What you need

• Your design on a pegboard
• Ironing paper, or a reusable ironing cloth
• A household iron or a heat press
• A flat, heat-safe surface
• A heavy book for cooling

With a household iron

1. Set the iron to medium, no steam.

   A dry iron on the medium setting is where Perler says to start. PerlerPerler FAQ

2. Cover the beads with ironing paper.

   It keeps melted plastic off the iron. Lay it flat over the whole design. PerlerHama

3. Iron in slow circles without pressing down.

   About 10–20 seconds per side for Perler. Hama says to stop once the colors show clearly through the paper. PerlerHama

4. Let it cool a little, then peel the paper.

   Lift it too soon and beads can stick to the paper. Perler FAQ

5. Flip it and iron the other side.

   Take the piece off the pegboard, turn it over and repeat. PerlerArtkal

6. Cool it flat under a heavy book.

   That keeps it from curling while it sets. HamaArtkal

Done right, every bead still has an open center. If the holes close up, it was ironed too long. Perler

What each brand says

From each brand’s own instructions: Perler · Perler FAQ · Hama · Artkal

With a heat press

None of these brands publish heat-press settings, so treat the iron settings above as your starting point: a medium temperature, ironing paper or an ironing cloth between the plate and the beads, and short presses you check in between. Try it on a small scrap first.

IronedBeads lets you try all three on your own pattern before you plug anything in.

When it goes wrong

• The beads don’t stick together.Turn the heat up a little. Perler FAQ
• The holes closed up.It was ironed too long. Properly fused beads still have an open center. Perler
• Beads stuck to the paper.Let it cool before you lift the paper. Perler FAQ
• It curled or warped.Cool it flat under a heavy book. Too much heat can warp the pegboard, too. HamaPerler FAQ