How to Prevent Dye Migration and Heat Press Marks on HTV

Did you ever put white HTV on a red shirt or other surface only for the HTV to turn pink or press a shirt only to be left with a giant pressing mark? Those are known as dye migration and heat press marks.  Heat Transfer Vinyl can do this..and it's intensified the higher the heat and the longer the press.

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.

Today I'm sharing the easiest way to avoid lasting pressing marks and dye migration with HTV.

Both dye migration and heat press marks are caused by applying heat and pressure to certain color surfaces.  Neon HTV and certain dark color surfaces such as red, blue, or black intensify the dye migration. You likely won't notice it right away, but over time you'll see the dye migration come through.  Higher temperatures and longer press times can also make the dye migration and press marks worse.

Sometimes dye migration shows as small spots like this...which is sometimes mistaken for mildew. 

Other times the ink of a darker surface will sort of show through a lighter color HTV...which is why you may get a pink-toned HTV when you apply white onto a red surface.

One way to reduce both dye migration on heat transfer vinyl and pressing marks is to lower the temperature and reduce the press time. But how do you do that when the HTV requires a certain temperature and press time to get a good press?

Usually that heat press mark fades, but sometimes it's still visible. I often see people suggesting the only way to get rid of it is to press the entire shirt or towel so the color changes across the entire surface.

The answer is you use an HTV like Thermoflex Turbo or Subliblock Turbo which can be applied at a lower temperature for a very short amount of time. Both Thermoflex Turbo and Thermoflex Subliblock Turbo only require the heat to be at 270 degrees for 5 seconds.

The lower temperature helps prevent or extremely limit the heat press marks. That makes ThermoFlex Turbo, which comes in a 31 colors, great for colored cotton, uncoated polyester, fabric blends and even spandex and lycra.

Subliblock Turbo is specifically for performance polyesters like moisture wicking sports tanks.

It comes in eight colors - specifically neons - which are prone to dye migration as shown above. The low heat and quick press discourage dye migration (as well as heat press marks).

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