Tips for Keeping Siser® Materials in Good Condition
During the Summer Months
Right now in Michigan the weather has been averaging 85-93°F with the humidity near 66%. Needless to say….
Don’t get me wrong, I love this weather! This kind of weather makes me want to go hang out by the pool or the beach, go on a boat, have a barbecue, and just enjoy the outdoors. Then I think one of my favorite moments is that feeling of being soaked in sweat from running around outdoors in the heat, to walking into my air-conditioned house. You know…
This made me start to think about how the temperature can also have a direct affect on our heat transfer vinyl.
When storing your rolls or sheets of Siser® HTV, you are going to want to make sure they are placed in a dry area that can be climate controlled. Room temperature is averaged out at about 70°F. This is the ideal temperature we suggest for the storage of our materials. We don’t suggest exceeding 75-80°F for your room temperature.
“What happens to the materials when it starts to exceed 80°F?” you ask?
Now this will all vary on your humidity/moisture level in the room as well as if you have the material exposed to direct sunlight. What I mean by “direct sunlight” is having your material right next to a window where the sun may be beaming directly on it. Even though your thermostat may say 70°F, having the heat of the sun directly on the material will cause the adhesive to slowly start activating. Once the adhesive starts activating, it will begin to weaken its durability when applied to your garment. You may not tangibly notice a difference on the roll, which will be due to the adhesive liquefying under the heat of the sun and then back to a solid within the time you get the roll to your cutter.
The other major attribute to consider is the materials with our pressure sensitive carrier (the EasyWeed® family, Glitter, etc). What may happen when too much heat/moisture is exposed to these pressure sensitive materials is the vinyl will begin to prematurely fall off of the carrier. This will cause issues when you go to cut on your roll or sheet of vinyl. This is essentially the theory of our “Heat Press Trick” by warming up the carrier to make your weeding process even easier. This is all good when you go to weed your transfer, but can cause problems if it’s falling off when you are cutting the material. The vinyl may start waving as the blade of your cutter moves across it, causing a bad cut with your design, or bunching up and potentially causing a motor error for your cutter. If the adhesive of the carrier is manipulated badly, your design may not even stay on the carrier for you to press with.
This same concern includes our TTD Easy Mask and TTD High Tack Mask for our print and cut materials. These masks are strictly pressure sensitive materials that are tools to mask your digital transfer and act as the carrier. If these masks are subjected to too much heat/moisture it will deplete the stickiness on the polyester. The big problem with that is it will make it very difficult, or even impossible, to get your print and cut material to bond with the mask. To avoid these issues, let the mask come to room temperature (70°F or below) before using. If you’re still having trouble with the adhesive, place the mask in a fridge or freezer for 5-10 minutes.
These are all vital things to remember when you go to store your Siser HTV. We all need the sun in our lives, and we all enjoy the warmth…..but sometimes it can act as the “Heat Miser” for our materials.
If you have any questions or concerns about this, please feel free to leave them in the comment section here! :)
I can control the environment for my HTV once I receive it. I worry that my HTV may suffer extreme heat en route to me from my supplier. I live in South Alabama where it’ could be 90° in the shade during the summer. I order HTV from a distributor in California So I assume the vinyl is transported on a cargo plane and then a UPS van before it reaches my doorstep. I have experienced problems with the carrier sheet releasing during the weeding process and then the cut HTV will not stick to the carrier sheet. As an end user, is there anything I can do to get better performance from my HTV?
Hi Lynn, when your HTV is delivered bring it inside and let it come to room temperature over a 24 hour period. I know most customers can’t wait to use the material the second it arrives, but allowing the heat transfer vinyl to acclimatize will yield the best cutting and application results.
What about cold temp?
Hi Catrena! Ideal storage is room temperature (70°F or below) with 50% humidity or less for greatest longevity. Colder temps will create a more aggressive bond between the carrier and the vinyl which can make weeding difficult. It’s recommended to let all materials come to room temperature before working with them.
Can you use a light mist of prospray on carrier to keep vinyl adhered for cutting or is the adhesive sided the HTV too damaged to then stick to shirts properly?
Hi! I do my best to answer all comments thoroughly, but I’m having difficulty fully understanding the issue you’re trying to resolve. Can you please clarify what prospray is and the process you’d be using it with HTV?
ProSpray is basically a temporary bonding spray (I use if for dye sublimation to adhere the paper to the substrate). It has a tack that gets the vinyl to adhere to the carrier, then release when heat is applied (pressed). I’ve tried it and it seems to work, but wanted to make sure if that if the carrier separates that doesn’t necessarily mean the vinyl adhesive is bad. Does that help the explanation? Sorry if confusing…
The HTV is still usable even if the carrier mask is releasing as long as the vinyl is not discolored or exhibiting signs of deterioration. Pro spray will likely have no adverse effects on the adhesive side of the vinyl. If you’re finding that the spray doesn’t effect the appearance of the vinyl, you should be fine to continue, however keep in mind the spray may have possible discoloring effects on certain vinyls.
I just thinking about this topic this week. I was also thinking of how long does the HTV and the other vinyls last or good for? I don’t storage where there is direct natural light. We keep a humidifier on year around. So how are they good for? TIA
Yessenia, Siser materials can have an indefinite shelf life depending on how they are stored. The optimal conditions for storage are to keep the materials away from direct sunlight, in a cool, dry area. Temperature should be below 72° F/ 22° C but above 32° F/ 0° C and humidity should be no more than 50%.
My customer has a door that opens into a 3 season room. She is wanting a design on the door. While it will never see sunlight, it will be subjected to cold and heat. Will HTV stay through the seasons?
Teresa, heat transfer vinyl is not really recommended for decorating a hard door. If you made a banner or wall hanging for the door it could be decorated with HTV. However, if you’re looking to decorate the actual door’s surface then I’d suggest using a permanent sign vinyl.
I’m having issues with the HTV Easy Weed Stretch. On areas of the graphic that have sharp points, etc. when I’m weeding, the part that shouldn’t come off the backing is! It appears that the blade doesn’t complete the cut to the point. I’ve tried new blades, different pressures, etc. on my Cricut and it still does this. I don’t have this issue with Siser Easy Weed that isn’t stretch. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Dave, sorry to hear you’re having troubles! With intricate/fine detail artwork sometimes EasyWeed Stretch can benefit from a slower speed setting that prevents the blade from bouncing and leaving unfinished cuts. Unfortunately, the Cricut does not have a setting that allows you to slow down the speed, so you may want to use an exact knife as you weed to finish the cut at the point.
My house recently flooded and the movers had everything in storage while we were undergoing repairs. I live in Houston where it’s hot and I wasn’t home to move my htv upstairs instead of it being stored with everything else. I recently made shirts with smooth Siser and last night made a shirt with glitter Siser, they’re all peeling off the shirts now. I literally have over a thousand dollars in htv, please tell me there’s a trick to try so I don’t have to throw it all away and start over. I tried pressing the glitter at 320 multiple times and the smooth at 305 up to 315 and everything is still peeling.
So sorry you’re having troubles! It’s possible the HTV is peeling due to not enough pressure. You may need to increase the pressure and/or use a heat transfer pillow or stacked mouse pads to achieve proper pressure. This blog post goes into more detail about pressure. If these suggestions don’t work, then unfortunately the adhesive on your material has most likely degraded from the moisture and heat when stored.
I have a good press pillow I always use. Thanks
HI Lily. I have a friend that needs a sign for her business. It’ll be approx 4′ X 8′ and she wants it on grommeted canvas. How long can I expect HTV to last in the Texas heat? Is there a better vinyl to use?
Hi Betty! Do you know what the fabric content of the canvas is? Without knowing, it’s hard to say which HTV would be best. Although you’ll definitely want to use EasyWeed® Extra if the fabric contains nylon. However, if the banner is made from a plastic material you’ll need to use EasyPSV™ Permanent.
Hi Lily! If the vinyl has been exposed to the sun, is the something I can do to help it weed easier. It’s really sticky and very difficult to weed.
Hi Tiffany! I’m sorry, but it sounds like your vinyl may have been negatively affected by the sun exposure. You can try the heat press weeding trick if it feels like the adhesive is too aggressive. But it’s possible you may need to begin again with new HTV.
I have my workspace set up in my garage where I also store my vinyl. I live in Oregon where it’s not overly hot or cold for long. It’s more wet than anything. My garage is insulated but not climate controlled. Should I worry about storing my vinyl in the garage?
Hi Steven! The wet weather conditions can also affect the material. The dampness can shorten the shelf life and can cause yellowing of the material and separation of the material from the carrier mask. Ideal storage is in a climate controlled environment. We recommend 50% humidity or less for greatest longevity.
Bought a sheet of white rainbow glitter Easyweed last week from my regular local supplier. After cutting a fairly intricate design for a customer (angel wings), about half the pieces let go before I can press and won’t stick again – even the larger pieces won’t stay on the carrier . It didn’t weed well either, even with the settings I always use and a new blade. I have a studio in my home in South Alabama with complete climate control – 72 degrees with a dehumidifier built in. Always use Easyweed and have never had this problem before. I do notice the white is stiffer than some of the others. Is it a new formula or something? Any ideas how to fix? I really need to get this order out! Thanks so much!
Hi Michelle, I’m sorry you had problems with Siser® Glitter HTV! Please contact our technical support team at support@siserna.com with your experience. They’ll be able to troubleshoot this issue the best and may be able to provide replacement material.
Bought a roll off color print Easy and applied it to t-shirts. Customer reports that the material started falling off once the T-shirts had some sweat on them. Any ideas why the material would fall off from the t-shirts? We followed the procedure on the videos to apply.
Hi Maria! Can you please send pictures of the peeling material to Support@SiserNA.com with your application details: heat tool used, time, temperature, pressure, and if you used a heat transfer pillow and/or cover sheet? They will be able to troubleshoot this issue the best.
Hi Lily,
Sure – thanks !
Hello, I was asked to apply the siser glitter HTV to swimwear for a wedding party. I know that it would adhere. However, will it come off in chlorine water in the pool. Also, what about beach (salt water)?
Hi Helen! Chlorine and salt water can shorten the longevity of the HTV since they are both drying agents. If applied with the proper time, temperature and pressure, the Glitter should withstand one time use for a special event, but it’s hard to say how many washes and wears it will be able to go through before cracking, peeling, or fading.
Hi Mariah! The adhesive on HTV can be reactivated at high temperatures in the dryer so there is a definite possibility that the inside of a car on a 90°F day could heat up enough to affect the HTV. We would recommend avoiding this scenario or only leaving the shirts in the car for a short period of time.
What if you are shipping products and it takes days to get to the customer,,can the viynl come off the cotton design.
Hi Tonia! If the HTV is properly applied, the vinyl will not come off during shipping.
Can Siser Easyweed be applied to something like outdoor pillows? I don’t know the material of the fabric, but I’m just wondering if it can stand up to the weather elements (direct sun, humidity, maybe rain).
Hi Jennifer! EasyWeed can be applied to outdoor pillows. However it’s not made for consistent exposure to weather elements, so you may see fading or cracking before the standard 30 washes. It would be best to keep them out of the elements as best as possible for longevity.
Hi! I left for a trip and had a large order of HTV (easy weed) delivered while I was gone. It was in an outside locked mailbox for 3 days while the outside temp got to 105*F. Do I dare use it or do you think the adhesive has gone bad and I need to chuck it?
Hi Kathy! We’d suggest bringing it inside and letting the material come to room temperature. Then you can test cut and apply the HTV to see how it performs.
I stay in Singapore where the humidity is high all year round! I do have an issue of smooth and metallic htv not weeding well when they have been stored for a prolonged period. When I weed, chunks of the htv just stick to the plastic and don’t come off. Is this caused by the climate and humidity where I stay? I do not expose them to sunlight at all. They are all stored neatly in a drawer away from sunlight. Any advice on how to avoid this happening will be much appreciated!
Hi Vivien! The humidity may be affecting the HTV, but weeding issues can also stem from cut settings. Can you please send pictures of the problem to Support@SiserNA.com so we can see if we can get to the bottom of the issue?
I know this post is about “materials” but I have a heat press machine and I had to move and put it in a box in storage. I live in OHio so needless to say the temperature got extremely cold during the 3-4 months I’ve had it in there. I went and got it out of storage yesterday and the door won’t open. Can the climate affect the actual “heat press machine”?
Hi Charlene! When a heat press has been stored in a cold environment and not used, I would recommend allowing the heat press to warm up to room temperature/climatize before using. The moving parts of the heat press do have lubricants which may become rigid when exposed to extreme cold for an extended period of time.
Our house is rarely that cold. I keep the thermostat set at around 84 degrees. When It is 110 plus outside, 84 feels downright cold. Will that ruin this stuff.
Hi Gerald! The ideal storage is room temperature (70°F or below) with 50% humidity or less for greatest longevity. Exposure to higher temperatures and humidity over time may affect the HTV adhesive’s strength.
If the heat & humidity is a factor that causes the vinyl not to cut properly (my designs are not cutting, lines appear to be “skipping” and therefore I am not able to weed the designs properly.) Is there a way to restore the vinyl by moving it to a cooler/less humid environment? I am having the most problems with easy weed flex… regular vinyl seems to be ok for the most part, but I can tell that it is still not cutting like it should.
Hi Lanna! Yes, we recommend allowing the vinyl to come back to room temperature (around 70° or below with 50% or less humidity is ideal) before cutting.
Hi, I’ve swapped over to siser easy colour for the past few weeks from a different brand as the quality and colours are much better however I’m now receiving complaints that the colours on the printed htv have ran because they’ve come into contact with rain whilst wearing them outside, is this normal for easy colour? I didn’t have this issue with the previous printable htv I was using and now looking at losing a fair bit of money for the prints I’ve done since swapping over
Thanks
Hi Dan! It is recommended to wash the decorated garment prior to wearing to ensure that any excess ink from the printing process is removed.
What about after already making an item, say I press a shirt and then have a customer pick it up in an outside pick up box where temps can be below freezing. Would having the already pressed garments in cold temps cause any issue to the HTV application?
Hi Jess! Extended exposure to hot or cold can affect the HTV and adhesive. In cases of extreme weather, I would advise the customer to allow the garment to return to room temperature before they wear or wash the garment.