Minimising the adhesive edge around your transfer print!

What does adhesive edge mean?

A number of tight-weave textiles do not absorb the adhesive from the transfer print as well as others, which can result in an unattractive edge of glue which has melted outwards around the decal after application.

This problem becomes even more visible when applying a dark heat transfer onto dark textiles. If you don’t have the option of choosing a different colour for your transfer print, you can try a method we call “adhesive edge blotting” to minimise the visible rim of adhesive.

To blot a glue edge, you will need our protective paper (art. no. 3016) which won’t leave behind residue on the textile when you “blot away” the adhesive edge.

How do I blot away an adhesive edge?

To get rid of or minimise the adhesive edge that appears around your print after application, follow the instructions below that explain step-by-step how to correctly blot an adhesive edge.

Start by placing the protective paper matte side-down on a transfer that has an adhesive edge.
Press the heating iron down over the protective paper, using the same setting you used to apply the heat transfer, and heat for approximately 10 seconds.
Then immediately remove the protective paper, while it’s still hot and the glue is still “liquid”.
The paper will suck up the excess adhesive around the decal to produce a finished transfer print result with a significantly less prominent adhesive edge.

TIP!

To avoid residue from the transfer print ending up on your heat press, it can be a good idea to use our protective paper (use the matte side), available to order in our webshop!