How to “Layer” Heat Transfer Vinyl That’s Not Recommended for Layering
Most Siser® heat transfer vinyl (like our #1 EasyWeed®) can be directly layered right on top of more HTV, but there are a few special products that don’t play nice with others. What do you do with those tricky materials? We recommend the Knock Out Method for best results. This method is good for eliminating bulk and weight in any design, but is vital to a lasting application when it comes to certain Siser HTV such as: Holographic, EasyPatterns®, and Glitter.
If you’ve been following the blog for awhile you may have heard about this method before in the St. Paddy’s Basketball jersey post or the even older polka dot pumpkin t-shirt post, but as I mentioned those posts are pretty dated, but this method is always relevant so it’s a good time for a refresher on the 3 most important points to having success with the knockout method. Check them out below!
Step 1: Set up Your Cut File
For a seamless look, add a small offset to each layer so the edges overlap slightly.
For a more segmented style, you can create a larger offset on the objects and use them to knockout sections so that the gaps appear to be an additional outline color once applied on the garment. I like this style because it allows thicker HTV (like Glitter and Holographic) to have more movement.
Step 2: Select Your Blank

Cotton/Polyester blend shirt from Boxer Craft.
The more cotton in the fabric, the more it will shrink during heat application and the washing process. Shrinking cotton can cause small gaps between layers. That’s why we recommend a small overlap on seamless designs. They account for the shrinking and possible gaps.
If you like this design made with Glitter HTV Black Silver and Red, you can download it for FREE HERE.

Polyester/Viscose blend tank top from Bella+Canvas
If you want to keep the fabric outlines as even as possible with your segmented design, 100% cotton isn’t going to be your best bet. But you could use a polyester/viscose blend like the tank top above!
Do you love this giraffe made with NEW Glitter HTV colors: Ember Orange and Lilac? You can get it for free from Caluya Design here!
Step 3: Use Short Presses
We call short presses anywhere between 1 and 5 seconds “tacks”. With a heat press you can do a 1 second tack, but a home iron or EasyPress will likely need a 3-5 second tack to release the HTV from the plastic carrier. These short presses, reduce the amount of shrinking so your layers line up as planned. When all the colors are applied, place a heat transfer cover sheet on top and press for and additional 5-10 seconds.
Need more tips for layering? Here’s 5 more in this blog post!
Want to watch how the knockout method works? Click the video below!
Keep these 3 tips handy by pinning the image below to Pinterest.
Do you have any videos on the overlay suggestions above? I have never heard of that but have had cuts when there are multiple layers (HTV and permanent vinyl) and there always seems to be a slight gap for some of the layers which is frustrating. I am assuming that could solve all of my problems I have had but again, have no idea what I am doing to do that.
Hi Sarah! Melissa from Silhouette School goes into detail about adding offsets for layering with gaps in this blog post, but the same technique can be done in many design softwares.
I used the wrong terminology.. the offset suggestions is what I am referring to.
Is this can be used to sublimation mug?
Hi Belle! Although you can sublimate on Glitter HTV, we do not recommend applying Glitter HTV to mugs. You could use Siser® EasySubli Inks to sublimate on mugs. One of our authorized distributors shows how it’s done in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EmDRCbVQV4