Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
I have read all the posts on Clam vs Swing, however they both have key features the other does not (and yes its beyond the way they operate). The problem is, I am not "in" the t-shirt industry yet and I can not forsee the everday annoyances that other people have seen and experienced. So here is my debate and any experienced opinions on the better options based on the debate below would be much appreciated.
Ok... Clam has auto open so you dont have to open it everytime its done. Not only does this save a step per say but it also saves the fact that you have to be there when its done. You can step away and set up another t-shirt to be printed or whatever. The swing does not have auto open.
The Swing has all the benefits of the swing which is why we wanted it to begin with. We are not confined in space therefor felt the added "out of your face" option was nice. Also it can do thicker items and we are already planning on doing multiple items so not being limited to .25 inches is nice. However, you have to be there to open it when its done pressing.
So what I want to know is (since I havent actually done this on a daily basis yet) which is more annoying? The downfalls to the clam? or not having auto open?
Just to note, downfalls to the clam in my opinion are.
1. Heat in your face
2. Thickness limitations
(BTW what I perceive to be downfalls not being in the industry, may in fact not turn out to be much of downfalls at all, thats why I am here!)
Re: Clam or Swing Need Experienced Opinions Please
I have not used the clam...only the swing-away. I made that choice based on the same benefits you listed.
I'm not sure that the auto-open of the clam is as much of a benefit as it may seem. When you're pressing plastisol, or vinyl, you're generally pressing for a very short time -- 3 to 8 seconds (depending on the materials, etc.). With an inkjet transfer, about 16 seconds tops. You can't accomplish much in terms of set-up in 5 seconds, so there may not be much benefit to being able to walk away from the press.
Given the choice, I would go with the swing away again.
Re: Clam or Swing Need Experienced Opinions Please
Since I have owned both a small hobby JP12 swing away press and now a Mighty Press clam, I thought I would respond to this.
The swing away is nice because you don't have the heat in your face. I definitely agree with that. It's also nice because there is less chance of your transfer moving while you're closing the press b/c the swing away goes straight up and down, whereas with the clam, the black part of the bottom platen is closed before the front (know what I mean?).
HOWEVER, if you can afford an auto-open clamshell press, then I would definitely go with that! Inkjet transfers such as Jet Pro SofStretch is pressed for at least 30 seconds on firm pressure. As a strong woman myself, I'm not feeling so strong when I have to do more than a few shirts AND press them out so they look nice to the customer! In addition, I have also tried to press canvas tote bags that have a mousepad inside AND on firm pressure. I practically had to STAND on the lever to get it to close. Getting it OPEN was another feat! Bet you wouldn't want to do a whole bunch of those either!
So my vote is the auto-open clam shell. Why not save yourself some LABOR, right? God knows we do too much of that already!
Melissa
Last edited by angelic_endeavor; January 3rd, 2008 at 10:52 AM.
Reason: forgot a word within a sentence
Re: Clam or Swing Need Experienced Opinions Please
I purchased a clam with auto open feature but it is the only one I have ever used. I like it - but I do not like the auto open feature openign the press while i am away. Reason being is that it pops open ( scares the heck out of you) and will sometimes pull the teflon sheet and shirt up with it allowing the mylar back of the vinyl to pull away - on a cold peel this can screw things up. So I use mine more as an "auto-release" feature and then slowly raise the platen
My other annoyance is when doing multi color vinyl and registration needs to be tight - there is only so much light you can get into the work area on a clam shell. i have resorted to lights on as hat so that I can see exactly what I am doing. I can see a swing away making this MUCH easier.
Now we will be doing little league tournaments this summer and I think the auto opening will be a life saver when we have 20 people waiting on shirts!! So ideally I would like a swing away at the office and a clam shell at the tournaments.
Re: Clam or Swing Need Experienced Opinions Please
Thanks for the insight it is much appreciated. As for the times of transfers. I do realize that heat transfer and vynel transfers dont press that long, however with DTG printing (which we will be doing as well) you have to cure the shirts before and after you print on them. I dont have the times right in front of me but I believe with the pretreated dark garments its like 120 seconds or something.
Maybe I am mistaken but the clam we looked at clamped and then we were able to step away. I was under the impression the swing did the same but you just had to be there to pull it up. Do you have to stand there and physically "press" the whole time?
Re: Clam or Swing Need Experienced Opinions Please
Chad, haha, if only it was that simple! Yea, good points. Thats another thing I liked about the swing away was that it can clear the "workspace" so to speak for you. However, the clam does offer the speed factor and portability.
hhhhmmm, so now I am taking into consideration the "lift" thats required with the swing away since its apparently sealed tightly and requires just as much force to lift it as it did to press it. I was under the assumption the lift would be almost as smooth as the auto release in that it just kinda floats up.
Re: Clam or Swing Need Experienced Opinions Please
Get a draw press. Well worth the money. I press lots of tiles as well as t's and bags and love it. All of the advantages of a swing, but uses the space of a clam and you just draw the table towards you rather than have to swing the platen away. Another advantage is that you have an extra work space(the table). I've never had any trouble with pressing or lifting. If you have to use that much force, it's too much
Re: Clam or Swing Need Experienced Opinions Please
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arithian
Thanks for the insight it is much appreciated. As for the times of transfers. I do realize that heat transfer and vynel transfers dont press that long, however with DTG printing (which we will be doing as well) you have to cure the shirts before and after you print on them. I dont have the times right in front of me but I believe with the pretreated dark garments its like 120 seconds or something.
Maybe I am mistaken but the clam we looked at clamped and then we were able to step away. I was under the impression the swing did the same but you just had to be there to pull it up. Do you have to stand there and physically "press" the whole time?
No...you don't have to stand by and press the whole time. It clamps down, and yes, some pressure is required to release it but, not as much as clamping it down. But hey, if a 54 year old arthritic grandma like myself can do it, it can't be that tough!
Clam or Swing Need Experienced Opinions Please 
