HEAT PRESS 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy?
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This section of the forum is where Rodney, a die hard screen printing fan, journeys into the world of heat press and heat transfers. Coming from the perspective of a complete heat press newbie making t-shirts for the first time. Jump right in :)
[HEAT PRESS] - 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy?
Re: 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MotoskinGraphix
I would never ever by an auto press. A function that is totaly disfucntional.
I don't think large format manual presses exist, but if they do I know I certainly wouldn't want to use one. I wouldn't say "never", it's just about having the right technology for the job at hand.
Re: 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy?
Hi.
A while back, someone psoted a query about the relative merits of the Geo Knight 9 x 12 Digital Swinger JetPress and the Hix Hobby Lite 9X12 Swinger Heat Transfer Press
There were many responses, but none actually answered the posters' query. Instead they explained why the poster really wanted something bugger and better.
I was hoping to see an actual discussion of why one might be better thsan ther other.
I'm looking at these same presses, as well as the Panther Press 9x12 (which I saw at BestBlanks.Com)
I'm not going into business, just making some shirts for my self and friends. I may make hslf a dozen to a dozen shirts in one month, then not make any for the next 3 or 4 months. I want to use higher quality transfer paper than is available at Office Depot, but such materials typically are not intended for use with an electric iron. So I want to get around the limitation that an iron cannot be used for good results.
I am also disabled, and a 60 pound monster is way overkill for me. I also do not want to deal with the kind of logistical problems that sometimes arise post-sale with ebay sellers that would not be an issue for (or even occur to) a fully abled person.
For the kind of artwork I'm putting on t-shirts, a letter sized image space is plenty big.
For these reasons I'm hoping someone can compare these heat presses, or even just report on their experiences with just one of them (was heating across the platen uneven for example?). Do the specs present any red flags that I would not know to look for?
Is the Panther Press 9x12 an off-label device that should be avoided like the plague?
If you know that one cannot get quality results with any of these 3 presses, please let us know. I'm sure that I'm not the only one here who would want to know.
Re: 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy?
Hello everyone!
I have a quick question:
I plan to produce printed garments aimed at children/teens. Sizes would be from infant to XXL.
While researching heat presses, I found references to a 6x6 unit. The marketing mumbo-jumbo states that it is specifically designed for infant clothing.
Now for the question (Finally!):
Do I really need a separate, smaller press for infant clothing?
Re: 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy?
The answer is no !, you can use a regular press. I suggest you get a minimum of a 15x15 press. I strongly suggest you buy a name brand press. I say this because the cheap ebay press has no customer service behind them .A name brand press cost more, but they are made better and have a service department. The press is the pulse of your business and should be very dependable and have service after the sale. .... JB
Re: 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy?
It's better to have a heat press that's too big versus one that's too small. You never know when a family member or friend might hit you up to do a small run of adult sized tees ... happens to me all the time. And like JB said, go with a name brand press.
Re: 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjubert
Someone mentioned not strong enough nor making shirts regularly enough for a big press.
Is there any way at all to use a hand iron or some other heating devise if not printing lage quantities of pieces?
Thanks,
Joanne
Not if you want to acheive high quality results that are good enough for retails sales.
As a hobby, I think might be fine to use a hand iron for some transfers, but if you are selling the printed items to someone else, you need the pressure and heat that an actual heat press can provide.
Re: 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy?
Which heat press give you the most room under the machine to slide a shirt under.
We are going to be doing youth sweat and hoodies and tees and we were wondering if we slid the shirt bottom side first , would it slide under so it squares up.
I really think a 16x16 is plenty big enuff to go with but not ruling out the 16x20.
Any help is greatly appreciated
Re: 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjubert
Someone mentioned not strong enough nor making shirts regularly enough for a big press.
Is there any way at all to use a hand iron or some other heating devise if not printing lage quantities of pieces?
Thanks,
Joanne
You would have to be strong to use a hand iron on a transfer. Pressure is the key and is the reason why a heat press does such a better job. I would not reccomend trying a hand iron if your dissabled.
Re: 5 Tips: How to select which heat press to buy? 
