Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
From Thanksgiving to New Year's, UPS drivers work themselves near to death. My father worked for UPS for 18 years, and he simply DREADED the holiday season. Even with a helper riding along, they were working 12 - 14 hours a day, making nearly 200 stops.
On a different note, the press finally arrived, the box is in good condition. I just got home from work so I'll let you know more in a few hours when I get a chance to open it up. I will *try* to take some photos for ya, but that all depends on whether or not I can locate the camera.....(wife likes it more than I do, I think).
My father worked for UPS for 18 years, and he simply DREADED the holiday season. Even with a helper riding along, they were working 12 - 14 hours a day, making nearly 200 stops.
Tell your Dad with the implementation of PAS nationwide, UPS has bumped the stop counts up 25% ...that should make his New Year a Happy One.
It's unpacked, it's currently warming up to temp (never did get my temp gun ugh), and I've got some photos. Not really sure what you wanted to see of it though.
My initial impression is that it's solid and feels sturdy when opening/closing the unit. The controls are easy to read and use.
I've applied my first transfer (vinyl on 50/50) and it worked just fine. Again, I can't tell you how exact the temps are, but it worked. I'll have to dig out some other stuff to try out later on. (I'm like a kid when it comes to new toys, have to play with it at least ONCE before I eat dinner).
I do plan to leave it turned on for an hour or two so I can see how it fluctuates temps. So far, it's gone from about 373 to 379 back and forth, again according to the internal thermometer.
How is the base on it, is it pretty sturdy? can you take a pic of the base? thanks
It feels really sturdy, the base is about 4 inches narrower than the lower platen, and sits back about 4 inches from the front of the lower platen. This is the best pic I could take of the base.
I just need to figure out how to press polos with buttons, I have Lou's tee pad it, but I think I need to take lessons or something. LOL I still had a lump issue in the center of the shirt.
I did try a plastisol transfer just now. (found one laying around). Other than not having the pressure quite right, it transferred very well.
I finally turned the press off for the time being. It held temp for over an hour within +/- 4 degrees. Not much fluctuation in my opinion.
We use a 16 x 20 teflon pad for every press. It evens out pressure all around the platten and also allows you to press items with buttons. It also seems to really get your transfer pressed into your fabric.
We have a HIX, so that might make a difference over some presses, but we've NEVER had a problem with peeling, and I think a lot of that has to do with our use of a teflon pillow.
It sounds like it is working fairly decent so far. Keep us updated I am curious because I am thinking of adding another large press to my setup and they are very expensive. Although I am going to the long beach show and am hoping to find a good deal there.
We use a 16 x 20 teflon pad for every press. It evens out pressure all around the platten and also allows you to press items with buttons. It also seems to really get your transfer pressed into your fabric.
We have a HIX, so that might make a difference over some presses, but we've NEVER had a problem with peeling, and I think a lot of that has to do with our use of a teflon pillow.
The TeePadIt should do the job, I just never used it before today. So I tried out two toys at once. I'm sure with a little patience I'll make it work out just fine.
Do you have any plastisol? That would not even adhere for me. Vinyl did better but peeled. I am certain mine had a heat problem though, yours may not. Mine looked exactly like that but was a diff seller, I nearly went with sunnie but the other one was a couple bucks cheaper. If plastisol works for you i will officially be jealous
Bill,, the press looks great,, the 6 degree change isn't bad either,, if it gets to the point that it causes problems those degree swings can be recalibrated through the key pad,, just get a hold of those guy's you bought it from and they can walk you thru it.
I believe my hobby press had about the same fluctuations, and it never caused any trouble. I do want to get a temp gun though, just to make sure I'm not dealing with any cold spots on the platen. Otherwise, this is a great first impression for the "cheap chinese" press.
Re: New "Cheap" Heat Press Arriving Today 
