# Vinyl appears to shrink or melt after heat press. Please help!



## Sharkbait (Apr 5, 2013)

Hi everyone,

Can anyone please help to identify what is going on with my recent presses?

Please see the photo of a recent press attached. 

The name at the top is not yet pressed and the letters are all nice and straight with nice straight lines. The name below is one I've pressed and the letters have gone all wavy as if they've distorted under the heat.

We can rule out the vinyl. It's easyflex and I have used it for years and a friend still uses it with no problems.

My press is a good quality Stahls Maxx press. It's not that old and has done me alright up until recently.

Has anyone any ideas?
I have tried reducing the time, temperature and changing the pressure but still have the same issue. I usually press for 15 secs at 150

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,


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## drdoct (Jul 26, 2011)

Is your friend using this roll of vinyl with no problems? I've had shrinking/melting with Stahl's premium plus. My problem was I was pressing too hard and too hot. After I corrected it, it went away. Are those letters stuck in the bottom picture? It looks like gaps between the vinyl and cloth in a few areas. Almost like you could just peel them right off. Have you changed shirts to see if that helps? Maybe make a grid to keep track of what all you have that's constant and then start changing each thing until you see improvement. Also, is it just this vinyl or all the vinyl you've got?


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## 1Koolaid5 (May 13, 2011)

At 150 degree might be to low, I normally press my vinyl between 300-330 degrees depending on fabric and material and 8-15 seconds


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## Sublime_Vizion (Jul 30, 2010)

Do you stretch the shirt either before or after pressing? Are the shirts preshrunk?


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

What kind of shirt?


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## drdoct (Jul 26, 2011)

1Koolaid5 said:


> At 150 degree might be to low, I normally press my vinyl between 300-330 degrees depending on fabric and material and 8-15 seconds



I think that's Celsius. At least I hope it is.


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## Sharkbait (Apr 5, 2013)

Hi All, 

Thanks for your help so far. It is 150 degrees Celsius.

It does press normally on my friend's press.

I am pressing on bog-standard FOTL super premium shirts as I usually do.

In the image it appears that the pressed lettering (at the bottom) is not pressed properly but that's just a trick of the photo. It is fully stuck down, it's just that it's distorted. 

If I press more flowing curly fonts it doesn't seem to affect it and presses fine. 

I'm baffled. 

It's not my cutter either as I got my friend to cut it on his. It must be the press? But why only on this kind of font?


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## texemb (Dec 2, 2005)

You using Teflon between platen and heat? If not add one, maybe two. Lighten pressure some a you just need enough to push it down and into fabric not crush it into fabric.


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## forwill (Jun 28, 2012)

@Sharkbait:

Did you find a solution to the shrinkage ?


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