agerundajr

Hi all,

I use a clam shell type heat press. After spending this past weekend completing my very first order and pressing 40 dozen plastisol transfers it occurred to me that I was working upside down. Let me explain.

The instructions that were included with my transfers called for "opening the garment and sliding it over the bottom platen. Pressing one side of the garment at a time will eliminate ghost images/bleed through." This, as opposed to placing the whole garment on top of the platen. Though it defied every example of using a heat press that I'd ever seen, it made sense to use this method to avoid ruining any shirts.

While working this way I thought this must be easier than placing the t-shirt with the collar all the way at the top of the platen. There's more light, as the shadow cast by the top platen is unavoidable and my arms and hands were a more comfortable distance from the heat source. I'm closer to my work which makes for easier alignment and it seemed easier to align the shirt as the front edge of the platen allowed me to center the shirt using the collar and the shoulder seams as guides.

Now that my work flow has been oriented this way I can't imagine changing.

What do you veterans out there think? Seems as if newbies are instructed to work with this right-side up convention but I like it upside down.

Artie

 

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Solmu

Working upside-down is the norm in screenprinting, but as you say seems less common with a heat press. It makes no difference which way up the shirt is (you very quickly get used to looking at things upside-down and back to front when necessary), so it's just a matter of working whichever way you're comfortable (and that takes advantage of physical constraints).

But I agree, if I was working with a clamshell for example I'd be trying to keep my hands away from the back of the press as much as is practical.

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