Tips and Tricks for Working with Holographic Heat Transfer Vinyl

Sparkly, shiny, and oh so many colors in just 1 sheet! Holographic HTV dazzles, but don’t let it blind you from these tips and tricks! Available in crystal and regular (and a special pearl!), there are so many gorgeous options to choose from. You can view them all on the Siser App!

No one wants to waste this stellar HTV, so keep scrolling for 6 need to know tips and tricks for working with Holographic!

Holographic silver crystal on the left and Holographic gold on the right.

1. Mat Maintenance

A clean mat is a happy mat! Even the smallest scraps of HTV or a loose hair can upset the blade’s path. Ensure your mat is free of debris before cutting to get the best results.

Use a squeegee or a credit card to remove tiny bits of debris from the cutting mat.

If your mat is older and starting to lose it’s stick you may need to do a little more maintenance. Check out this video for renewing your Scan N Cut Mats and this post for your Cricut and Silhouette mats.

Place the super shiny side of Holographic face down on the cutting mat.

Also keep in mind, that the more you cut in one area the more worn that part of the mat will be, so don’t be afraid to switch it up! Load the mat in backwards, put the HTV towards the bottom, left, or wherever you haven’t cut in a while.

2. A Piercing Cut

While Holographic HTV may appear to be as thin as EasyWeed™ heat transfer vinyl  we actually consider it to be a thick material because of how rigid it is. So just like Glitter and StripFlock®, Holographic needs a longer blade depth and heavier pressure when cutting. The blade needs to be able to pierce the material to form clean cut lines. Without good cut lines the material can split into two layers while weeding.

Holographic is made of two layers: the foil material and adhesive backing. With bad cut lines the two layers will split.

Our recommended cut settings for the Brother Scan N Cut, Silhouette Cameo, and Cricut Explore Air can be found on the website. Keep in mind everyone’s blade is different, so depending on if yours is older or newer you may need to adjust the settings. Here’s what you need to look for to adjust your settings on the Scan N Cut, Silhouette, or Cricut.

3. Visible Cut Lines

If you can’t see cut lines after unloading the mat, you’re likely to run into the problem we discussed above. They can be difficult to see on Holographic, but if you shift and bend the material in good lighting they become noticeable.

If you can see cut lines on the face of the material then you know your blade was deep enough and you got a good cut.

 4. Holographic HTV  ≠ EasyWeed HTV

Weeding Holographic is a completely different animal than EasyWeed HTV. With EasyWeed I usually snag a corner with my Weeder and pull that piece until it either stretches and breaks or I follow it throughout the design in 1 big piece. However, since Holographic is so rigid my method is a little different.

Poke the Weeder in the corner and roll the tool back to begin peeling up material. Once the corner is lifted, slide the weeder underneath the edge. This allows you to get a hold of a large chunk of the material and peel it away in a larger portion. You’ll most likely ended up with several extra pieces weeded off, but this method usually allows me to remove larger sections, and therefore less pieces.

5. Apply Hot, Peel Cold

When it comes to heat applying Holographic HTV, the rules are pretty simple. Apply with 320°F of heat for 15-20 seconds. Wait until the carrier is cold to the touch before peeling it away. To speed up the cooling process, rub the garment on a table or glass window and it will help dissipate the heat.

If you want to make a multi color design, Holographic should always be the top layer. But what if you wanted to make a design with 2 materials that should only be top layers, like Glitter and Holographic? It’s possible! You’ll just need to create your artwork a bit different.

6. Overcut for Faux Stones

Holographic HTV looks amazing on it’s own, but turning it into faux rhinestones takes it to the next level! If you thought a good cut was important before, well now it’s even more critical.

When each “stone” is cut the blade starts and stops at the same point on the circle. If the blade isn’t piercing deeply enough you can end up with a teeny tiny piece of HTV that’s still connected to the sheet of material and the faux stone. During weeding, the stone will lift up with the weeded portion instead of sticking to the carrier.

You can guarantee the full circle is cut (and then some!) by adjusting your cut settings. In Silhouette Studio, select your material and then click the Edit option.

Next, check the Line Segment Overcut box. This will tell your blade to cut the circle all the way around and then a little past the starting point. It’s not quite a double cut since the blade doesn’t cut two full passes, but it does enough to ensure the faux stone is fully cut away from the sheet of material.

You can select this setting in Sure Cuts A Lot as well. Simply add a .25 mm overcut to your settings before sending it. Currently, the Brother Scan N Cut and Cricut Design Space do not have an overcut option.

Now that your armed with these tips, go out and make some eye catching designs!

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We love to see what you create with Holographic HTV! Use #SiserNA on your photos and we might just give you a shout out!