Washing and care

The rules

Wash inside out at 30°C. Skip fabric softener where you can; it's a release agent by another name. Line dry or tumble on low. Never iron directly on the print; if you must iron the garment, do it inside out or through a cloth.

The first 24 hours

The adhesive reaches full cure a day or so after pressing. Don't wash a garment within 24 hours of pressing it, and tell your customers the same if you're reselling.

What kills prints early

Hot washes, hot tumbles, direct ironing, and above all a bad press in the first place: a transfer that wasn't pressed with enough heat, time or pressure will start lifting at the edges within a few washes regardless of how gently it's laundered. If that happens, check the pressing guide before blaming the washing machine.

Reselling? Pass it on

If you're an Etsy seller or a decorator, put a care line on your listings: "wash inside out at 30, don't iron the print." It costs nothing and halves your complaint rate.

Written by the production team at our Swindon DTF factory, decorating garments since 1998. Ready to order? Order custom DTF transfers.