No. For Infusible Ink projects, we do not recommend prewashing.

Do I really need to preheat the fabric base?

Most fabrics, and even hard blanks like coasters and mugs, have lint fibers that aren't visible to the naked eye. Completely roll the lint all over the blank, especially the area that will come in contact with the heat platen. This will prevent the lint from pressing into the white, causing the dye in the lint to infuse unwanted blue spots into the white.

Because the ink turns into a gas during the heat transfer process, it could stick to adjacent items or layers. Butcher paper and cardstock act as a barrier to protect your blank heat platen, Cricut EasyPress Mat, and Cricut EasyPress or Cricut Mug Press from unwanted transfers. The paper also helps capture moisture that is released during the pressing process. Infusible Ink transfer sheets come with the same number of protective paper sheets. However, if you plan to cut smaller images from sheets of Infusible Ink instead of using full sheet designs, you will need more butcher paper. It is recommended that each sheet of butcher paper be used only once, especially if any of the designs transfer to the butcher paper.

Lint-free cloth is a special type of cleaning cloth that does not shed fibers. A microfiber cloth is a good example. We recommend cleaning hard blanks before an Infusible Ink transfer to remove any unwanted residue or lint.

Cricut EasyPress Mat's innovative construction helps wick away moisture and directs heat to your Infusible Ink design during the Cricut EasyPress transfer process. For standard heat transfer vinyl (HTV) projects, a towel works well, but it does not provide the surface area required for a successful transfer of Infusible Ink.