How to Apply a Logo to a Nylon Duffel Bag

In your HTV business, you know there’s many customers to please. Sometimes a customer’s main focus is the overall cost. Other times the customer is willing to sacrifice a lower cost for a more vibrant or detailed finished product. It’s important to know how you can manipulate your artwork to offer 1 color or 2 color designs for your variety of consumers.

Take this team sport logo for example. In the first Design Space file the words and shark are attached, but they are not attached to the background, so when I send the design to cut you can see I have two mats for two colors and two heat transfers. In the second Design Space file the background is attached to the foreground, so I will only have to send my artwork to the Cricut Explore Air once and I’ll only have 1 transfer to press. To attach objects in Cricut Design Space hold shift while selecting multiple objects then go to the Layers panel on the right and select Attach.

Always mirror your image and text before cutting Siser HTV

Don’t forget to check the “Mirror Image (for iron on)” box!

Since I’m applying the shark sports logo to a nylon duffel bag, I used EasyWeed Extra. The “Iron On” setting worked for me, but if you’re looking to dial your settings in for another material visit this post. After the Cricut cuts the HTV I can begin weeding. For a 1 color design you can weed regularly, first removing the cavities and peeling away the outer excess afterwards.

Weeding a 1 color design is different because it uses the color of the material it’s being pressed on to complete the design. So you won’t weed the cavities from letters (like inside the A and R), but you’ll weed away the actual letters.

There are benefits to both designs.

1 Color
-Cost effective: less material used, less blade wear incurred
-Labor effective: quicker cutting, weeding, and pressing
-Most Lightweight on the finished item

2 Color
-More Color Options
-More Texture and Finish Options
-Able to Mark Up Price

It all depends on what your customer is looking for! Heat transfer vinyl is perfect for making quick mock ups, so let’s see how the 1 color designs compares to the 2 color on this nylon duffel bag. Begin by setting your heat press to 305°F. Depending on your duffel bag there may be a waterproof coating on the inside. This coating can melt under high heat, and you’ll need to consider that before you begin heat application. If you’re very concerned you can try lowering the temperature to 280°F and press for 10-15 seconds with additional 2 second increments until the vinyl is adhered.

However, don’t press until you know you’ve ensured proper pressure. Duffel bags have lots of zippers, straps, buckles, and inner pockets that cause an uneven surface which in turn causes improper pressure. To work around those attachments, first thread the duffel bag onto the lower platen. Threading means the top of the bag lies on the upper platen while the bottom of the bag hangs underneath. Next, grab a couple mouse pads. I stacked 2 mouse pads beneath my application area. Press around the edges to make sure the elevated area clears all stitching and other boundaries.

Now I can center the 1 color transfer with the tacky side of the carrier down. Cover the application area with a heat transfer cover sheet and press for 10 seconds. Peel the carrier hot for quickest production or you can peel it cold if you prefer to press large batches at a time and peel the carriers later.

For a 2 color design center the background layer first and press for 1 second then peel the carrier hot.

Next place the foreground layer. Be sure to cover your HTV with a heat transfer cover sheet when ever you layer materials. The cover sheet protects the HTV that’s been applied and no longer has a cover sheet. Without a cover sheet the background layer would melt to the upper platen. Press the second color for 1 second and remove the carrier to avoid leaving an impression from the carrier on the background layer. Cover the HTV with a heat transfer cover sheet and press for 10 seconds to finish it off.

You can see how the 1 color design offers a similar effect to the 2 color, but shows off the textured nylon fabric in the negative spaces.

Just 1 color (white EasyWeed Extra) necessary to decorate this nylon duffel bag with an awesome logo

While the 1 color design has a cool finish because of the textured nylon, not all fabrics will have colors or finishes that fit your customer’s needs. This is why 2 color designs are also a great option. You can offer all kinds of finishes (think pearlescent, glitter, and fuzzy.) Plus in nylon cases like this, as long as the bottom layer is EasyWeed Extra the top layer can be anything from the EasyWeed family. That gives you a lot more colors to choose from including our 8 new EasyWeed Stretch colors!