Holographic

Holographic Vinyl

Shiny, iridescent, and reflective are some of the ways that holographic vinyl can be described. Much like your traditional and thin heat transfer vinyl, holographic offers a fun change of color and appearance to enhance any creative project. No matter which angle you are viewing this vinyl from, it will catch your eye as it appears to change its color based on the light. With its distinctive sparkle and gloss, holographic vinyl has quickly become a favorite choice for personalizing items and clothing. While this vinyl might look different and intimidating to work with, the process of cutting it out and applying it to your products is very similar to normal heat transfer vinyl and just as easy to use. Holographic vinyl at Expressions Vinyl is perfect for anyone looking to add that special glimmer and range of color to their one-of-a-kind products. 

The Sheet of Vinyl

When you get a sheet of holographic vinyl, it will be in a vivid, reflecting color of the highest quality for your use. This vinyl can come in so many colors of the rainbow and there are three parts that make up the sheet of vinyl that it will arrive on. 

The plastic carrier (or transfer) sheet
An adhesive sheet on the back
The shiny holographic vinyl in between the two sheets

These parts of the sheet help to keep the vinyl intact in its design once it is cut out. Due to its glossy appearance, this vinyl works best when it is used on the top layer of your design. This particular vinyl does not expand but, visually, it ends up looking the best, when it is at the utmost top of the design on your product. 

How To Apply Holographic Vinyl

With the three layers that this vinyl comes with, you will need to know how to properly cut out your design and apply it to your items so that the end product comes out the way you want it to. Cutting it the right way will ensure the quality of the design and will make the weeding out process much easier to accomplish. 

Cut Out Your Design

While this vinyl doesn’t feel particularly thick, its texture is a bit more tough than the regular heat transfer vinyl and needs the same amount of cutting force that is used on glitter vinyl. Holographic vinyl and glitter vinyl are similar in their cutting and application processes as well. Typically, when cutting out vinyl, you will use a Cricut, Silhouette or any other type of cutter. 

Cricut: Use the fabric setting

Silhouette: Use the speed around 5, set your blade to 5, and thickness to 20

You will need to be able to get through the top two layers of the vinyl without going too deep and hitting your cover sheet that keeps it all together. Always make sure that you have the adhesive side up and the color side (cover sheet) down when cutting out your design. 

Weed Out the Excess

With any cut out vinyl design, you will have to weed out the extra vinyl in order to reveal your design. You can gently fold the vinyl sheet with the cut-out design to make the lines more noticeable so you can weed out the excess easier. 

Pressing the Design

When it comes time to press the design on your item, you can either apply it with your iron or a standard heat press. Due to the specific texture of holographic vinyl, it generally will need more heat than the standard heat transfer vinyl. Make sure your iron or heat press is set to 320 degrees and you will want to hold that there for 15-20 seconds. 

Peel Off the Clear Sheet

The final step is to peel off the clear sheet that was holding the other side of your design in place. When your vinyl has completely cooled from being heated, you can slowly peel back the carrier sheet to reveal your finished product. 

What Can You Use Holographic Vinyl On?

As with many different kinds of vinyl sheets, holographic vinyl will always work best on a flat, smooth surface. While you can use it on a rougher surface, it won’t last as long as it would on a smooth surface. You can bring a unique shine to different surfaces such as; blankets, shirts, pillow cases, wall hangings, hats, shoes and more! Holographic vinyl also tends to look better and pop more when it is applied to white a surface. A solid colored or multicolored surface can make your holographic vinyl look different than you intended. 

Washing Care Instructions

There may come a point when you will have to wash your item and you will want to do that in a way that maintains the integrity of your vinyl design so that it can last for as long as possible. We recommend that you do not wash your vinyl product for the first 24 hours after you have applied it. In order to maximize the longevity of your creation, if at all possible, turn the item inside out and wash it on a delicate cycle. This will enable the garment to be washed while not exposing it as much to the rough washing machine. Then you can either hand dry your item or run it through your dryer on a delicate cycle. These instructions will hopefully help make your product last for years to come. 

The Experts at Expressions Vinyl

Expressions Vinyl is a large distributor of different kinds of quality vinyl for all of your custom vinyl needs. Holographic vinyl is just one style of the many we have in stock. We understand how important it is to have just the right vinyl for the job, so we are here to help you find the perfect fit for your needs. It can be overwhelming to know which vinyl will be the best one for your unique project, but we have a sophisticated and comprehensive knowledge base to be able to assist you with any questions you have about our vinyl lines. If you are looking for holographic vinyl, or any other kind of specific vinyl, contact us to get going on your next custom creation today!