 Re: Heat Press Ramp Up Time
Hot pressing is like anything - there's always gonna be the X factor. There's always gonna be a new challenge that you haven't done before that you'll have to either just jump into or research. The basics are easy - I always say that even Ray Charles could hot press a shirt (may be a little crooked though).
I remember when I first was printing and pressing dark transfer paper. I was peeling the teflon sheet off way to quickly and the transfer wasn't sticking to the shirt. I learned that they work best when peeled cold - didn't know that at first.
Some pre-made transfers continue to cause some confusion though. You go to a site like proworldinc.com and order transfers. Some are plastisol, puff, some are like digital photo images, rhinestones, flock, etc. and I still have to look up the directions for applying them.
Trial and error - I have a handful of mess-ups that I wear to mow the lawn in. Fortunately, there's such a high profit margin in this business that you can mess up shirts and not go broke. And it's really nice not having to pay retail anymore for cool shirts - you can just make 'em yourself.
I'd say that you could start making great shirts in a few weeks - even if you've never decorated a shirt before in your life. Don't get overwhelmed - you'll learn what you need to know as you go along.
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"It's difficult to heat press straight when you're hungover"
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