Heat press settings Celsius for UK crafters

Fabric

Tote bags and canvas

A cotton tote is a thick cotton panel with seams in the way. These charts do not give canvas its own temperature. They do tell you how to press cotton.

For a name or a logo, use standard HTV at the cotton figures: Siser EasyWeed at 150°C (305°F) for 10–15 seconds, medium, hot or cold peel, or Garment Films One Flex at 140°C for 8 seconds if that is your film. Glitter and flock can go on cotton canvas too, at their own charts, as long as the film’s sheet does not exclude the fabric.

For a full-colour print, use DTF. Xpres include cotton in the DTF method. Their sheet says to thread a garment onto the press when you can, so heat is not wasted on a folded layer. A tote is awkward to thread. Press one flat panel and keep the other side, the handles and the base seam off the platen.

Pre-press longer than you would a thin T-shirt. Canvas holds water from the washing it had at the mill, and it holds creases. Siser’s short pre-press is 2–3 seconds for garments; Garment Films’ FAQ allows 5–10 seconds to clear moisture and wrinkles. A tote often needs the longer end. Test.

Uneven pressure is the other miss. Sawgrass, writing about a polo with buttons and a collar, say the surface needs to be even and suggest a pressing pillow inside the shirt. A tote with a pocket or a hem in the design area has the same problem. Move the design onto the plain panel, or build the low side up so the platen meets the film everywhere.

Coated canvas and leatherette bags are a different material. Garment Films say their HTV chart is not for coated fabrics. Use the bag maker’s instructions rather than the cotton row.

Common questions

Do I add 10 degrees because canvas is thick?

Not from these charts. They do not print a canvas surcharge. Pre-press so the panel is dry and flat, use the cotton row for your film, and give it the full published time rather than the short end if a test looks under-pressed.

Can I sublimate a natural canvas shopper?

Only if it is polyester or has a polymer coating sold for sublimation. Ordinary cotton canvas will not take the dye. Xpres are clear that cotton does not work.

Sources