Heat Press Tips for Rhinestone Transfers

An essential tool for working with hotfix rhinestones is your heat press.

If you do not have a dedicated heat press, don’t worry! A heat press is included with the upgraded Brush-N-Bake hotfix Rhinestone Decorating System from Colman and Company!

The Brush-N-Bake Rhinestone Decorating System is an excellent way to grow your business by adding hotfix rhinestones to all types of garments and products. This easy-to-use hotfix rhinestone system allows you to design and create a beautiful, sparkly and high-profit product line.

Hotfix Rhinestones are the hottest trend in garment decoration. Embroidery, direct to garment and screen-printing shops that carry hotfix rhinestones can jazz up items for all sorts of customers: cheer squads, elementary through high school teams, moms, students, families and more. Not only does it provide additional options for your clients, but it an ideal add-on to existing sales.

T-shirts, hoodies, cell phone cases, helmets, even car windows and bumper stickers can see a touch of elegance and fun with hotfix rhinestones! The basic Brush-N-Bake system has everything you need to get started, including StickyFlock Transfer Material, a Graphtec CE6000-40 Cutter, Sierra’s Hotfix Era Software and Hotfix Rhinestones from Colman and Company.

The Brush-N-Bake system is also available as an upgrade, adding another essential tool for working with hotfix rhinestones: the Geo Knight JP-14 Heat Press with 12″ X 14″ Platen. This gives your shop the added convenience of a dedicated heat press for hotfix rhinestones. Some business owners really are seeking a premium heat press that can work with your business no matter how big you grow, if that’s you, check out the Hotronix Fusion Heat Press.

If you want to add a new heat press, or have an existing press in your shop, there are several helpful hints to help get the best-looking designs with hotfix rhinestones:

• When lining up a shirt on the heat press platen, make sure collar tags are not off-center. Use the underarm area as a way to center your shirt on top of the platen. Check alignment again with the bottom of the shirt. This will give you three reference points to align the shirt correctly.

• Always have a lint roller near. Boxed shirts usually come with lint or extra threads from the manufacturing process. These loose strands can affect applying hotfix rhinestones. Simply remove them with a quick pass of the lint roller.

• Garments decorated with hotfix rhinestones needs particular care to keep them looking their best. Provide a copy of care instructions to your customer for the specific garment fabric.

• Metal zippers hold up well on a heat press, plastic zippers do not. Make sure all plastic zippers, buttons snaps avoid touching the heat press directly.  Plastic will melt under pressure and heat of the press.

• A rubber floor mat placed under your feet will help with static electricity, especially if your heat press is in a carpeted area. The rubber mat will diminish shocks.

• For a hotfix rhinestone decorating business, saving time is critical. To shave a few minutes off the workflow, keep a 16″x20″ Nomex Heat Pad placed on the lower platen, instead of inserting it into a shirt. Place the shirt right on top of the pad and pull it under the arms to straighten it on the platen.

• If you have a cap press, like the Geo Knight DK7 4×7 Cap Press, it is not just for caps! Use it to press hotfix rhinestones on a variety of small areas and items, like polo and golf shirt pockets, shorts, small shirts for infants and toddlers, clothing for small dogs and more.

• To slide garments on and off the heat press easily and applying heat faster and easier, cover the bottom platen with a 16″ X 20″ Teflon Wrap.  Teflon Wrap helps you in keep the bottom rubber-covered platen free of sticky stuff. The wrap can work alone or along with the Nomex Heat Pad to help support the wrap, allowing you to work with uneven surfaces or variable depths of different sized hotfix rhinestones.

Some other application tips for hotfix rhinestones on a heat press

• Each material acts a little differently on a heat press. Always read and follow application instructions for each material you use.

• Transfer paper is easier to peel off the garment when you open your press if you fold over a corner (think a dog-eared page in a book).

• For the highest quality application of hotfix rhinestones, it helps to preheat your garment. Preheating also removes moisture and wrinkles.

Starting your own hotfix rhinestone decorating business is easy, with the Brush-N-Bake Hotfix Rhinestone Decorating System. For more details, visit www.ColmanAndCompany.com or call 800-891-1094 today.

Do you have some tips for heat pressing hotfix rhinestone designs? Let us know in the comments below!