sdarvsa

Hey! I'm 18 and I'm just starting out. I plan on opening my own buisness someday but before I do that I'm going to practice pressing t-shirts on my own for a bit.

I have a few safety questions in regards to the Panther Press 9"x12". My questions can be related to any Heat Press in general.

I'm a bit concerned about potentially burning myself! I know that heat presses can get extremely hot and I want to know the best way to avoid burning myself. Should I invest in some high-tech oven gloves? Would I do better with a swing-away heat press? Should I unplug the press after each use just to be sure?

In general, how long does it take for a heat press to become very hot, and once I'm done with the press does it automatically become cold again? I know these may sound like very trivial questions that I should already have answered, but I really want to be knowledgable and safe with my first ever heat press before I even buy it. Also, my parents won't let me buy a heat press until they feel I know what I'm doing (somewhat ).

And finally, I'm planning on setting up shop in my basement, but i was wondering if anyone could tell me if this is safe? My basement has drywall but concrete flooring, and I plan on setting it up on a wooden counter against a wall. I have a fairly large basement and this particular area is away from the furnace and laundry station, BUT it is fairly close to a window.

Thanks to whoever replies!

-Sara

 

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splathead

Not to worry too much, these presses don't have open flames.

The risk of burning yourself on a press is about the same as with an iron. And the burn is the same, quick and stinging.

Gloves can be cumbersome, especially trying to lay down garments and transfers straight. Go bare, and be careful. The good thing is you will feel the heat before you actually touch the surface, so you'll kinda get a warning.

The time it take a press to heat up varies. It's not super quick like an iron. I have a Stahls, and it usually takes 15 minutes to get up to 375 degrees. Once you are done, unplug it, just like you do an iron. Then you know for certain it is off. The press does not automatically become cold again until you either unplug it or turn it off.

A heat press in the basement is fine. Like I said, there is no open flame, or toxic fumes, so no worry about it causing damage.

Just think about your press as being a larger version of your home iron. The same precautions you take for it is the same you would take for your press.

 

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DTFuqua

I don't believe your gonna be happy with that size press for long. You might want to at least step up to a 15X15. I went overboard, I thought, and bought a 16X20 but have press some 11X17 full print transfers since then and am glad I went with the larger press. Same thing with the printer. I got the Epson 1400 as it was the best affordable printer that would do oversize printing and a lot of the smaller transfers look a little funny on a double or triple XL size shirt and there are a lot of people that wear that size. You can always downsize the print to scale on smaller size shirt but you can't upscale the size if the printer won't fit the paper. You can always tile the job for both the printer and heat press but thats not the easiest or fastest way to do things and some people have trouble with alignmet when tiling images and then lining them up to use on a heat press when they are working close to something thats generaly over 300 degrees. Good luck.
Terry

 

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veedub3

I just recently received a 9 x 12 press and I have to say that because I already own a 15 x 15 press the 9 x 12 press has not gotten any use. This was a gift and boy was it a waste of money. Because I have been using a Chinese press for the last few years I wanted to see what all the hype was with the name brand presses. Not to mention it was a gift. Once I seen the size and the fact that it does not have a digital timer I really don't think I will get much use out of it. I tested it once and it worked the way it is supposed to work but so does my chinese press I scored off ebay 3 years ago for $132.00.

Veedub

Go for a larger one you will be much happier.

 

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proworlded

Sara I would not recommend a 9x12 heat press. You can purchase a 15x15 for about the same, or less. The safety issue should not be a concern. The press is probably safer than leaving an electric coffee pot on all day. Depending on the machine it will take about 7-15 minutes to reach the operating temperature. I would not be concerned about getting burned. We have been selling the clam heat press for over 25 years and have never had a complaint about someone getting burnt.

__________________
www.proworldinc.com - AMAZING $99 15x15 Heat Press Special. Exclusive 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee.1000's of Stock Transfer designs. Custom Transfers...plastisol and rhinestone.

 

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sdarvsa

Wow thank you guys so much for all this! I'm very grateful for the advice seeing as I would have spent a lot of money on a heat press that wouldn't have performed up to my expectations. I'm thinking about signing up for a crash course that offers lessons on how to use the equipment, including screen printing machinary and heat presses. I'm currently in my second year of university and loving my program, but I'm also thinking about taking a course next summer in college on photoshop? Can anyone tell me if the photoshop course is worth it? Do you guys use photoshop at all? Do people even offer courses on how to use the machinery?

 

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DTFuqua

I use corel and it has the whole suite of graphics programs and yes, I wish I knew more how to use it but I' have been self educated since my early teens and am finding new things just a lot harder to grasp now days. A course from college, especialy if it helps you get enough credits to graduate, should be a good thing. Good luck.
Terry

 

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casperboy77

Sara, Yes it would deffinaly be worth taking that Photoshop class. I use Photoshop in my business everyday! I do own Corel as well but don't use it. I learned Photoshop in school and I haven't had anything I couldn't accomplish on it yet.

As for the heat press here is my best advice: It all depends on what you are going to be making. I was young and bought my heat press back in 2001 an 11" x 15" Stahls, brand new. It sat in it's crate untill April 2009 when I finally opened my business. Well we have been wanting to try to setup at shows and festivals and find that even the 11" x 15" press is big and bulky to be transporting. So I have actually been looking to buy a small press for that reason. Now I am also looking to buy a big press 16" x 20" For t-shirts, towels, pillow cases etc. If you are setting up to just make t-shirts then buy the largest you can afford. If you are setting for sublimation printing and to make personalized items like pet tags, dog tags, Christmas ornaments, mouse pads, then a small press isn't such a bad thing to have around. The small press though arn't really designed for tons of commercial work. But just to set up for a weekend at a flea market and make small items wouldn't be too bad.

I hope this is some good advice. And learn Photoshop, you won't regret it!

 

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