Why it happens
Heat-sensitive fabrics may melt if they contact a hot surface, such as the Cricut Autopress heat plate, leaving a shiny or discolored mark in the material.
Additionally, permanent press marks along edges of heat-transfer material, seams, buttons, or zippers may occur.
How to avoid it
Threading
To thread your blank on the mat/platen, open the blank and slide it over the mat/platen so that only one layer of the base material is on the mat. This will help you avoid press marks created by pressing over bulky seams, buttons, zippers, etc.
Pressing pillow
A pressing pillow helps you avoid press marks created by the edges of heat-transfer material liners or paper. Place the pressing pillow inside the blank so that it elevates and supports the pressing area and design but allows excess liner or paper to flow off the edge of the pillow. This way the heat plate doesn’t apply full pressure to those edges and leave press marks in your base material.
Protective Barrier
Use a Teflon sheet (for iron-on projects) or clean sheet of butcher paper (for Infusible Ink or sublimation projects) between your blank and the heat plate during preheat and transfer as instructed in our online Heat Guide. The Teflon sheet or butcher paper should be large enough that the heat plate does not make direct contact with your base material.
Important: Do not use Teflon sheets or Teflon pressing pillows with Infusible Ink projects. Teflon does not absorb moisture and may cause other unwanted transfer effects.