Hello my dear sublimation friends and family,
Hope you are doing good too. Most of the time we just go with the flow. We focus on the bigger things and forget about the smaller things and that small things cost us too much. Like in our sublimation, we go through the tutorials, step by step guides, and how to do it. What to do? What not to do? And many other things.But a few days later I received an email and she asked me which side of iron on vinyl goes down?. And at that time I just thought that yeah! This is the thing where many people are trapped and face loss. So today I’m going to tell you about vinyl. How to use it and its side on which we have to focus on while sublimating. So with that let’s go!
More about the vinyl:
Vinyl or iron on vinyl is both the blessings and the curse too. Why? It is also known as the heat transfer vinyl (HTV). It is a blessing as it gives you an amazing result on the dark-coloured material while sublimating. But its use is somewhat critical. It is not so easy to use. You have to use its right side to acquire the desired result otherwise all your efforts will go in vain.
Types of vinyl:
There are too many types of vinyl. And the vinyl types used for the sublimation are:
- Clear sublimation HTV
- White Sublimation HTV
- White Glitter HTV
- Holographic HTV
- Glow in the dark HTV
How to cut iron on vinyl?
I know you feel very confused about the line found in almost every article that “mirror the image and cut the vinyl”. But how to do it? Is the biggest task. Let me clear this up for you. Just take your design and mirror it.
Now you’re ready to cut out the iron-on vinyl. And here all you do is put its shiny side down on your cutting mat.
You may also check – How to Sublimate on Dark Color T-Shirts/Shirts
Which side of HTV is cut down?
Do you know when you purchase the vinyl it comes indistinguishable but with two sides intact in it? Actually HTV is made up of two layers: one is vinyl layer and the other is carrier sheet. They always come in a combo and stick together. You have to cut the vinyl side.
In most of the cases, not every vinyl side comes in matte shade and the carrier side is shiny. That’s why you have to take the glossy side down on the mat which is the carrier side and the matte side which is vinyl up. So that the vinyl will be cut properly.
But what if both sides of vinyl are shiny? Then how do you decide which side of the vinyl goes down and which side is up? So much confusion.
Remember that if both the sides of the vinyl are shiny then do one thing. Do match the vinyl with your vinyl colour. The colour which matches with your vinyl colour is your vinyl side and the other will be the carrier side. Always remember one thing that your design will be mirrored on the vinyl side.
Remember that your vinyl is mirrored and will be applied face-up onto your final surface, so when you look at the vinyl side you are seeing the BOTTOM of the vinyl,the part that is going to stick and melt into your surface. That means it may not match the top side. It sometimes does, but it may not.
How to distinguish between the vinyl side & the carrier side of the vinyl?
- The shiny side is always the carrier side and the matte one is the vinyl side.
- The iron-on vinyl is put onto the roll carrier side out, which means the side that curls down is the carrier side and the side that curls up is the vinyl side
- Still if you’re faced with two shiny sides of the same colour, the slightly less shiny side is the vinyl side.
You may also check – Sublimation on T-Shirts for Beginners
Conclusion:
Hope you got the answers to the queries in your mind. Always remember the vinyl side of the HTV goes up and the carrier side goes down. Also, the vinyl side is less shiny or matte as compared to the carrier side. So with that happy printing. Go sublimate with the vinyl!