Reference
Heat press temperature & time chart (HTV, glitter, puff, sublimation, DTF)
The honest caveat: these are sensible starting points, not gospel. The sheet that ships with your vinyl overrides anything on the internet, including us. Different brands, and even different colours in one brand, can vary. Always test on scrap first.
| Material | Temp | Time | Pressure | Peel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard PU HTV | 150 °C / 305 °F | 10–15 s | Medium | Usually warm — check carrier |
| Glitter HTV | 160 °C / 320 °F | 15–20 s | Medium–firm | Warm |
| Puff / 3D vinyl | 150–160 °C | 10–15 s | Medium — don't crush the puff | Hot, immediately |
| Metallic / foil HTV | 140–150 °C | 10–12 s | Medium | Cold |
| Sublimation (polyester) | 190–200 °C / 385 °F | 45–60 s | Light–medium | Remove paper hot, carefully |
| Sublimation (mugs, in tumbler press) | ~190 °C | 150–240 s | Machine-set | — |
| DTF transfers | 150–160 °C | 10–15 s + 5–10 s second press | Firm | Cold (most films) |
| Ready-made HTV patches | 150 °C | 10–15 s | Firm | Cold |
Fabric warnings
- Polyester sportswear: drop to ~130–140 °C and add time — polyester scorches and glosses at cotton temperatures. Look for "low-temp" HTV for performance wear.
- Nylon: difficult. Needs low temperature, short presses, and nylon-rated vinyl; test every time.
- Anything with a waterproof coating: the coating usually wins. Expect failures.
The routine that makes every entry above work better
- Pre-press the blank 3–5 seconds (flattens, dries).
- Press with a PTFE sheet over the carrier.
- Peel per the vinyl's instruction — hot means now, cold means walk away.
- Second press 5 seconds over baking paper to seal edges.
- Wait 24 h before first wash.
Presets remove half this thinking: the Auto Heat Press 2 stores profiles for HTV, sublimation, DTF and puff so you're not re-deriving numbers every session.