Which UltraColour Heat Transfer Should You Choose? A Complete Guide
Which UltraColour Heat Transfer Should You Choose? A Complete Guide
UltraColour, UltraColour Pro, UltraColour Max or Subli Blocking UltraColour Pro? Discover the differences and find the best heat transfer for your next printing job.
Choosing the right heat transfer isn't always straightforward. One customer might need a single personalised T-shirt, another wants 200 branded polo shirts and the next has an order of sublimated football kits that need decorating without the risk of dye migration. They're all full colour printing jobs, but they don't necessarily need the same transfer.
From application temperatures and peel methods to order quantities and garment compatibility, there are several things worth considering before placing your order. And when you're running a heat printing business, choosing the right option can make a real difference to your production time, costs and finished results. That's where the Stahls' UltraColour range comes in.
What Are UltraColour Heat Transfers?
UltraColour is Stahls' range of full colour heat transfers, developed to reproduce detailed artwork, vibrant colours and intricate designs on garments and accessories.
Unlike traditional spot colour screen printing, full colour transfers can reproduce unlimited colours, gradients and photographic images without requiring a separate screen for every colour in your design. This makes them a versatile option for garment decorators producing everything from detailed business logos and promotional clothing to personalised fashion pieces and branded workwear.
But while the transfers share similar capabilities, they're not all designed for exactly the same job. Some prioritise low-temperature application, others offer faster production through hot peel technology and some are developed specifically for smaller orders or challenging fabrics.
Understanding these differences is the key to choosing the right transfer for your business.
UltraColour for Detailed Full Colour Heat Printing
When your artwork includes photographic images, gradients or multiple colours, you need a transfer that can reproduce those details.
UltraColour is a versatile option for detailed full colour printing, combining water-based technology with a soft feel, stretch and rebound. Whether you're decorating branded clothing, promotional garments or intricate fashion designs, it offers the flexibility to reproduce detailed artwork with a professional finish.
One of its biggest advantages is its low application temperature. UltraColour applies at just 120°C, making it a practical option for compatible heat-sensitive fabrics where reducing application heat is important. It also offers durability of 75+ washes like the others in the range.
There is one important production detail to consider, though. UltraColour uses a cold peel carrier, meaning the transfer must cool before the carrier is removed. While this is straightforward, it's worth factoring into your workflow when decorating larger quantities.
With a minimum order of 10 sheets and scalable pricing, UltraColour can accommodate smaller batches as well as larger repeat orders.
Best for: Detailed full colour designs, photographic artwork, heat-sensitive fabrics and jobs where a cold peel process fits comfortably into production.
UltraColour Pro for Faster, More Efficient Production
If you're regularly decorating large quantities of garments, you'll know that even small improvements to your application process can make a difference. That's where UltraColour Pro comes in.
Like UltraColour, it reproduces detailed full colour artwork while offering stretch, rebound and a soft finish. But there's one important difference that can make it particularly attractive for busy heat printing businesses. UltraColour Pro is hot peel. For decorators producing hundreds of branded T-shirts, polo shirts or workwear garments, that can mean less waiting and a smoother production process.
UltraColour Pro applies at 125°C, which is below the scorch point, and produces a soft, semi-gloss finish with a sharp edge and thin, clear outline. It also offers a minimum order of 10 transfers, gang sheet options and quantity-based price breaks.
If you're printing the same design across multiple garments, the combination of hot peel application and scalable pricing can make UltraColour Pro particularly useful.
Best for: Bulk garment decoration, branded workwear, repeat orders and heat printers looking to improve application efficiency.
UltraColour Max for One-Off Prints and Small Orders
Not every customer needs 50 or 100 garments. Sometimes it's one personalised birthday T-shirt, a sample for a clothing brand or a small order of custom merchandise. And when you're working with smaller quantities, flexibility matters just as much as print quality.
UltraColour Max is designed for exactly these types of jobs. Using Direct to Film (DTF) technology, UltraColour Max allows you to order from just one transfer, giving you the freedom to take on smaller projects. It reproduces unlimited colours, gradients and fine details, making it suitable for everything from intricate logos to personalised designs. Its transparent carrier also makes positioning easier, while the lightweight, stretchable finish allows the decoration to move with the garment.
For heat printing businesses, this opens up opportunities to offer more personalised products. It's also particularly useful when a customer wants to see a physical sample before committing to a larger production run.
Best for: One-off personalised garments, samples, short runs, custom merchandise and testing new designs before larger production orders.
Subli Blocking UltraColour Pro for Sublimated Sportswear
If you've ever decorated sublimated polyester, you'll know that getting the design onto the garment is only part of the challenge. The real concern is what happens to the print afterwards.
Sublimated garments contain dyes that can migrate into heat-applied decorations, causing unwanted discolouration. This is especially noticeable when applying white or light-coloured designs to brightly coloured or dark sublimated fabrics.
Subli Blocking UltraColour Pro is developed to help prevent this problem. It combines detailed full colour printing with a specialist dye-blocking layer designed to inhibit dyes migrating from the garment into the transfer. This helps protect the appearance of the decoration, particularly on challenging sublimated fabrics.
Alongside its dye-blocking properties, Subli Blocking UltraColour Pro offers low-temperature application, stretch and rebound and the ability to reproduce fine details.
Best for: Sublimated polyester, brightly coloured sportswear, football kits and garments where dye migration could affect the finished print.
Find the Right UltraColour Transfer for Your Next Job
Whether you're producing one personalised T-shirt, hundreds of branded workwear garments or a full set of sublimated football kits, choosing the right heat transfer can make your job easier.
The UltraColour range gives garment decorators the flexibility to approach different orders with confidence, without having to rely on one transfer for every application. From detailed full colour printing and efficient hot peel production to one-off DTF transfers and specialist dye-blocking technology, each option has a role to play.
Ready to find the right transfer for your next order? Explore the Stahls' UltraColour range to compare your options and choose the transfer that best suits your artwork, garment and production requirements.
Not sure which one to use? Speak to our team.