How to Get White Words on a Dark Shirt With T-Shirt Transfers

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Things You'll Need

  • Dark T-shirt

  • Dark T-shirt transfer sheet

  • Computer with word-processing program

  • Laser-jet printer

  • Smooth, waist-high surface

  • Iron

T-shirt transfers make it possible to design your own printed shirts.

A fun and creative way to express yourself is by making your own T-shirts. Advances in software and printing technology have made this easy. Using T-shirt transfers, you can put nearly any printable image or text onto a shirt. You can use both light- and dark-colored shirts, depending on what you want to put on them. You can put white words on a dark shirt using T-shirt transfers by following a few steps.

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Step 1

Select a T-shirt transfer sheet. There are several types available. Make certain to choose a transfer sheet that is specifically created for use on dark-colored T-shirts. Avery brand transfers are among the most popular and are used in the following steps. Because most T-shirt transfer sheets are 8 1/2 by 11 inches, you can use a word-processing program, such as Microsoft Word, to add images and text.

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Step 2

Type the text that you want to transfer onto a blank word-processing or desktop-publishing document. Adjust the font size to your desired size and change the text color to white.

Step 3

Print the transfer using an inkjet printer.

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Prepare to Transfer

Step 1

Select a flat, smooth surface to use (but not an ironing board). Place a large piece of cloth, like a pillowcase, on the surface. Set the iron to the "cotton" setting.

Step 2

Remove the paper backing from the transfer sheet, starting from one of the corners. Do this slowly to avoid tearing the transfer.

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Step 3

Place the T-shirt on top of the cloth on the flat surface.

Applying the Transfer

Step 1

Place the transfer sheet on the T-shirt with the text face-up. Cover the transfer with the ironing tissue paper that was included with the transfers.

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Step 2

Iron the transfer onto the T-shirt for 30 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on the size (consult the transfer instructions). Move the iron over the transfer sheet evenly while applying pressure.

Step 3

Remove the T-shirt from the ironing surface. Allow it to cool for two to three minutes. Peel the ironing tissue paper from the T-shirt. Perform this slowly and evenly to avoid tearing the transferred text.

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Step 4

Wash the garment prior to wearing it. Follow the instructions for your particular garment. This action will help to avoid the any ink bleeding into your transferred text.

Warning

Avoid using Laser-jet printers to print your image to your transfer, as they may damage the transfer or the printer.

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