CAD-cut vinyl heat transfer for corporate apparel in Türkiye
CAD-cut vinyl is the decoration method behind most one-off name shirts, small event runs, sports team kits and any program that needs a single colour laid cleanly on a tee or hoodie. This page covers films, cutting, heat-press application, fabric fit, and where CAD-cut wins over screen and DTF.
What CAD-cut vinyl is and where it wins
CAD-cut vinyl is a thin, coloured film — usually 70-100 microns thick — that is cut on a computer-controlled plotter, weeded (the negative film is peeled away) and pressed onto fabric or a hard substrate with heat and pressure. There is no screen, no ink, no curing step. Each colour in the design is its own film, layered in sequence if multiple colours overlap.
The method wins on short runs because there is no per-colour setup cost beyond the cut file itself. A 5-piece run costs essentially the same per piece as a 50-piece run, which is why CAD-cut is the default for personalised name shirts, numbered sports kits, sample garments, and one-off gifts. It also wins on apparel that is otherwise difficult to silkscreen — heavily textured knits, hi-vis workwear with reflective stripes, and finished garments that can't be loaded onto a screen-printing platen.
In Türkiye, CAD-cut capacity is concentrated in the same İstanbul apparel belt as silkscreen — Levent, Başakşehir, İkitelli — and the same heat presses apply the film. Our cutting room runs two Roland CAMM-1 plotters and a Summa S-Class, which is enough for around 800 cuts per working day at full capacity.
Vinyl types and their corporate merch uses
Standard CAD-cut vinyl comes in matte, gloss, semi-gloss and metallic finishes. Matte is the default for corporate logos because it photographs without glare. Gloss is used for athletic numerals and pop branding. Metallic films in gold, silver, rose gold, copper and holographic variants are the right answer for premium gift apparel, VIP jackets and limited-edition pieces. We stock Siser, Chemica and Poli-Tape equivalents in our cutting room.
Specialty films extend the range significantly. Reflective CAD-cut film — 3M Scotchlite-equivalent — is required for safety and hi-vis workwear. Fluorescent film is used for run events and attention-grabbing signage. Glitter film is used for fashion-adjacent giveaways. Carbon-fibre-look film is used on automotive and tech-sector merchandise. Printable CAD-cut film (printable vinyl) extends CAD-cut to full-colour logos with an extra print step — useful when the design has gradients but the run is small.
Each film has a recommended temperature and dwell time on the heat press. We log press temperature per job because under-cured vinyl peels in the wash and over-cured vinyl shrinks or discolours. Our standard press parameters are 160°C for 15 seconds at medium pressure for apparel; 140°C for 10 seconds for technical polyester that can scorch.
Substrates and product fit
CAD-cut works on virtually any fabric that can take a heat press. Cotton, cotton-poly blends, polyester, polyamide, softshell, fleece, performance knits — all are suitable as long as the garment can be loaded flat onto the lower platen. For very heavy 3D textures like terry cloth or sherpa fleece, we use a heat-press pillow to push the film into the texture.
Hard goods work too, with limits. CAD-cut vinyl sticks to coated steel, aluminium, melamine, ceramic (with primer), acrylic and most rigid plastics. It does not stick to silicone, untreated stainless, fabric-laminated paperboard, or any surface that can't take 140-160°C without damage. For curved hard surfaces like bottles and tumblers, we usually route to laser engraving or doming instead.
On apparel, CAD-cut feels slightly thicker than silkscreen ink — there is a film layer on top of the fabric rather than ink absorbed into it. On a 180 GSM cotton tee, the hand-feel is usually acceptable; on a lightweight 140 GSM tee, the film can feel stiff and we recommend DTF instead.
Artwork preparation and cutting
CAD-cut artwork must be vector with each colour as a separate cut path. We send cut files from Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW through a dedicated plotter driver — Roland CutStudio for the Roland machines, Summa CutterControl for the Summa. Raster artwork needs conversion to vector first, which our Levent studio handles at no extra charge on simple logos.
Minimum detail size depends on the film and the fabric. We can cut text down to about 8 mm cap height on cotton; below that, weeding becomes fragile. For intricate logos, we test-cut on the production substrate before committing the full run — a 30-minute test that prevents hours of re-cuts if the geometry doesn't survive weeding.
For multi-colour designs, we cut each colour, weed, and stack them with a registration jig. The press operator aligns each layer to a printed registration mark on the garment so the final artwork is true. For apparel with seams, zippers or pockets in the decoration area, we reposition the artwork to avoid the obstacle.
Run sizes, lead times and unit economics
CAD-cut is at its cheapest on runs of 1-100 units. Above 100 units we usually suggest DTF or silkscreen because the per-piece cutting and weeding labour adds up. The exception is when the design is single-colour and the run is 200+ pieces on simple apparel — CAD-cut still wins on cost because there is no screen setup, no ink mixing, no cure time.
Lead time is short: express for an in-stock film and a simple one-colour cut; 1-2 working days for multi-colour, multi-position jobs; 3-4 working days for premium films that need to be ordered from the European warehouse. Personalised name shirts — one film colour, one name per garment — are our most common CAD-cut job, with typical batches of 20-100 pieces completed in 1-2 working days.
For corporate buyers pricing out a program, the practical question is volume per design. If you need 500 identical tees, screen or DTF wins on cost. If you need 100 tees each with a unique name, CAD-cut wins on setup cost even though per-piece labour is higher.
Wash durability and care guidance
CAD-cut vinyl, properly applied, survives 30-50 domestic wash cycles before edge lift begins. The keys are correct cure temperature, even pressure, and waiting 24 hours before the first wash. We supply a care card with every apparel order — wash inside out at 30-40°C, avoid fabric softener and tumble drying on high heat.
For workwear and hi-vis where the film is reflective or fluorescent, wash cycles are shorter and we recommend 30°C only, line dry. Reflective film in particular loses retroreflective performance if the garment is dried at high heat repeatedly. We document the care requirements per film type and supply them to the brand-owner for inclusion in the garment care label.
If a corporate program requires a longer service life — uniform programs that go through industrial laundering — CAD-cut is rarely the right answer. Industrial laundry cycles at 70-90°C with aggressive chemistry will lift CAD-cut film faster than silkscreen ink or embroidery. We flag this at the brief stage and recommend embroidery or DTF for uniform-style garments.
Where we run CAD-cut in Türkiye
Cutting and pressing happens in our Levent studio, with overflow capacity in Başakşehir and İkitelli for large event-run batches. Films are stocked locally from the Chemica and Poli-Tape warehouses in İstanbul; specialty films ship from European suppliers with 3-5 day lead times for non-stock colours. For event shirts headed to Antalya, İstanbul or İzmir venues, we run a 24-hour in-house turnaround on simple one-colour jobs.
Garment blanks come from the same Bursa, Kahramanmaraş and İzmir mills as our silkscreen apparel programs. For blank-and-print packages we consolidate the supply chain, which shortens the end-to-end lead time by 2-3 days compared to bringing customer-supplied garments.
Related decoration methods
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for CAD-cut vinyl?
There is no minimum. Single pieces, name-personalised shirts and sample garments are routine CAD-cut work. The method is at its cheapest on runs of 1-100 units; above that we usually suggest silkscreen or DTF.
How fast can a CAD-cut order be completed?
Express for in-stock film and simple one-colour jobs on customer-supplied garments. Multi-colour, multi-position jobs take 1-2 working days. Premium films not in stock add 3-4 working days for European warehouse delivery.
Which fabrics work with CAD-cut vinyl?
Cotton, poly-cotton, polyester, softshell, fleece, performance knits and most flat-weave synthetics. Very lightweight knits below 150 GSM can feel stiff under the film and we usually suggest DTF in those cases.
Can CAD-cut vinyl match a corporate Pantone colour?
Stock CAD-cut films cover the most common corporate Pantone references. For brand-precise matches we order a custom dye-lot from the film supplier, which takes 5-7 working days. We measure Delta-E under 2.5 against the supplied swatch on the production substrate.
What artwork format is required for CAD-cut?
Vector (AI, EPS, PDF curves) with each colour as a separate cut path. We convert raster logos to vector at no extra charge on simple marks. Cut paths must be closed curves with no overlapping geometry.
Is Corp-Merch a licensed vinyl supplier or officially accredited by any film manufacturer?
We are an independent corporate merch decoration provider in Türkiye. We are not licensed, endorsed or accredited by any garment brand, vinyl film manufacturer or printing-equipment maker. Brand and product names are used to describe compatible substrates and films.
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