When the press is ready and you are happy with your layout, open up the heat press. Taking great care not to touch the heated top plate, lay out your fabric on the lower plate. Take the time to make sure that it is flat and that the area to be printed on is in the right place.

Then place your transfer on top, facing down. If you have a swinger heat-press, slide the plates together, being careful not to dislodge either the fabric or the transfer. With the timer set, pull the handle to close the lid and click it into place. If the handle is not clicked tightly, then the pressure will not be right.

When the heat press beeps to let you know it’s ready, open it up. Carefully start to pull the transfer away from the fabric. If it starts to pull then it has not stuck properly, so close the lid and give it a little more time. The transfer should pull away easily, leaving all of the patterns on the fabric.

Remove your item and the press is ready for the next one. Don’t wash your item for at least 24 hours, as it can take this long for the colors to lock firmly in place.

It’s a good idea to do a test press first so you can adjust any settings before you print for real. Either use an old t-shirt or piece of paper so that you can check for any design faults in your pattern.

As you get more experienced with how to use a heat press, you can start to work on different items. These can be personalized family gifts or items to sell for a business. Just some of the things you can use your heat press for are:

Family t-shirts, t-shirts or sweatshirts for a sports team, or even for selling your own original range of t-shirts.

Household linen can be created for the home or to sell. You can use your heat press for cushion covers, pillowcases, and tea towels.

With the right heat press and the right materials, you can create your own mouse mats.

Purses, bags and makeup bags can give you an original idea to start your own small business.

School caps or caps for sports teams can be printed on as well.

You can even print on to mugs, but it’s best to check your heat press first. If you plan to do this, it may be worth investing in a special mug heat press.