How To Print Aprons With Your Heat Press | Videos

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Hey friends, Dave here with Transfer Express and today, we’re talking about using your heat press to print aprons!

Not only are aprons easy to print with custom screen printed or digital transfers, but they’re also a profitable item to decorate. We’ll talk about what to look for when selecting blank aprons, where to get them and what types of transfers you can use, then of course, we’ll print one… so are you ready? Let’s get to it!

Aprons are great for apparel decorators. Not only are they needed for cafes, bakeries and coffee shops, but you’ll find aprons in a lot of workplaces, from workshops to healthcare, art studios and anywhere in the service industry.

Custom decorated aprons give those businesses a great branded uniform for the crew to wear, and protect their own clothes.

Aprons are awesome for apparel decorators because #1, they’re super easy to print with any heat press, and #2, printed aprons are affordable for most businesses, and #3, they can lead to some profit for you, in high or even in low quantities (more on those low quantities later).

Now, wholesale aprons typically are available in 100% cotton twill or poly cotton blends, typically around 50/50 or 60/40… which is great because they’re not too heat sensitive. 100% cotton aprons, like the A500 from Port Authority I have here today can be printed with our Goof Proof screen printed transfers no problem, taking a 365 degree temperature just like a t-shirt does- no press marks or scorching.

One thing to be very mindful of, are any water-resistant coatings or stain repellents applied to the fabric. Many wholesale sites won’t carry these styles, but it’s important to check the description, because these will give you a hard time with any decoration method other than embroidery.

I mentioned our Goof Proof screen printed transfers being an awesome choice for printing on aprons, and pretty much almost anything else, but, for our example today, since we’re printing some smaller quantities and more than 3 colors in designs, we’re going to use our UltraColor Max, direct to film transfers. One of the best features of the UltraColor Max is there is no minimum quantity, and they can be ordered as single images or groups of artwork also known as a gang sheet, like we have here. The maximum size is 22" x 22”- which only costs around $29 at the simplified 6 cents per square inch pricing.

Here we just grouped our artwork all together on one sheet for a few different businesses, all sharing one low print cost. This is super easy to do in Easy View online designer. You can upload and group your artwork together, or even design online using thousands of customizable layouts, clipart and fonts.

UltraColor Max really is a great low-cost affordable option for not only low quantities, but prototyping and samples to wow your customers.

Alright, enough talk, what are we waiting for?! Let’s print our apron. All we have to do is cut our ready-to-apply design out from this sheet, and head back to our heat press.

UltraColor Max applies at 290°F for 15seconds with a hot peel.

Make sure to keep seams, straps and any obstructions off of the printing area. Check to ensure thin seams are flat to not affect pressure. You can use a mousepad to raise the print area away from grommets, thick seams, and pockets.

And that’s it, our apron is applied and looks fantastic! Whether using screen printed transfers like Goof Proof, or these UltraColor Max transfers, they will last wash after wash. They’ve been independently tested to 50+ wash/dry cycles to ensure your prints will look great day in and day out.

Of course, here at Transfer Express, we’re rolling out helpful tips for all apparel decorators every week, so be sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel to stay up to date on the new videos we’re dropping every single week! Until next time, I’m Dave - happy pressing!