eat press decoration, especially direct-to-film transfers, can be incredibly rewarding and lucrative, but common inefficiencies can slow you down and frustrate your workflow. Whether you’re an experienced decorator or just getting started, our 10 tips will help you streamline your process, eliminate common time-wasters, and increase your productivity.

How to Avoid These 10 Heat-Pressing Time-Wasters

When decorating wholesale apparel for clients, every second counts. Efficient heat-pressing operations can mean the difference between a successful, profitable shop and one that struggles to keep up with demand. By identifying and addressing the biggest time wasters in your process, you can improve your workflow, reduce stress and ultimately increase your bottom line.

Time-Waster #1: Not Being Organized

It’s a smart idea to stage everything you need, like t-shirts, transfers, inserts, packaging, and labels, for the next day’s orders.

“If you’re only running the machines, you’re flying. But if you need to keep stopping to find something, it’s a big liability.”
‍- Marshall Atkinson, business consultant at Atkinson Consulting and publisher of the Midjourney Experience

Instead, you or your production manager should print out a list of the next day’s jobs and manage staffers who’ll gather and bring the blanks, transfers, and more to each workstation. “It’s super-easy to get a lot done, but you need to get organized the day before,” he says.  

Create a mobile workstation.

Cora Kromer, owner of Opulen Artis Inc., follows this organizational protocol by setting up her permanent workstation with everything she needs right in arm’s reach. This includes a rolling cart with her blank tees and bags and shelves for transfers right next to her presses. She hangs her T-square and other measuring devices on hooks on the heat-press carts.

Keep frequently used tools close by.

She also keeps other tools like scissors, hard plastic squeegees, and cooling metal discs within reach on other shelves. Finally, she has a separate table and cart for her finished items that are ready to ship. She also gangs up designs as much as possible on transfer paper to save wasted film space and money per transfer. “Once I start pressing, I don’t need to move very far to process the entire order,” she says.

Organize your transfers.

Another organizational issue decorators deal with is the correct numbering on jerseys, especially when you’re pressing them upside down.

“Numbers like 3, 6, and 9 can easily be mixed up, leading to errors. Additionally, not having jerseys in order for numbering causes further issues.”
- Liz Hennings, owner of Fast Track Products

Hennings recommends stacking all transfers and jerseys according to a production sheet and highlighting each one as you go. This method helps to keep track of the numbering process and avoid mistakes. She also separates shirts for color changes prior to starting the pressing, ensuring a smooth workflow.

Time-Waster #2: Finding the Time to Cut Transfers

Cutting apart transfers from a gang sheet can be one of the most time-consuming tasks in heat press operations. Hennings addresses this by cutting enough transfers to get started and then continuing to cut in between pre-press and final pressing. She also folds her shirts to press a center seam for alignment, ensuring that there’s always a blank ready to go onto the press.

Additionally, Hennings organizes all her artwork gang sheet information when quoting the order. This way, she knows exactly how many images she has and what all her costs are, allowing her to send in the order to be made promptly when it comes in.

“Ninja Mike,” founder and CEO of custom heat-transfer specialist Ninja Transfers, recommends cutting your transfers as part of your pre-press process rather than as you go. In addition, to save time, transfer companies like Ninja Transfers will pre-cut your transfers before they ship to you for a small fee.

Time-Waster #3: Waiting for the Press to Heat Up

One of the most time-consuming aspects is waiting for your heat press to reach the desired temperature.

“Using DTF transfers streamlines the process significantly. Their clear film backing ensures precise placement every time, reducing errors. The end result is a professional-quality product that rivals traditional screen printing in almost every way.”
- Ninja Mike,founder and CEO of Ninja Transfers

Time-Waster #4: Only Pressing Your Transfer Once

Ninja Mike sees many DTF transfer manufacturers advising decorators to only press their DTF transfer once.

“This is a mistake because performing a second press increases durability, reduces shine, and further integrates the print into the garment, greatly improving the hand feel. Pressing twice results in quality, which is more important than speed because it’s how you win the customer for the long term.”
- Ninja Mike, founder and CEO of Ninja Transfers

Time-Waster #5: Not Peeling Transfers Quickly Enough

Ninja Mike recommends installing pressurized air blowers to enable you to peel almost immediately. But even if you don’t have an air compressor, you can still move quickly.

“When pressing five pieces or more, the best method to produce quickly is to press the product and stack it with the transfer unpeeled. Then come back around and peel the now-cooled-down transfers and finish with your final press. This efficient method should enable you to save about 15 seconds per garment, which adds up quickly!”
- Ninja Mike, founder and CEO of Ninja Transfers

Decorators say cold-peel transfers take more steps and time to adhere than hot- or warm-peels.

“If I have to cool a warm- or cold-peel transfer down, I use a cold metal disc with a handle to rub on the transfer before peeling the plastic sheet off because this helps cool down the transfer faster.”
- Cora Kromer, owner of Opulen Artis Inc.

She also uses silicone baker sheets to do a second pressing to bring a shirt texture to the transfer. “This helps with transfer adhesion and gives a matte finish,” she says. Kromer also uses a hard plastic squeegee to rub the transfer into the t-shirt fabric before she peels off the plastic after pressing the first time. “This helps small details adhere better to the fabric,” she says.

Time-Waster #6: Trying to Press “Crooked Shirts”

When dealing with improperly sewn shirts, it can be incredibly difficult to align them correctly for transfers. “One of our biggest time-wasters is shirts that are sewn crookedly,” says Jennie Livezey, owner of Z Shirts Custom Printing. “That makes it really difficult to do front designs and put names and numbers straight on the back.”

To avoid this, source your shirts from reputable manufacturers known for consistent and precise sewing standards. This reduces the chances of encountering misaligned shirts. Before applying the transfer, you can pre-press the shirt to remove any wrinkles and flatten the fabric for a smooth surface that makes alignment easier.

Time-Waster #7: Struggling to Center Transfers on Garments

Here are two tips to help you quickly and accurately place your transfer on your garment or item, ensuring you don’t waste time and money redoing it:

Use measurement tools:

“By using a t-shirt alignment tool, you can more confidently and quickly align the transfer in the correct location on the garment on the press,” Ninja Mike says. Then, simply lightly mark the shirts with chalk or washable markers to indicate the centerline and alignment points. These marks can guide you in accurately placing the transfer.‍

Press a “seam” in your shirt first:

‍Use adjustable platens on your heat-press machine. This allows you to make minor adjustments to the shirt's position, helping in aligning the transfer correctly. “You can also fold the shirt in half and do a quick press with the platen,” Hennings says. “Then, line up the center seam when you put the t-shirt on the press.”

Time-Waster #8: Struggling with Tricky Materials

Most of the time, your heat press settings remain the same regardless of color or product. “But with synthetic fabrics such as nylon and spandex, while they can generally accept the same settings, you should first test them to understand the correct settings before starting so you don’t scorch the garments,” Ninja Mike says. His company’s standard settings (315°F for 15 seconds with firm pressure) usually work for all fabric types.

However, use a protective guard sheet for delicate fabrics to protect the garment itself and use less pressure and/or about 15 degrees less heat. “Remember, you can’t ruin the transfer from pressing it too many times, so if it’s not pressing perfectly, lay it back down and press again,” Ninja Mike says,

Time-Waster #9: Not Having Specific Directions at the Ready

Atkinson points out that many shops press the same types of transfers on the same blanks day in and day out. “But what happens when you get PVC transfers that require different temperatures and pressures?” he says.

“We slow down at the press when we’re not sure. We shouldn’t be figuring out how to press a transfer when the job has to ship.”
‍- Marshall Atkinson, business consultant at Atkinson Consulting and host of the Success Stories Podcast

Create a chart for each station detailing the optimal temperature, pressure, and other recommendations for ensuring the best adherence to fabric for various types of transfers.

Time-Waster #10: Not Optimizing Your Press Operation

Atkinson recommends looking at your current heat press setup to see where you can streamline it. “How can you press more items in a day?” he says. “By planning in advance and getting organized, you can have the fastest machine on the planet.”

Take a look at upgrading your equipment.

For example, a dual-fusion heat press features two heat platens, allowing an operator to press two items simultaneously. This dual functionality can significantly reduce production time since you can set up one item while you’re pressing another, creating a continuous workflow.

Dual-fusion heat presses are ideal for high-volume production environments and can reduce your production time by half.

“The best machine purchase I’ve made is a semi-automatic dual heat press. It’s been a huge time saver! I’ll never touch a clamshell press again for bulk production.”
‍- Angie Stone, owner of Bling For Everybody

Try new heat press accessories.

Another tool is a Tag Along platen – a specialized heat press attachment that allows for pressing a front transfer and neck label simultaneously. “This cuts production time by up to 50% by reducing the need for multiple presses,” Atkinson says.

In her shop, Kromer uses two heat transfers at the same time. She also has several heat presses dedicated to certain types of blanks, so she doesn’t need to constantly change them to fit different items. “I recommend using a quality heat press with even temperatures and pressure,” she says. “I also try to use the best quality transfers to avoid ink and adhesive issues.”

Time to Start Pressing Faster Than Ever Before

Upping your heat-press game is about more than just technical skill — it's about efficiency and smart workflow management. By implementing these 10 expert tips, you can avoid common time-wasters and keep your production line running smoothly. Streamlined operations boost your productivity and ensure that your customers receive high-quality products on time, every time. Happy pressing!

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