Need a little sunshine in your next project? This free pineapple sublimation file is bursting with tropical vibes and ready to brighten up your favorite summer crafts! This design is perfect for everything from tees to tote bags to printable home decor.

This high-resolution PNG is ideal for sublimation, DTF, white toner printing, and other full-color transfer methods. You can also use this watercolor pineapple to make art prints for your summer gallery wall, greeting cards for sunny celebrations, or stickers for notebooks, planners, and more.

What You Can Make With This File

• Sublimation t-shirts for vacations, pool parties, or beach days
• Summer totes or zipper pouches with tropical style
• Art prints for kitchens, entryways, or craft rooms
• Greeting cards or invitations for summer parties
• DTF transfers or white toner prints for colorful gifts

File Format & Use Info

This Free Pineapple Sublimation File is provided as a high-resolution PNG and works best for:

• Sublimation printing on poly-coated blanks
• DTF transfers
• White toner printing
• Inkjet/laser printing for cards, prints, and stickers

Please note: This file is not an SVG and is not intended for use with cutting machines like Cricut or Silhouette, unless you are using Print then Cut.

Want More Crafting Files Like This?

If you’re looking for even more bright and seasonal designs, check out the Hey Let’s Make Stuff Club! You’ll get access to 2,000+ digital files including sublimation art, SVGs, laser designs, and more.

Join for just $10/month or $100/year and get:

• Brand new SVGs every month
• Early access to holiday and seasonal files
• A commercial license for up to 500 handmade items
• Members-only designs you won’t find anywhere else

The post Free Pineapple Sublimation File for Summer Tees & More appeared first on Hey, Let's Make Stuff.

If you’re a crafter or small crafty business owner who works with a printer, chances are you’ve heard the term “gang sheet.” A gang sheet is simply a single large image that lets you squeeze as many designs as possible onto one single file. It’s a total game-changer for saving time, materials, and money—especially when doing multiples of the same project.

In today’s post, I’ll walk you through how to make a gang sheet using Canva, one of the most beginner-friendly design tools out there. We’ll create two examples together:

• An 11×17 gang sheet, while I will use to print at home with my white toner printer
• A 22×84 gang sheet ready to upload to Ninja Transfers (or other printer) for professional DTF printing

Whether you’re batching t-shirt designs for your kid’s school, making dozens of products for a craft fair, or organizing a seasonal product drop, making a gang sheet in Canva is an easy and approachable way to waste less and print more. Let’s dive in!

Watch the Video

Want to get a video overview of making a gang sheet in Canva? Just hit play below! Or keep reading for a written tutorial.

Why Use a Gang Sheet?

The primary reason you’ll want to use a gang sheet is cost! Instead of uploading your designs individually, you’ll create one large design made up of individual images. If you’re doing this at home for your own printer, this will save you money in supplies. White toner film, for example, is about $3 for a 11×17 a sheet. You could get one design per sheet for $3…or you could get several designs for $3.

Then when it comes to using a printing service like Ninja Transfers, it’s less expensive to upload a gang sheet than it is individual images, because it’s cheaper for the company to print one long sheet vs. a bunch of individual sheets.

What Types of Printing Work with a Gang Sheet?

Gang sheets aren’t just for one type of printer. They’re versatile and can be used across a wide range of printing methods:

• DTF Printing (Direct to Film for soft surfaces)
• UV DTF Printing (Direct to Film for hard surfaces)
• White Toner Printing
• Sublimation Printing
• VersaFlex Printing (Sawgrass)
• Inkjet or Laser Printing (Regular Printing)

Why Use Canva?

So I’ll be honest. Canva is not my go-to program for making gang sheets! I actually find it easier to do within Adobe Illustrator. That being said, I know that not many of my readers have the Adobe programs, so we’re going to use Canva. There are a few ways that make Canva perfect for making gang sheets, especially for beginners:

• Free version allows you to make gang sheets easily
• User-friendly drag-and-drop interface
• Easy import of PNGs, JPGs, and SVGs
• Simple design duplication and alignment tools

If you want to use another program, like Adobe Illustrator, you will most likely be able to tailor the instructions in this post to your own needs.

What You’ll Need to Make a Gang Sheet

• A Canva account (Free or Pro)
• Images (transparent-background PNGs are preferred, but JPG and SVG also work)
• Your printer and/or a Ninja Transfers account (you can use other transfer services as well)

Making an 11″ x 17″ Gang Sheet for Printing at Home

I am going to use my white toner printer for this project, but it would also work if you have a sublimation printer, DTF printer, or other printer at home as well.

Start by opening Canva and clicking on Create a Design in the upper left corner.

In the pop-up, choose “custom size” and enter 11″ x 17″. Make sure to change your units to inches.

Click Create New Design to go to the Canvas.

On the left, click “Uploads.” Here you can upload any files you’d like to use in your project. I am uploading a bunch of summer-themed files as an example, but of course you can upload whatever files you have.

Once your files are uploaded, you’ll see them under Uploads on the left side of your screen.

Now you can start adding your images to your file by clicking on them. I am making some Summer Camp Squad youth shirts, so I added that file to my Canvas.

NOTE: If your image has a white background, us the “BG Remover” tool at the top to remove the background. For most of these printing processes, white WILL print and you want to make sure your image doesn’t have a weird white square around it.

To resize a file, click on Position in the bar at the top. A new set of tools will open on the left. Here you can change the width and the height. Make sure to click the little lock to keep your dimensions the same.

Once I had the size I wanted, I moved my first image to the top left of my Canvas. I always leave a small margin around the edge of my design, just to be safe that it won’t get cut off.

Then I duplicated my image twice and used the Alignment tools on the left to make sure the three images were center aligned.

Now that is great, but I have quite a bit of extra space. I will always try and fill in space with other images, even if I am not planning on using them at that time. I have a big folder of all sorts of prints that I can use for smaller projects or future examples. So for this one, I am going to fit more images on this page by rotating them.

Now you can see that I’ve used the entire sheet and I haven’t wasted any space!

Now we’re going to export this Canvas of many designs into one single PNG file. Click Share in the upper right. Then keep the sizing where you have it and choose “transparent background” (remember, you should have removed any white backgrounds above using the background remover tool).

Then click download! Now you can use this file to print at home!

Making an 22″ x 84″ Gang Sheet for Uploading to a Transfer Company

For this project, I am using Ninja Transfers as an example, but there are a ton of transfer companies out there that all function similarly. The main difference between this gang sheet and the one above is the size. Most people do not have a big enough printer to make a 22″ x 84″ gang sheet at home, and I wanted to show you the process of uploading your file to a transfer company.

We’re going to start by going to Ninja Transfers and clicking on the DTF Transfers dropdown. Here you’ll see three options. Printing individual DTF transfers, using their gang sheet builder (another good option!) or uploading your print-ready gang sheet. Choose the third option.

You’ll be taken to the DTF Gang Sheet page. Here, you’ll see some options for sizing below the upload box, starting at 2 feet and going all the way up to 30 feet. Things get less expensive the longer your gang sheet!

Now there is one limitation to using Canva to print your designs and that is the size. The maximum size of a Canva document is 83.328″ tall. 7 feet is 84″ so this really is the maximum size you’ll be able to make using Canva. If you want to make a larger gang sheet, you’ll have to use a different program, like Adobe Illustrator or use their gang sheet uploader.

I’m going to make a 7-foot gang sheet, but you could also do 2 or 5 feet using this method.

Because 84″ is too tall for the height, choose 83.328. This is very close to 84″—you’re only losing about half an inch at the bottom.

Then upload your files in the same manner as above, trying to fit what you can on your sheet. The nice thing about the 22″ width is that you can fit two 11″ designs side by side if you’d like. Perfect for adult tees and totes!

Now when I zoom out in Canva using the zoom slider at the bottom, you can see my entire 7-foot gang sheet. The “summer camp squad” image is the same size on both gang sheets I designed, but you can see just how much more I can fit on a larger gang sheet!

We’re going to export in the same way, by going to Share in the top right and choosing transparent background.

Then we can upload our file to Ninja Transfers. You can see here how it looks. If you see any white boxes around your images, make sure to go back to Canva and remove the background from those images because white WILL print for DTF transfers.

One other cool thing about ordering from a place like Ninja Transfers is that they have more options for film styles. So instead of just clear film, you can choose other styles like glitter or glow in the dark.

For this one, I did not get it printed because it was just an example for the sake of this post. But I have used this process so many times to order transfers for my side hustle shop Chapter and Craft! Getting these larger gang sheets means I can pack them full of designs and save money in the printing process!

If you have any questions about creating a gang sheet in Canva, please let me know in the comments! If you found this post helpful, make sure to pin it and share it with friends!

The post How to Make a Gang Sheet in Canva appeared first on Hey, Let's Make Stuff.

If you’re frustrated because your sublimation projects are coming out dull or washed out, there are a lot of reasons this could bed happening. In today’s post, I’m going to run through 14 different reasons your sublimation prints might be dull and how you can fix them. That way you’re getting the brightest, most vivid sublimation prints!

There is a lot that can go wrong with sublimation. You may want to start with my overview of Troubleshooting Sublimation Printing. if you’re having issues specifically with your colors being incorrect, you’ll also want to read my post Sublimation ICC Profiles & Color Management. Finally, if your printer is clogged, start with my post Fixing a Clog in an Epson EcoTank Printer.

Okay, let’s dive into these 12 reasons your sublimation prints are dull—and how to make them look better!

1. Prints out of the Printer

To start off with, prints right out of your printer will be dull. This is because sublimation ink is a different formulation than regular pigment ink. It doesn’t become bright until it’s heated and the ink goes through the actual sublimation process.

As you can see here, the print is quite dull right out of the printer and the color looks totally wrong. But after I pressed it to my garment, the color completely changed. It’s bright and colorful and looks fantastic.

So never judge a sublimation project by it’s print! You’ll need to press it to your project to know the true color. My recommendation is to buy some cheap polyester fabric for testing, so you’re not wasting your blanks trying to get it right.

2. Print Quality Settings

Another problem with your actual print may be your print settings. Most printers allow you to change your print settings from options that use less ink like draft, normal, or standard to print settings that use more ink like high or best.

Generally, it’s good to use a higher-quality setting if your prints are dull. This is because the higher-quality settings lay more ink down on the page, giving you a brighter press.

That being said, you can always test different printer settings. For some materials, you may find a standard setting to be enough, or even better than the high-quality setting if the ink starts to migrate.

3. Paper Settings

Additionally, you may want to change your paper settings. Printers should have a range of options, but generally matte paper tends to work best if you’re struggling with prints that aren’t vibrant enough.

Matte paper holds more ink than other paper, which has the same effect as the paper quality above. More ink generally equals a more vibrant print.

4. Image Quality

Another problem could be your image quality. There are a couple of things that could go wrong here, so let’s take a look.

Resolution

To start, you’ll want a good resolution for your images. 300dpi is recommended. The problem is, if you just pull an image off a website or sometimes a photo app (particularly off the cloud), often these will just be 72dpi. Which means you may end up with a pixelated, faded image.

You’ll also have the same problem if you download a 300dpi image but then you try and make it larger than its largest dimensions—you’ll end up with pixelation.

This is why I recommend downloading and purchasing your sublimation files from a reputable source. See my post Where to Find Cheap and Free Sublimation Files for more information.

If you are scanning old photos into your computer, make sure you are scanning them in at 300dpi at the size you want to use them. If you want to make them bigger than the size of the photo itself, you may have to increase the dpi to 600 or more.

Photo Quality

Often, people want to sublimate older photos. The problem is, old photos are just not as high quality as the photos we take today. Many times they have faded over the years or the color has changed.

You can use a free app like PhotoGlory to help fix old photos and restore them to their correct color. Then they will be more accurate when you sublimate them.

5. Contrast

Another edit you might want to make to your photos is to increase the contrast. If you have an image that is sort of…flat in color, you can increase the contrast of the photo to help the darks be dark and the lights be light. This can be done in pretty much any photo editing software, including free programs.

6. Wrong or Low-Quality Paper

Now let’s move on from the file and printing options to the actual products you will use to sublimate your projects. First up is paper. Some crafters say you can use plain copy paper, but in my experience that leaves me with faded images.

I actually tested a bunch of sublimation papers, including copy paper. You can see the difference below. On the left is a high-quality sublimation paper (TexPrint) and on the right is regular copy paper. The difference is stark—the sublimation paper is vibrant and the colors are beautiful, and the copy paper is much more faded

This is the same thing I’ve talked about above—sublimation paper is designed to hold and release more ink than copy paper. More ink equals a more vibrant image.

7. Wrong Side of the Paper

Speaking of paper, make sure you are printing on the correct side of the sublimation paper! Many brands have a watermark on the back, but sometimes they don’t. Which can make it really difficult to know which side of the paper to use.

Flip over a sheet of your paper and you’ll see that one side is brighter white than the other side. The backside might be slightly more gray or slightly more pink or just not as bright of a white. Make sure you are printing on the bright white side.

8. Non-Poly Blank or Low Poly Count

Another reason you might see a faded image is due to your blank. To start, your blank needs to be either 65%+ polyester or have a poly-coating.

For garments and other soft textiles, the minimum is 65% polyester. 100% polyester is going to get you the most vibrant image, and the more you go down in that polyester count the more faded or vintage your image will be. I see a lot of people ask why their image is so faded and it turns out they used a 100% cotton blank. So make sure you are using a garment that has a high polyester count suitable for sublimation.

Here you can really see the difference between a cotton tee (left) and a polyester tee (right).

If you buy a hard sublimation blank, it will have the correct coating. But if you, for example, go to the Dollar Tree and grab a ceramic mug, the color won’t transfer properly because there is no poly coating for the ink to bond with. So again, you want to make sure you have a sublimation-specific blank.

9. Bad Sublimation Coating

Even if you’ve purchased a sublimation-specific blank, there’s a chance you will end up with faded images due to a bad sublimation coating. With more and more sublimation blank manufacturers, most overseas, the quality control from places like Amazon is…not the best. So occasionally you may get a blank that just has a terrible sublimation coating.

You project may turn out faded or uneven, or the coating might flake off. There’s nothing to really fix here—I just recommend buying from more reputable manufacturers. I have found Cricut, PYD Life, HTVRont are all good brands to get on Amazon and I’ve had good luck with their coatings.

10. Moisture Problems

Moisture is the enemy of sublimation and if your blank has moisture in it, it can really mess with the quality of your transfer.

For pretty much all blanks, you’ll want to either do a pre-press to get any moisture out, or you’ll want to hover your hot heat press over a blank to help release that moisture.

And then you’ll also want to make sure your print itself is dry. Sometimes an ink-heavy print will take a longer time to completely dry. You can also hover your heat press over the print (do not press down) to help it dry faster.

11. Time and Temperature

Time, temperature, and pressure (which we’ll talk about next) are critical for getting your sublimation projects right. I have a whole post on Finding the Right Sublimation Time, Temperature, and Pressure for your project.

If your sublimation prints are dull, you may have a time or temperature problem. Your time may not be long enough or your temperature high enough. Follow the tips and tricks in the above post for help getting it right. You can see from my post How to Sublimate on Slate, that I really had to up my time and temperature to get a bright and vivid result.

Also note that you can overcook a project too. If your blacks are coming out a faded brown, you’ve most likely pressed your project for too long or at too high of a temperature.

12. Pressure

Pressure is the third piece of the puzzle when it comes to pressing your blank, but I wanted to separate it out because I see this one go wrong for a lot of people.

Most sublimation blanks just require medium pressure and can be done with a handheld press like the Cricut EasyPress. But there are some sublimation blanks that need heavier pressure and work better with a traditional heat press. Again, a big one is sublimation slates—I haven’t been able to make a sublimation slate successfully with my EasyPress.

13. Uneven Heat

If you are seeing only part of your image is faded, it’s most likely an uneven heating or uneven pressure problem. Maybe you are using a handheld press and unknowingly adding more pressure to one side of your project. Maybe you have some low temperature points in your press. You can even have a problem if your table under your press isn’t level.

Overall you want firm, even heat across your project to prevent fading due to uneven heating.

14. Double Pressing

Finally, you may find that double pressing a project causes fading. Let’s say you are working on a project larger than your heat press. You will need to overlap some of that pressing time. Sometimes, usually depending on the type of blank, you may see some fading in the overlap that got pressed twice.

This is because you are actually re-sublimating the ink in the overlap and some of it is escaping. And because of that, you end up with less ink in the overlap than everywhere else. There’s really no workaround for this because you do need to overlap your presses if you’re making a large project. But you can try different sublimation blanks because some are worse than others.

I hope you found this post helpful if your sublimation prints are dull! You can use the tips and tricks in this post to see if you’re having any problems—and fix them before you make your next project!

The post Sublimation Prints are Dull? Here’s How to Fix Them! appeared first on Hey, Let's Make Stuff.

When working with heat transfer vinyl (HTV), DTF transfers, sublimation, and white toner printing, choosing the right protective sheet can make all the difference in the quality and success of your project. But there are a lot of options—do you want butcher paper (and what color?), parchment paper, a teflon sheet, or wax paper? It can be confusing and I get a lot of questions on what to use.

The right sheet protects your design and your press, ensures even heat distribution, and prevents damage to your projects. In today’s post, we’ll explore the best options for your specific needs. To be perfectly honest, I have three out of the four on hand at all times since they work in different ways!

Watch the Video

Want to get a video overview of all of the protective sheet options? Just hit play below! Or keep reading for a written explanation!

Wax Paper

Put that back in your kitchen, my friend! Wax paper is coated in wax (I know, shocking) so it shouldn’t be used for heat press crafting. The was will melt, ruining your project and potentially your press!

Teflon Sheet

Let’s start with the teflon sheet. A teflon sheet is a heat-resistant, non-stick sheet made from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is commonly known as teflon. You can even get a teflon sheet cover for the top of your heat press. Because it’s non-stick, it’s great for many crafting applications…but not all of them!

Teflon Sheet Best Uses

• Ideal for HTV. Use for a post-press after you have peeled back the carrier sheet.
• Can be used with white toner printing, but most professionals suggest parchment paper instead.

Teflon Sheet Pros

• Reusable and durable for long-lasting use.
• Non-stick surface.
• Provides even heat distribution.
• Easy to clean if needed.

Teflon Sheet Cons

• Holds in moisture, which is particularly bad for sublimation.
• Can permanently stain with sublimation, which can then transfer the design to future projects.
• Higher initial cost compared to disposable options.

Butcher Paper

Butcher paper is exactly what it sounds like: it’s a paper that butchers use for wrapping pieces of meat for you take home from the deli.

Butcher paper is uncoated and usually comes in white or brown. I recommend using white so you don’t have any color transfer on your projects. It also comes in rolls or in sheets. I love the 12×12 sheets—they are perfect for most projects and I don’t have to deal with the paper curling.

Butcher Paper Best Uses

• Ideal for pressing sublimation prints and DTF transfers.
• Can be used with HTV or white toner printing, but it may stick.

Butcher Paper Pros

• Protects your heat press from sublimation ink transfer.
• Uncoated surface won’t leave anything behind.
• Inexpensive and widely available.

Butcher Paper Cons

• Generally single use for sublimation if there is any ink transfer (can be used more times for DTF transfers).

Parchment Paper

While it looks a lot like butcher paper, parchment paper is actually coated with a very thin layer of silicone, making it non-stick. This is why it’s so great for baking cookies—they slide right off! Parchment paper has some good crafting applications as well.

Parchment Paper Best Uses

• Ideal for the first press with a white toner print. It won’t stick to the toner.
• Can be used with DTF transfers, but butcher paper is even less expensive so that’s my preference.
• Can be used with HTV.

Parchment Paper Pros

• Non-stick surface.
• Inexpensive and widely available.
• Can be used many times.

Parchment Paper Cons

• Holds in moisture, which is particularly bad for sublimation.
• Not as durable as a teflon sheet and has limited reusability.

Wax Paper

Wondering if you can substitute wax paper for any of the above? Don’t! Wax plus heat = a totally sticky mess. Wax paper is not suitable for any heat transfer project and has the potential to ruin both your project and your heat press. Put that back in the kitchen cabinet and only use it for food applications where it makes sense.

By Application Type!

Let’s break it down by which type of craft you are doing:

• HTV: Teflon sheet or parchment paper
• Sublimation: butcher paper
• DTF transfer: Teflon sheet or butcher paper (can use parchment paper in a pinch)
• White toner print: parchment paper

I hope this post helped you decide on the best protective sheet for your project! As always, if you have any questions, let me know down in the comments.

The post Choosing the Best Protective Sheet for Your Heat Transfer Project appeared first on Hey, Let's Make Stuff.

You’ve got your sublimation printer all set up. You’ve got paper and blanks and a heat press and you are ready to GO!

But…what images are you going to sublimate? Most beginners don’t start out designing files themselves—they get them from other designers. So today I’m sharing a list of places to find cheap and free sublimation files for you to craft with! These files should also work for all of your DTF and white toner crafting as well!

Join our Sublimation Made Simple Facebook group for tips, tricks, support, and resources!

Watch the Video

Want to get a video overview this post? Just hit play below! Or keep reading for details.

First, let’s first talk a bit about sublimation images and what you want to look out for when downloading or purchasing files. Then check out my list at the bottom of this post for links to all my favorite sites for paid and free designs.

DISCLAIMER: I’m not an intellectual property lawyer (heck, I’m not any kind of lawyer!), so this should not be taken as actual legal advice. If you have questions, reach out to an intellectual property lawyer for clarification.

Commercial vs. Personal Use

Whether you get a file for free or you buy it, you should be aware of the terms of use for the file.

Commercial License

If your sublimation files come with a commercial license, this means that you can sell final products made using the file according to the terms of use of the file (usually included as a PDF or text file in the zip). Sometimes you can upgrade to a commercial license for an extra cost. This may not matter to you if your crafts are for your own personal use. But if you’re making final projects for sale, you really need to make sure you have a commercial license for the files you are using.

For instance, my free files only come with a personal license. But my paid files come with a commercial license to make up to 500 handmade products. You can see my terms of use to see more information.

Always check to see what kind of license a file you’re downloading or buying has so you know exactly how you can use the files legally.

Personal Use

Sometimes I think we justify using certain images (see below for examples) by saying they are just for “personal use.” But this argument falls apart when you think about any other thing you purchase.

My friend Angie is fond of saying you can’t grab a candy bar from a grocery store and when you get caught, just say it was for “personal use.” You’d get charged with shoplifting. Personal use isn’t an excuse to use a file in a way not intended by the designer or company.

Licensed Images

Now let’s talk about images, characters, names, fonts, logos, and more that are held under a company’s copyright. We’re talking media brands like Disney and Warner Brothers, brand names and logos like Nike or Coca Cola, and even sporting events like March Madness or the Super Bowl. This also includes smaller companies—pretty much any company is going to hold licenses and copyrights to their own images, illustrations, characters, logos, and more.

Copyrighted content, both files and finished products, are illegally sold everywhere—on Etsy, in online shops, at craft fairs, and more. It’s so ubiquitous, that we may think that it’s fine and no one cares. Yet the owners of these copyrights are constantly taking down shops and filing lawsuits. You can get into serious legal trouble for using images with licensed content.

While copyright applies to personal use, it’s even more important for things you might be selling. So even if you really want to put Baby Yoda’s face or Louis Vuitton’s logo or an Audi symbol on your items for sale, DON’T. Yes, you may get away with it…but you may also NOT get away with it. And is that worth staking your entire business on? As Elsa would say, “Let it go!”

There are some things that are in more of a gray area, like quotes. It’s up to you to do the research on whether or not this falls under a company’s trademark. This is one area where I suggest consulting a lawyer who is familiar with copyright and trademark law.

The one caveat to this is images in Cricut Design Space. Cricut has partnered with some of these companies and have licensed “print then cut” images available for personal use that will work for sublimation projects. You can read more about the restrictions for crafting with these files in Cricut’s Angel Policy, but note that these licensed images cannot be used on products you are selling.

Legitimate Paid and Free Sublimation Files

Sublimation files are a newer type of file to hit the market, so there are far fewer places to find freebies than there are other types of files like SVGs for a Cricut or clip art for printables. But as more and more people start to design files for sublimation, frebbies will increase.

There are sites that offer legitimately free files, including my own blog. Most of these sites will ask for your email address in return for the free download, meaning the designer can then send you emails with more free and paid files, as well as information on other things they offer.

If you’re going to pay for sublimation files, use reputable sites, which I’ve listed below. Buying from the original designer means you are getting the highest quality file available. It hasn’t been re-saved or compressed, and it hasn’t been traced from the original file. This is THE BEST way to get sublimation files if you aren’t designing them yourself.

Bad Files—Avoid These

Google or Website Images

You can’t just pull images or clipart you want off Google or other websites to use. Google itself doesn’t own any of the images—they are all held as copyright by their respective owners and creators.

If you are looking at another website’s images or artwork, make sure you are looking at the terms of use for the actual image you want to use. Often this is in the footer of the website. 

Again, this includes using photos for your own “personal use.”

Dump Facebook Groups

You may come across “dump groups” on Facebook or elsewhere where people share “free” sublimation files illegally—no designer has an open license to distribute their files in this manner. Often admins of these dump groups will buy designs and share them with everyone in the group for free, which is against the terms of use of both the designer and Facebook. Thankfully there’s been a big crackdown on these groups in the last few months, including legal action.

To be honest, it’s really disheartening as a designer and creator to see my work being shared (often at a much lower quality file or with the watermark) in these groups. Instead, support your favorite designers by purchasing the files from them legally. If you end up in an illegal dump group, the best thing you can do is report it to Facebook. Designers are constantly fighting this uphill battle and having crafters on our side really helps!

Fake Etsy Shops

One of the more unfortunate things to come out of the sublimation boom is a large number of fake Etsy shops selling stolen files.

Often these shops will purchase the file from the original designer and then slap their own watermark on it and sell it for a fraction of the cost, undercutting the original designer. This is illegal but Etsy is very slow to respond to complaints.

Here are a few ways to spot a FAKE Etsy shop: 

• The shop photos have a watermark from a different designer
• The shop photos are covered with such a heavy watermark, you can’t really see the actual file. This is done to obscure the original designer’s watermark.
• The photos are weirdly cropped. This often means a designer’s watermark was cropped off.
• The shop says they are in the US or Canada but only accepts PayPal. US and Canadian shops are required to also offer Etsy Payments.
• The shop is selling licensed files, like Disney or Marvel.
• The shop has one-star reviews complaining about quality. Or it has zero reviews.
• The shop is selling an impossibly large number of files for too-good-to-be-true price (it IS too good to be true—these files are often terrible quality!).

This checklist was modified with permission from a list complied by Jula Bay on Etsy. You can download her complete list here. Often you can dig a little deeper in your image search on Etsy and find the original designer of the file and buy from them. Giving them a head’s up that their original file is being stolen is always appreciated, too!

Note that often these files will be of terribly quality having been resaved and compressed. Save yourself the disappointment and buy from the original designer.

Where to Find Cheap and Free Sublimation Files

Thank you for sticking with me through all of that legal stuff! It’s one of those things I think is super important and often gets overlooked when you are a beginner and first starting your sublimation crafting journey.

Here are a bunch of shops where I love to buy sublimation files! Most files come in a PNG file format, but you’ll often find SVGs, JPGs, and even PDF files. All of these should work for sublimation.

• Hey Let’s Make Stuff
• Adobe Stock
• Artsy Fartsy Mama
• Bella B Design Studio
• Buy T-Shirt Designs
• Chameleon Cuttables
• Craft Chameleon
• Craft House
• Creative Fabrica
• Creative Market
• Crella
• Design Bundles
• eboss247
• Etsy (read my notes above about fake Etsy shops before purchasing!)
• Free Sublimation Designs
• Glitter Moonshine
• Hoop Mama
• Love SVG
• Pineapple Paper Co.
• Poofy Cheeks
• Printable Cuttable Creatables
• Silhouette Design Store
• The Girl Creative
• The Hungry JPEG

I hope you found this list gave you some great ideas for downloading cheap and free sublimation files. Happy crafting!

The post Where to Find Cheap and Free Sublimation Files — and What to Avoid! appeared first on Hey, Let's Make Stuff.

If there’s one thing I can tell you how to do on my channels, it’s how to decorate a t-shirt. T-shirt decoration has gone from the realm of handcrafting using tie-dye and puff paint to a huge world filled with technology. And much of that technology is becoming easier and easier for the everyday crafter to access.

But each type of technology has its advantages and disadvantages. And it’s important to know what you can do—and what you can’t do—with each type of t-shirt decorating method.

So in today’s post, we’re going to be comparing four different types of decorating methods: HTV (heat-transfer vinyl), sublimation printing, DTF (direct to film) printing, and white toner printing. These are all topics I’ve covered here on my blog and on my YouTube channel, but I’ve never done a big direct comparison of all four. I’ve linked to a lot of other tutorials through this post, if you’d like more information.

Watch the Video

Want to get a video overview all of these processes? Just hit play below! Or keep reading for a written overview.

The Best T-Shirts for Decorating

You all know that I am a HUGE fan of BELLA+CANVAS tees, so that’s what I’m using in my examples for t-shirt decorating in this post. I love that their tees are so soft and come in a wide range of colors and styles. I also love that they have eco-friendly business practices that make me feel confident in using their garments. They are the preferred tee of many small businesses as well as customers!

Check out their new HEAVY line, which features heavy-weight tees. These tees have a more boxy shape which is super trendy right now!

Did you know you can buy BELLA+CANVAS garments at wholesale pricing without a reseller license? Get a BELLA+CANVAS Maker’s Account! This account allows you access to the wholesale side of their business without the need for any permits or licenses. Even better? It’s free! Learn more in my post Buying Wholesale Blanks without a Resale License!

For sublimation, I am using a 100% polyester tee from another brand. This is because BELLA+CANVAS tees are primarily cotton so they don’t sublimate well. I did try sublimating their EcoMax tee, which worked pretty well, but I wanted to show what 100% polyester can do when it comes to color and vibrancy.

Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV)

Heat transfer vinyl is a heat-activated transfer product that is cut on a cutting machine (like a Cricut or Silhouette) and then applied to a garment or other soft textile using a heat press. You may also hear this referred to as iron-on vinyl. It usually comes on a roll or in sheets. The most popular type of HTV is solid colors, but there are specialty HTVs, including patterned, holographic, glitter, etc.

HTV Process

Many crafters start with HTV if they get a cutting machine. You’ll create a design or use a design that has already been created. Your cutting machine will cut out your HTV. Then you’ll use a special tool called a weeding hook to remove the excess material so that only your design remains. The final step is to apply the HTV to a garment using a heat press or even a household iron.

HTV works best on garments and other soft textiles, however you can also use it on wood, canvas, and paper, making it somewhat versatile.

You can see the results of using the Plant Mom file on this BELLA+CANVAS dark gray heather tee. The single color pops off the dark gray shirt. A single color is cute, but wait until you see the more colorful versions below.

HTV Advantages

There are many advantages to using HTV, especially for beginners.

• It’s very easy to get started if you have a cutting machine and there are an incredible number of tutorials online for using HTV.
• Compared to the cost of the printers I’ll discuss in this post, a cutting machine and HTV are relatively inexpensive.
• It’s is great for making one-off projects, like a shirt for your kid’s school spirit day or matching shirts for a family reunion.
• With proper application and care, you can get up to 50 washes out of some HTV.
• Can be used on dark colors and most fabrics, including cotton, polyester, and blends. There are specialty versions like Stretch HTV for fabric with more stretch.
• Low time/temp brands, like Gimme5 from B-Flex, are particularly quick and easy to press.

HTV Disadvantages

Of course, no product is perfect so here are the disadvantages to using HTV.

• Cutting can be time-consuming, especially for detailed designs.
• Weeding can be time-consuming, especially for detailed designs.
• The HTV sits on top of the fabric and depending on the brand, can have a “bulky” feel.
• If not applied or cared for correctly, HTV can crack and peel up.
• You are limited to the colors and styles of HTV found on the market.
• Designs are usually single-color, though you can layer.

Best Uses for HTV

HTV is best for at-home users who want to cut and apply simple designs and text. While you can start a business using HTV, it does best for small-scale production. As your business grows, you will probably want to look at one of the following t-shirt decorating methods.

Sublimation Printing

Sublimation is a printer craft. You print out a design using a printer with sublimation ink and then you’ll use a heat press to transfer the design from the paper onto your substrate.

Sublimation can be used for way more than just garments. It’s a huge industry that just hit the at-home crafter a few years ago and many companies have taken advantage of the boom by creating fun and innovative sublimation blanks. You can find sublimation shirts, onesies, hoodies, hats, aprons, flags, mugs, tumblers, coasters, tiles, bookmarks, jewelry, pens, ornaments, and more.

There are two things you need for a substrate to work for sublimation: at least 65% polyester content or a poly coating on a hard blank, as well as a light color. The poly content allows the sublimation process to take place. And the light blank is because the ink is actually transparent. So putting it on a dark tee causes it to basically disappear.

Sublimation Process

The sublimation process is simple. Print out your design using a printer with sublimation ink (you can buy a sublimation-specific printer or you can convert a regular Epson EcoTank). Clean your substrate and tape your design face down. Then use a heat press to transfer the design to your blank.

Sublimation Advantages

Sublimation solves many of the problems that people have with HTV, while creating a few new ones. Let’s look at the advantages of sublimation first.

• Bright, vibrant full-color prints.
• A huge variety of blanks and new blanks hit the market daily.
• Compared to the other printing methods, you can get started with sublimation relatively inexpensively. You just need a sublimation printer and a heat press.
• The design becomes part of the substrate—you can’t feel it on the surface
• It’s extremely durable and washable. It will never crack or peel.
• It allows for all-over printing if you have the right equipment.
• No messy process.

Sublimation Disadvantages

I think the advantages of sublimation are some of the best, but the disadvantages might also help you decide whether or not its’s right for you.

• It’s limited to polyester and poly-coated surfaces. Not everyone wants to wear polyester garments.
• Dark-colored garments aren’t suitable for sublimation. Not everyone wants to wear white.
• It can smell. For some reason, sublimation tends to have sort of a fishy smell that some people find off-putting. It’s only while pressing, however—the final project doesn’t smell.

Best Uses for Sublimation

Sublimation is great for everyone from an at-home crafter with a converted printer to huge sublimation businesses running enormous printers and presses. If you are tired of HTV peeling and cracking and you want to make gorgeous full-color designs at a reasonable price at home, sublimation might be right for you.

Sublimation is also good for small businesses because you can easily make professional-level products at home. Being able to make a wide variety of projects can also be a great advantage for small businesses using sublimation.

DTF (Direct to Film) Printing

DTF printing is a printing method for transferring full color designs onto a variety of soft substrates, like t-shirts, tote bags, hats, and more. It involves printing your design onto a special film, applying and curing a powder adhesive, and then transferring the design onto your blank using a heat press.

DTF printing allows you to create vibrant, detailed, and durable custom apparel and other projects. The direct-to-film transfers are thin and soft and are really nice to the touch. It’s a super easy press, the peel is easy, and the feel of the transfers is so soft compared to HTV.

And because DTF printers use white ink, you can use these prints on any color garment, and you can use it on most fabric contents. This is definitely an advantage over sublimation, however DTF really only works on soft blanks. I’ve tested it on hard blanks and the only one I had good luck with was wood.

DTF Process

The process for DTF printing is much more involved than HTV or sublimation printing. You’ll use a specialized printer to print your design on film. Then you’ll carefully “powder” the wet ink by sifting a powdered adhesive over the wet ink. That adhesive then needs to be cured in a specialized oven. But after all of that, the press is super easy!

There are two ways you might go about DTF printing—having a printer in your home or ordering DTF prints online. Obviously the advantages and disadvantages will be different for these two options, so I’m going to do them both.

Ordering DTF Print Advantages

• No need to own an expensive printer.
• Easy to order from a wide variety of sites online.
• Transfers are ready to press.
• Bright, vibrant full-color prints.
• Works on a variety of fabrics, including cotton.
• Suitable for both light and dark fabrics.
• Soft feel when transferred.
• DTF prints can last 50 to 100 washes when applied properly.

Ordering DTF Print Disadvantages

• Time! You have to wait for your order to be printed and shipped to you before you can use the prints.
• Prints can be expensive.

Owning a DTF Printer Advantages

• Ability to print what you want, when you want.
• Bright, vibrant full-color prints.
• Works on a variety of soft materials, including cotton.
• Suitable for both light and dark fabrics.
• Soft feel when transferred.
• Good stretch to transfer.
• DTF prints can last 50 to 100 washes when applied properly.
• Great for small businesses.

Owning a DTF Printer Disadvantages

• There are safety concerns you’ll want to consider.
• Overall it’s a messy process that involves wet ink and powder.
• Takes up quite a bit of space for the printer, powdering station, and oven.
• The printer is expensive and requires a lot of maintenance.
• The printer can be temperamental and difficult to use.
• There’s a learning curve to get optimal results.
• Printing is slower than the other printing methods I discuss here.
• Software only works with Windows-based computers.
• Only good for soft textiles.

Best Uses for DTF

Owning a DTF printer is probably not for an at-home crafter who only wants to print occasionally. Because the printer requires nearly daily maintenance, owning a printer is better for small businesses that need a steady number of prints. But if you do have a small business, investing in a DTF printer setup might be great for creating both prints to use on all sorts of garments, as well as selling the prints themselves.

If you just want to give DTF a try without buying a printer, I would definitely order DTF prints from a DTF print seller! This is what I do.

White Toner Printing

White toner printing is similar to DTF printing in that you can print full-color images on film for use on most fabrics and all colors. The difference is in how the adhesive is applied. With white toner printing, instead of adding the adhesive as a powder, you combine your printed transfer with an adhesive sheet in a heat press.

White toner printing allows you to create vibrant, detailed, and durable custom apparel and other projects, including hard blanks and even things like mylar balloons. White toner transfers are thin and soft and are really nice to the touch. The feel of the transfers is so soft compared to HTV.

Process

Let’s look at the white toner process in more detail. Using a special toner-based printer (toner is powder vs. ink which is liquid), you’ll print your design. The printer is very fast and the ink is dry when it comes out of the printer. You’ll use your heat press to then “marry” your print with a sheet of adhesive in your heat press. The pressing itself is fairly simple as well—a press in your heat press and then a second press with a finishing sheet.

White Toner Advantages

• Bright, full-color prints.
• Works on a variety of fabrics, including cotton.
• Suitable for both light and dark fabrics.
• Can be used on more than just soft textiles, including hard blanks.
• Soft feel when transferred.
• White toner prints can last up to 50 washes when applied properly.
• Great for small businesses.
• Safer than DTF printing.
• No messy process.
• Takes up minimal space.

White Toner Disadvantages

• White toner printing tends to be the most expensive option of the bunch.
• Learning curve when it comes to the marrying process and pressing.
• Software only works with Windows-based computers.
• No black ink and it’s hard to get the blackest blacks using just cyan, magenta, and yellow.
• Transfers are less stretchy and may break down over time.

Best Uses for White Toner Printing

Because a white toner printer is expensive, the everyday at-home crafter is probably not the ideal customer. These printers are more for small businesses that want to make a wide variety of projects. That being said, if you have a big budget, then a white toner printer is much easier to have in your home than a DTF printer

What is the Best Method for T-Shirt Decorating?

As you can see, there are pros and cons with every method in this post. There really is no one-size fits all method that I think is the best. I personally have several Cricut machines for HTV, two sublimation printers, a white toner printer, and I order DTF transfers often. It really depends on what type of project I want to make, the amount of time I have, and what supplies I have on hand.

Take a look at what you want to do. If you want to make vibrant, full-color images without spending a lot of money, maybe a sublimation printer is for you. If you want to expand your thriving small business, a DTF or white toner printer might be a good option.

One nice thing is that you can order pretty much all of these types of transfers online at places like Etsy. You can order yourself an HTV transfer, a sublimation print, a DTF print, and a white toner print and do your own comparison to see what you like best.

I hope you found this comparison between t-shirt decorating methods helpful! If you have any questions about the methods I share here or other methods, please leave those down in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer them.

The post T-Shirt Decorating: HTV vs. Sublimation vs. DTF vs. White Toner appeared first on Hey, Let's Make Stuff.