hot
  1. Cotton 
  • Temperature – 380 °F
  • Time – 15 sec
  • Pressure – medium
  • Peel – when hot
  1. Stretchy Material
  • Temperature – 335 °F
  • Time – 12 to 14 seconds
  • Pressure – firm
  • Peel – when cold
  1. Vintage Look
  • Temperature – 350 °F
  • Time – 10 to 12 seconds
  • Pressure – firm
  • Peel – when hot
  1. Full Color
  • Temperature – 350 °F
  • Time – 10 to 12 seconds
  • Pressure – firm
  • Peel – when hot
  1. High-Quality Digital Prints
  • Temperature – 305 °F
  • Time – just around 5 seconds
  • Pressure – medium
  • Peel – when hot 
  1. Reflective Fabrics
  • Temperature – 305 °F
  • Time – 10 to 12 seconds
  • Pressure – firm
  • Peel – when cold
  1. Glow in the Dark Fabrics
  • Temperature: 350 °F
  • Time: 10 to 12 seconds
  • Pressure – firm
  • Peel – when it’s still hot
  1. Stubborn Materials
  • Temperature – 330 °F
  • Time – 15 seconds
  • Pressure – medium
  • Peel – do it while the transfer is hot
  1. Graphic Transfer on Light Garments
  • Temperature – 385 °F
  • Time – 25 to 30 seconds
  • Pressure – firm
  • Peel – when hot
  1. Graphic Transfer on Dark Garments
  • Temperature – 365 °F
  • Time – 25 seconds
  • Pressure – firm
  • Peel – when hot
  1. Multi-Purpose Fabric
  • Temperature – 350 °F
  • Time – 10 to 12 seconds
  • Pressure – medium
  • Peel – when hot

I believe that with the above guidelines you’ll be able to set the correct temperature, time, and pressure accurately as easy as one two three. And remember to use appropriate machine that will transfer your HTV without any glitch.

Design anything the way you wanted to.

Customize shirts for the whole family as a dress up for a celebration.

Turn your summer or spring themed pillowcase into holidays.

What about a fashionable tote bag for your mother? Or make a Bible verse framed canvas as a gift for your grandparents?

Just like other crafters, there are so many crafting ideas running in your mind. 

And with HTV on canvas, everything could easily be turned into artistic creation. 

So what are you waiting for? Indulge yourself.

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