HTV vs Adhesive Vinyl - What Is Better For Mugs?
, by Abbey H, 4 min reading time
First things first
Did you know you could even apply HTV to glass? Most types of HTV will work. You may need a little bit of practice. I don't think this is something you will get on your first try, so keep that in mind. For this to work, it is suggested to use a lower heat and time. Try doing multiple passes over the item as well. Once the carrier bubbles, it would be safe to say it has adhered to the item. Use caution, make sure you are protecting your hands, and remember glass higher chance of breaking with heat. If a glass mug goes from very cold to very hot in a couple of seconds, its chances of cracking increases. If you are going down this road of HTV, I would suggest getting a mug heat wrap. This way, you know the heat is being sent equally to your design. Applying adhesive is just a matter of weeding the design and placing it on the mug. Using this method sounds easy, but some people think that this is harder than using HTV.What Vinyl type is Better?
Now that we have the basics covered, which one is better for adding vinyl to mugs? If you washed your cups in the dishwasher, the permanent adhesive
vinyl would be the best. It is the only one that would last on its own. This would be Oracal 751. Its downfalls would be it's harder to weed. This is why some people lean towards Heat transfer vinyl.
Looking for a cheaper vinyl but still want to be able to put the mug in the dishwasher? I would suggest coating the item in the mod podge after. This way, any vinyl would last in the dishwasher. This also opens up an avenue of specialty vinyl. One of my favourite specialty vinyl for mugs would be Syletech Colour changing Adhesive vinyl. So if you're looking for a cheaper adhesive, I would suggest 651
Lastly, the HTV. I would use this vinyl if you know that the project is going to be hard to weed. HTV is really up to personal preference. If you do want to put it in the dishwasher, I will use Mod Podge to seal the mug. If you are ok with handwashing the cup, then you wouldn't have to seal the item. Another thing to keep in mind is that the application with heat can be dangerous, so proceed with caution. Just a reminder that if you are using HTV, wait 48 hours before washing the item.
Overall
So overall, I would say it's up to preference. I know this maybe not the answer you are looking for, so let's break it down. If you are looking for this craft to have fewer steps, I would suggest using 751. This eliminates the step of using Mod Podge. It's just a quick and easy two steps. Are you looking for saving on cash? This would be utilizing a combination of 651 vinyl and mod podge, creating almost the same product in the end by adding one more step. Lastly, HTV, which I would use if you hate weeding adhesive vinyl. If you don't have the patience for that step, then HTV is your best friend. Information overload, am I right? I hope you found this post helpful! If you would like to share your creation on your social and tag us @rqcsupply! We would love to see all the different types of mugs. We loving seeing your products being put to excellent use!Tags
Blog posts
-
, by Author Article title
-
, by Author Article title
-
, by Author Article title