What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
im going to buy a press to do simple designs with not much detail on them to do tshirts that im going to sell and also do some for friends and what ever person i find that wants simple work with low number of tshirts done. when i make all the money back that i spend on the equipment, inks and stuff like that i will sell the press to buy one with mircor registration. lets make this press helpful for me and other members that dont want to spend a large sum of money on a press when they are not planing to open up a business. what press is the best out of these.......
Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
I can't coment on the first two presses but I own and have used the livingston press shown on the bottom for the past year or so. Mine is only a one color press but I plan on getting another arm for it within the next few weeks.
My business partner and I are just in this for part time right now as we both hold other full time jobs but we have little complaints about the printing press. It makes us money and has been reliable.
The only changes we plan on making are to replace the screen holding clamps. They just seem like a bad design and don't tighten as easy as they could if they were more like a T-handle with a full 90 degree bend.
Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ironhead
I can't coment on the first two presses but I own and have used the livingston press shown on the bottom for the past year or so. Mine is only a one color press but I plan on getting another arm for it within the next few weeks.
My business partner and I are just in this for part time right now as we both hold other full time jobs but we have little complaints about the printing press. It makes us money and has been reliable.
The only changes we plan on making are to replace the screen holding clamps. They just seem like a bad design and don't tighten as easy as they could if they were more like a T-handle with a full 90 degree bend.
cool thanks for the input. when i saw screen holding clamps i thought it looked weird since all the presses i have seen have a different clamp. how do u plan on changing the clamps?
Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
Quote:
Originally Posted by stunn
how do u plan on changing the clamps?
It's basically just threaded rod with a little red rubber slip-on cover.
We'll probably just buy the same size threaded rod at home depot and weld a piece going across the other way to make a T. Actually now that I'm thinking about it, we can probably use the same rod and just cut off where it starts to bend and then add a piece across the top.
However, I might email the company first and see if they have an easy answer for this, maybe they have something already made.
I wouldn't let the clamps hold you back from buying the press if you really like it. It's really not that big of a deal.
The company was also friendly to deal with. They sent it out right away.
You do have to put it together but I found it to be kind of fun actually. It was neat because you got to see how everything was made and how the components make it work. It was real easy to assemble.
Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
Of all of those, I'd pick the Riley Hopkins for sure! It's the only professional grade press of the 3.
I'm sure the livingston press works fine for one color, but really, a couple jiffy hinges and plywood would work fine for one color. But 4 color is a whole different ball game. You need a solid press that can hold tight registration.
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Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
Quote:
Originally Posted by neato
Of all of those, I'd pick the Riley Hopkins for sure! It's the only professional grade press of the 3.
I'm sure the livingston press works fine for one color, but really, a couple jiffy hinges and plywood would work fine for one color. But 4 color is a whole different ball game. You need a solid press that can hold tight registration.
yea the Riley Hopkins looks well maid.............the livingston press looks some what weakly made and adding arms to it seems like a problem........
ironhead will make the livingston press into a multi color and i hope he gives us a good review on how it well it works
Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
Actually... if money wasn't a factor and I was taking a gamble on any of the three, then I would go with the riley hopkins press also. The name has been around longer.
I took a different approach at the time of my purchase. I didn't even know if I would like screen printing because I've never done it before. I wanted to ease my way into it and have the ability to upgrade the press as the business grew.
My main goal was to start small and grow big by having only very little cash to get started.
The press has now bought and paid for itself many times over again in the last 6 months so I will add another arm to it. When the new arm has paid for itself I will probably add another one as long as it proves to hold good registration.
If it doesn't prove to hold multi-color registration that good, (which I believe it will) I still don't care because I'll still have a reliable one color press that will probably still be used each and every day.
My long term goal is to keep saving my profits and buy a well known better brand 6 color printing press in the future after I have enough cash and it becomes more of a necessity.
I'll be sure to give a review when I start doing multi-colors images.
Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ironhead
Actually... if money wasn't a factor and I was taking a gamble on any of the three, then I would go with the riley hopkins press also. The name has been around longer.
I took a different approach at the time of my purchase. I didn't even know if I would like screen printing because I've never done it before. I wanted to ease my way into it and have the ability to upgrade the press as the business grew.
My main goal was to start small and grow big by having only very little cash to get started.
The press has now bought and paid for itself many times over again in the last 6 months so I will add another arm to it. When the new arm has paid for itself I will probably add another one as long as it proves to hold good registration.
If it doesn't prove to hold multi-color registration that good, (which I believe it will) I still don't care because I'll still have a reliable one color press that will probably still be used each and every day.
My long term goal is to keep saving my profits and buy a well known better brand 6 color printing press in the future after I have enough cash and it becomes more of a necessity.
I'll be sure to give a review when I start doing multi-colors images.
Sounds like a well-balanced approach!
Let us know how the Press works for you.
__________________ ScreenPrintH2O.com - An Online Community of Waterbased Screen Printers SignAmigo.com - An Online Community of Sign Makers.
Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
I have had the first press you have pictured, for about 4 years now. When I bought it, it came with a flash dryer and all the supplies needed to start printing, including some shirts, all for $500. This press made me lots of money in the past few years, but really only doing one color jobs. It takes alot of patience and tedious alignment to do muti color, but it can be done.
I now have a big press for doing muti color and a conveyor dryer, all paid for by this little startup press. I still use the little press for one color work, as well as doing signs with my vaccupallet.
Its all a matter of what you want to put in to it. If you have the cash, upgrade a little to the Riley Hopkins, it'll save you some headaches in the long run. But if you are short on funds and have alot of motivation and patience, you can make anything work.
Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
I'm really enjoying this forum and the amount of knowledge gained from it. I am also glad to see the intelligent decisions being made by newcomers and advice given by professionals in reguards to buying what you can afford. You can always upgrade later. Many have started out on a low budget and reinvested their profits back into the business. I'm stating this because I'm in the same boat. I also bought the first press above and have been using it 2 years. I'm now making a small upgrade, to a Riley Hopkins. Its a 4 color with floor stand and the micro adjust. I hoping the micro adjust will really save time and frustrations I have had with the old machine. This business has been really awesome its kept my daughter in sports and has helped us make and save money doing something I enjoy. I'm Looking forward to getting that press and making some more cash for my next upgrade.
Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
Quote:
Originally Posted by cchampsports
I'm really enjoying this forum and the amount of knowledge gained from it. I am also glad to see the intelligent decisions being made by newcomers and advice given by professionals in reguards to buying what you can afford. You can always upgrade later. Many have started out on a low budget and reinvested their profits back into the business. I'm stating this because I'm in the same boat. I also bought the first press above and have been using it 2 years. I'm now making a small upgrade, to a Riley Hopkins. Its a 4 color with floor stand and the micro adjust. I hoping the micro adjust will really save time and frustrations I have had with the old machine. This business has been really awesome its kept my daughter in sports and has helped us make and save money doing something I enjoy. I'm Looking forward to getting that press and making some more cash for my next upgrade.
how hard is to set up a 4 color job? and how long does it usually take?
Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
It depends on how detailed the image is. If you are printing something like USA in three different colors and the colors aren't touching each other thats easy. When you have something detailed its not always that simple. It shouldn't take but a few minutes, but when your press doesn't hold registration it can take forever. My current press moves just slightly. Just enough to make to prints off. Multi color jobs can be done with this printer but its frustrating and time consuming. I prefer to take on 1-2 color jobs with this setup.
Oh and to answer the question correctly its not that hard to set up, but it has taken me an hour to setup one job and get a couple good prints. Then only to have to go back and redo it because the print was off. I don't know maybe I just want things as perfect as I can get them, maybe I'm taking it to far.
Re: What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links)
Quote:
Originally Posted by cchampsports
It depends on how detailed the image is. If you are printing something like USA in three different colors and the colors aren't touching each other thats easy. When you have something detailed its not always that simple. It shouldn't take but a few minutes, but when your press doesn't hold registration it can take forever. My current press moves just slightly. Just enough to make to prints off. Multi color jobs can be done with this printer but its frustrating and time consuming. I prefer to take on 1-2 color jobs with this setup.
Oh and to answer the question correctly its not that hard to set up, but it has taken me an hour to setup one job and get a couple good prints. Then only to have to go back and redo it because the print was off. I don't know maybe I just want things as perfect as I can get them, maybe I'm taking it to far.
do u think that the Riley Hopkins will hold better registration than the one u have right now?
This is a discussion about What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links) that was posted in the Screen Printing section of the forums.
What press is the best out of these ones? (look inside for pics and links) 
