DTF settings Celsius for UK crafters

Troubleshooting

Not sticking

If the design lifts as you peel, or the edges are already up, the bond did not happen. Pressing hotter than the sheet is the fix people try first, and it is often the wrong one.

Work through it in this order

  1. Which way is the film? The adhesive, the duller powdered side, goes against the shirt. The clear carrier faces you. A transfer pressed upside down will never bond, however long you leave it.
  2. Did you peel when the sheet said? Cold, warm and hot are different films. Xpres say peel cold, off the platen. Amaya ProPeel says peel instantly. Peeling a cold film hot lifts the ink. That looks like a bad press. It was the peel.
  3. Was the shirt dry? Pre-press. Cotton, denim and canvas hold moisture. A damp panel lets go at the edges. See pre-pressing.
  4. Was it this film’s time, on this fabric? A common cold peel is 150–160°C for 10–15 seconds. A 3-second cotton press belongs to one instant-peel film, not to every hot-peel sheet. The lookup keeps those apart. Your packet still wins.
  5. Was the pressure even? Medium means the platen meets the cloth. Light pressure on thick denim misses the weave. Heavy pressure that squeezes adhesive out is a different fault, on the shiny marks page.
  6. Does the sheet list this fabric? Nylon and coated cloth are the usual misses. If the packet does not name them, the cotton row will not save the job.
  7. Did you second-press? Some prints feel stuck and then lift at the corner because the final press was skipped.

If you printed the film yourself and the powder looks grainy rather than like orange peel, the cure failed before the shirt was involved. Xpres describe curing until that orange-peel look. Fix the cure. Do not chase it with a hotter shirt press.

The dial is the last check. If a trusted sheet suddenly fails on a press that used to work, the platen may not be at the temperature on the screen. Test a scrap before you build a private offset into every job.

Common questions

Can I press it again?

If the carrier is still on and you peeled too soon, lay it back down carefully, cover it, and press again for the time on the sheet. If the ink has already torn out of the design, a second press will not put it back. Use a fresh transfer on a spare.

It only failed on one side.

That side was not pressed. A seam, a zip, a tote handle or a collar held the platen off the film. Move the garment so the design sits on a flat area. More temperature does not reach a gap.

Sources