There are two categories of heat-transfers; "weeded" heat-transfers and non-"weeded" heat transfers.

"Weeded" heat-transfers are cut out of vinyl film, and the excess material is pulled or "weeded" away, leaving behind the desired design. The artwork for a weeded heat-transfer cannot have too many fine details, like small text for instance. Parts of the artwork can pull away with the waste if the details are too picky.

Weeded heat-transfers are available in about a dozen colors, but the most common is 3M reflective silver. The minimum unit order is very low, the turnaround is fast, and this trim is made in Canada.

Non-"weeded" heat-transfers are actually silk-screened onto paper, and in-turn pressed onto fabric with heat and pressure. There are fewer limitations with non-"weeded" heat-transfers; they can achieve full, rich color, gradient and shadow, and match to any PMS color.

The over-rising disadvantage of non-"weeded" heat-transfers is that they leave a noticeable contour of adhesive surrounding every shape. In many cases, the artwork is placed on a solid-color background to alleviate the outline issue.

Full-color non-"weeded" heat-transfers (on a solid background) are made in Canada and are available at a low minimum unit order, with a quick turnaround.

One or two color non-"weeded" heat-transfers (like those used for neck labels), are made overseas and are subject to a minimum unit order of 1,000 units, and lead-times of about 10 to 12 business days for samples and production.

If you'd like to use a heat-transfer to brand your next ///BEA private-label project, contact your sales representative and find out how easy it is!

To peek at the heat-transfers that we've provided to our customers, please browse the photo gallery here: