Although they are often used to mean the same thing, HTV (heat transfer vinyl) and adhesive vinyl are two completely different materials.
When you get started making custom textiles or objects, it is important not to get it wrong.
At first, it is hard to tell the two apart, and there are plenty of cases where people have bought heat transfer vinyl when they actually wanted adhesive vinyl, and the other way around!
So today we are going to explain, once and for all, the difference between heat transfer vinyl and adhesive vinyl so there is no more doubt!
Heat transfer vinyl
⚠️ Be careful, heat transfer vinyl goes by several names that can be misleading:
- In English, it is called HTV, for Heat Transfer Vinyl
- In French, heat transfer vinyl is sometimes called "Vinyle de transfert de chaleur" (heat transfer vinyl), and this wording is very close to the term "adhesive vinyl", which is why we prefer to use the name "Heat transfer vinyl"
What is it used for?
Heat transfer vinyl is used to personalize all kinds of textiles such as towels, t-shirts, and more.
The lettering and numbering on football players' jerseys is in fact printed using HTV. 👕
It can be made of PVC or polyurethane. Polyurethane will be thinner and more flexible, while PVC HTV will be a little thicker, but it is perfectly suited to makers who want to get started in this activity.
Thanks to HTV, you can personalize your textiles with logos, generally in 1 to 4 colors maximum. If your logo has a color gradient, you will need to go with "printable HTV" (we are not going to talk about printable HTV in this article, but we have written a dedicated blog article about printable HTV.)
Some people start a clothing brand by printing heat transfer vinyl onto their textiles, others offer custom personalization on demand. Finally, most people do it as a hobby, so you can pursue whichever activity you like!
There is a wide range of different types of HTV on the market, among them you will find glitter HTV, velvet HTV, 3D HTV, and so on.
How do you use it?
Heat transfer vinyl needs to be heated so it can bond to the fabric, but before that you need to follow several steps.
To do this, you will need a cutting machine that lets you cut the HTV into your design.
After cutting out the logo, you will need to place it on the textile you want to personalize. Finally, you will need to press the logo onto the textile with an iron or a heat press at an average temperature of 150 degrees.
The blog post "how to do textile lettering like a pro" will explain in detail all the techniques to become an expert on the subject! 😉
Adhesive vinyl
Adhesive vinyl is also known as sticker vinyl or self-adhesive vinyl.
It is used on flat, solid surfaces such as windows, mugs, or water bottles.
As with HTV, vinyl comes in many colors and can be matte or glossy.
Unlike HTV, this product does not need to be heated to stick, and it already has an adhesive surface that lets you apply it to any solid object. ✅
How do you use it?
The process is similar to that of HTV at the start, because you will need to cut your design using a cutting machine.
You will then need to apply transfer tape to your logo, and then stick it onto the desired surface.
This video will show you perfectly the steps for applying vinyl. (example with the Silhouette Studio software)
How do you tell HTV from adhesive vinyl?
Telling the two products apart before cutting is important so you know which one to use for which surface. Here is a tip to easily recognize them:
You need to look at the back of each roll. If the backing looks like cardstock and creases easily, then it is a roll of adhesive vinyl. If the backing is clear plastic, then it is a roll of HTV.
Where can you buy heat transfer vinyl and self-adhesive vinyl?
For a while now, an abundance of HTV and vinyl has appeared on the market. It is becoming almost difficult to find quality rolls at a good price.
That is why we offer heat transfer vinyl for textiles as well as adhesive vinyl, both prized by the community of makers!
