Heat Press 101: Understanding Print Formulas

What’s in a Print Formula?

As you may have noticed, a lot of heat transfer companies offer you different “print formula” options when you are placing an order. F&M Expressions is no different.

We offer Athletic Formula, Fashion Formula, Nylon Formula and Stretch Formula transfers. Each formula does have a specific, intended use. I would like to take a minute to share what those uses are.

The Athletic Formula is an F&M original. It was birthed through our Numberalls line of products and can adhere to 100% Cotton, 100% Polyester and any blend of the two. The Athletic Formula offers your customer a more durable transfer with superior opacity and an athletic hand. It is specifically designed for On-the-Field action and other thicker garments that require a more robust look and feel.

The Fashion Formula is a brand-new offering for our small quantity (8 Small Pieces) product line. It can adhere to 100% Cotton and 50/50 Blends. It is also good for both light and dark garments. The Fashion Formula offers your customers the printed look and feel that they are accustomed to finding in their local retail shops. It is currently being used by some of the largest retail chains in the world and now you can offer it to your customers. We even created a line of templated designs Vintage Designs built specifically for sale to your fashion forward customers.

The Nylon Formula is a specialty product that is available for larger quantity orders (512 Large Sheets or more). It is designed to adhere to 100% Nylon substrates. It is good for both light and dark garments and can have an application time of as little as two seconds. If the Nylon Formula is the product that you are looking for, we would actually recommend that you let us test your garments. The reason we ask this courtesy is that Nylons are very different depending on the country in which and the company by which they were manufactured. Some Nylon substrates are coated with oils. Some are coated with waterproofing sprays. Some are even coated with both and all of these coatings combining with different fabric deniers make heat-applying Nylon a very unpredictable procedure. Once your custom Nylon transfers are applied, they have a similar look and feel to the Athletic Formula.

The Stretch Formula is another specialty product that is available for larger quantity orders (512 Large Sheets or more). It is designed to adhere to substrates that contain some Lycra or Spandex content. It is good for both lights and darks and like the Nylon Formula can have an application time of as little as two seconds. The Stretch Formula product is specifically designed to stretch and rebound with the garment’s movement. It has been used successfully on swimwear, performance fabrics, maternity clothing and more…

I hope this has helped to answer some of the questions that you may have had about our Print Formulas. If you have any more questions, please feel free to give us a call at 888-788-7133 or e-mail us at sales@fmexpressions.com