Heat Transfer Vinyl and Logo

Reflective HTV is a three-layer film: a PET carrier liner, a layer of micro glass beads and a hot-melt adhesive. The beads return light to its source, so the graphic reads as an ordinary print by day and lights up under headlights or a torch. It is cut on a vinyl cutter, weeded, then pressed onto the garment — no sewing, no trim. The materials are PVC-free and heavy-metal-free, in line with Oeko-Tex Standard 100.

Iron-on tape bonds micro glass beads to a heat-activated PES or TPU adhesive instead of a fabric backing. It is slit into strips and pressed onto the garment, or pressed onto webbing and tricot first and then sewn on. The practical difference is the stitch line: sew-on tape puts needle holes through the reflective face, iron-on tape does not — which is why it is used on waterproof shells and stretch panels.

A heat press for logos, numbers and stripe sections; a heated roll laminator for continuous webbing, oxford or tricot tape; a fusing machine for large cut parts where a flat press cannot reach. A domestic iron is only sensible for samples — it cannot hold pressure across the piece, so the bond will not represent production.

Three settings, and all three have to be right: temperature above the adhesive melt point, dwell time long enough for the adhesive to reach that temperature through the stack, and enough pressure to push the adhesive into the weave and squeeze the air out. Dwell time means time under the platen, not platen travel.

Peel the adhesive-side liner only — leave the reflective-side liner on. Place the film adhesive-side down and press at the settings for the grade. Let the piece cool to room temperature, then lift one corner of the reflective liner and pull at 180° in one continuous motion; pausing leaves marks on the reflective face.

Measure with a micrometer: the adhesive layer and the fabric separately before pressing, the combined stack after. At least 40 µm of adhesive penetrating into the fabric is the practical threshold for a sound bond. Confirm with a wash test to EN ISO 6330 — for certified builds the reflectivity after washing has to stay above 100 cd/(lx·m²).

Almost always temperature too low or dwell too short, so the adhesive never fully melted into the weave. Raise the temperature and extend the dwell, then re-test on the same fabric. If the fabric is heat-sensitive and cannot take more heat, switch to a low-melt grade rather than pressing longer at a temperature the adhesive cannot use.

Insufficient line pressure. It shows up first on embroidery edges, thick seams and multi-layer panels, where the surface is not flat. Increase pressure and, where possible, avoid pressing across a seam. Automatic continuous presses usually need more pressure than the setting a manual press needed for the same graphic.

The press was hot enough to melt the carrier film itself. Drop the temperature, or fix the film at the recommended temperature for a few seconds, pull the paper liner, then press again at the higher temperature with a cotton sheet over the reflective face. A sticky-liner grade also avoids the problem on intricate cuts.

Not recommended. An overlap doubles the adhesive thickness at the joint and the edge of the top piece is the first place to lift. If the design cannot avoid it, use the water-repellent grade, raise the pressure and extend the dwell, and test the joint specifically rather than the flat area.

Yes. Send the base fabric — the actual production lot, not a swatch from a different batch — and the grade is tested on it, washed, and checked for adhesion and residual reflectivity. Stretch, waterproof and FR fabrics behave differently enough that a test on the real substrate is the only reliable answer.