Hard and soft good heat-transfer processes are similar, it just depends on what the decorator is applying onto that changes the process. Not all heat-applied transfers work on hard goods. Most heat-applied transfers and all vinyl have an adhesive layer, which when heated, bonds to the fabric it is being printed on. With hard goods being hard, the adhesive doesn’t have much to “grab” ahold of, which can result in a failed print.
—Stahls’