Print and Cut with Heat Transfer Paper

*This post may contain Affiliate links.

For the June 2019 All Things Silhouette Conference, I taught a class called “Let’s Explore Print & Cut with Printable Heat Transfer”. I had so much fun creating this class and want to share that with all of you. While I cannot pass around all the demos I made like I did in class, I hope a photo blog post will do.

First, I set up the Print & Cut design using the Summer Flowers bundle by Echo Park – Design #186925 from the Silhouette Design Store.

When setting up a Print & Cut project, I follow the same steps each time. In this post – Print & Cut – Part 3 – Images, I go through every step I take to set up the file for the best success.
This is what I would also recommend for a beginner who is doing this for the first time or for anyone who is having issues with the Print and Cut not registering or not cutting accurately.
While you can adjust several things on a Print & Cut file, I find most users get the best results and have less headache if they first start with a baseline
For more troubleshooting tips, see this post – Print & Cut – Part 1.

This is exactly what I walked through in class step by step.

Now to the fun part, Show & Tell!

This class was sponsored by Specialty Materials and I used a product called Colorjet III Light and Dark Heat Transfer Paper. ColorJet III comes in packages of either 8-1/2″ x 11″ or 11″ x 17″ sheets. I loved the 11″ x 17″ sheets with my Canon TS9521C large format printer, then I could fit several print and cut projects on one page and do larger designs as well.
You can request a free sample on the website HERE.

First, I started with a few shirts.

As soon as this shirt came off the press, it was my 6 year old daughter’s favorite shirt.
I had to go searching for it in order to take it to the ATS Conference with me.
I used Colorject III Dark on this shirt with a design that is part of a print & cut sticker file called ML Unicorn Cute Stickers by MiniLou – Design #285420 from the Silhouette Design Store.

Now, if you read the directions on the Colorjet III it says “Care – Hand wash and air dry. Do not dry clean. No bleach or aggressive detergents” (Specialty Materials) but, I have 3 kids and “hand wash” does not really happen in my house. But, I am happy to report that it has been through the washer & dryer at least 3 times since I made it and it still looks great. And I brought it with me to Conference to show everyone how it held up.
What do I recommend? You have to test it yourself! The manufacturer gives you care instructions and for best results, I’d recommend those to get the most life out of it.
Me….. well, you guessed it. I throw everything in the washer & dryer with the thought that I can always remake it if I need to.  That is probably not the best advice for everyone.

I used the Colorjet III Dark on this blue shirt with a design called Justice League by DC Justice League – Design #201137.
*This is an older design that is no longer in the Silhouette Design Store.

For this shirt, I used the Colorject III Light with designs Painted Purple Bouquet by Loni Harris – Design #139067 and the words are cut with Siser Easyweed HTV using the Live Life in Full Bloom by Silhouette – Design #129071.

And then I moved on to other objects and things I could find that wouldn’t necessarily need to be washed often.

This one is using the Colorjet III Light pressed onto a Canvas panel & framed. Created with Enjoy Today Painted Floral by Loni Harris – Design #134285 from the Silhouette Design Store.

Here is another one created with Colorjet III Light then pressed onto a Canvas panel & framed. Created with Floral Monogram K by Angie Makes – Design #173599 from the Silhouette Design Store.

This time, I used a framed canvas and the Colorject III Light. In order to get a good pressure on the framed canvas, I had a wood board cut to fit in the back side of the frame and placed it inside when I pressed the design. I’ve been eyeing these watercolor designs and love that I’ve found a way to use them. This was created with Multicolored Prism Heart by Rhonna Farrer – Design #248413 from the Silhouette Design Store.

This is using Colorjet III Light on a zippered cotton canvas bag from Craft Chameleon. It  was created with Watercolor Heart by Rhonna Farrer – Design #248434 from the Silhouette Design Store.

I used Colorjet III Dark on this garden flag from Craft Chameleon for the American Flag of United States by Echo Park – Design #269732 (Silhouette Design Store). The words are cut with HTV and I used a design by BasicGrey called Home of the Free Because of the Brave – Design #204727.

And now some of my favorites – photos!

 This one should be hung on my wall for many years to come, memorializing that I managed to get all 3 of them smiling together without some crazy face.

I used the Colorjet III Light printed through the Silhouette software on a canvas panel, which I then put in a 8″ x 10″ frame. While these are not UV treated like others you get at a professional photo shop, you can change the photo out each year or several times a year if you like for a lot less expense. I love having options!

Another photo on a canvas panel using Colorjet III Dark.

And what about a one of a kind gift?

I used Colorjet III Light to add my favorite photo to a canvas tote bag from Craft Chameleon.

Now, did all of my test projects turn out? No, they did not. And that is what comes when developing a class for an event. There will be things that work and things that don’t. But, even the things that don’t turn out are all learning experiences.

Here are a couple of projects that didn’t turn out quite as I expected them to. I always recommend reading the instructions for any brand of product you are using. In those instructions for the Colorjet III it states “Be advised that dye migration has occurred with low energy dyes in polyester and poly-blend fabrics.” What does this mean?
This means to test it and that not all fabrics may work as you want them to. Not because of the product but because you cannot always predict how the dye in a material is going to react. For instance, if you have white HTV and press it on a red shirt, the white HTV may look pink. This is dye migration.

In the case of the apron and the sleeping mask above, the color of the fabric came through the Colorjet III Dark, even though I used the correct material. I tried, it didn’t work. I moved on to another project.

The zippered canvas bag on the right side, is an example of using the Colorjet III Light on a dark fabric. Complete user error on this one as I just wasn’t thinking when I grabbed my blank to press it on to. My daughter still loves it and now it’s her “money bag” she says.

I hope this post has given you some new ideas to use in your creations with Heat Transfer paper. It’s not just for shirts anymore!

A big thank you to Specialty Materials for sponsoring my class at the June 2019 All Things Silhouette Conference! For more information on future check out Terri Johnson Creates blog and click on the Events tab.

I would love to see what you create – feel free to post on my Facebook group at
Silhouette Secrets+ with EllyMae.

Enjoy!

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.