Adding to that, you can also cover any transfer like that with parchment paper after the initial transfer and repress again for about 10 seconds. The rough feel on the surface is from the peel resistance ... the paper and the t-shirt having a tug of war of sorts.The "hand" will soften up quite a bit after the first washing. You can also soften it up right after you peel the transfer off, by then stretching the image area diagonally across the image area both ways.