[teamscum]

i'm in the market for hat press and found a CAPS press - its 4 colors 1 station (the press is orange) with a dryer - has anyone used this and if so are they any good? are they easy to use? i dont wanna buy a piece of junk as i use Riley Hopkins and Vastex equip now and that stuff works great - any feedback would be much appreciated -

thanks in advance

 

[freshlysqueezed]

I personally dont know why you would want to screen print a hat but if it has micro registration it should be a good press...
if your looking to do hats try embroidery

 

[tpitman]

I had a CAPS shirt press which was okay, but the micros sucked. Strangely, though, I'd read opinions about their cap presses, which many seemed to think were great. Same micros, go figure. These were the orange presses built by Alan up in Tennessee, not the new stuff from Sarasota.

 

[BroJames]

I personally dont know why you would want to screen print a hat but if it has micro registration it should be a good press...
if your looking to do hats try embroidery

I sell caps and all are embroidered. But I've seen caps in the internet which looks great in print. Embroidered caps really looks better but printed caps can look great especially if it has details beyond the capabilities of embroidery.

Do you have pictures of cap presses?

 

[vadan]

I've heard screen printing on caps can be somewhat difficult especially when doing placements over seams and what not.

So what's the benefit of this press over a heat transfer press?

 

[tpitman]

I bought a hat transfer heat press, which I've only used once with cad-cut vinyl on some visors. Turned out good. You can heat press or print over the seam on a 6-panel cap, but the seam will show. There's not much getting around that. I decided to go with the heat press figuring it would be easier and cheaper to try and print a decent plastisol transfer than to get a decent print on a cap. Screw up the transfer, the paper is cheap. Screw up the cap, you're out a few bucks. Biggest problem doing transfers is light transfers for dark caps. I'm still working out those bugs.

 

[freshlysqueezed]

Yeah I would think screening caps would be very difficult go with embroidery if you have the money that's what all the skate hats have and sport hats like I said I have never seen a screened Hat sold in a store Plus with screening you would have to larger qaunity

 

[nvstitch]

I had a caps 4 color unit and sold it within a month. Its just to much work for caps, I now use transfers or just push embroidery. With all the outsourcing going on why would I want to print multi color caps when i can sell embroidered ones cheaper and with no work. I must say I do have a single head unit that is pretty good with adult sized caps, it works well for the annual t-ball runs.

 

[teamscum]

thanks for good feedback - took a look at the press and it seemed inordinately complicated and i agree that embroidery looks better and is more cost effective anyway - as usual, thanks to tshirt forum members for great feedback -

 

[BroJames]

Among the reasons why caps are screen printed is the cheaper cost. I often see them used in promotional or giveaway caps. Screen printing over seams, even on shirts, is more difficult so one alternative is to use caps with no seams
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlYMX0ohm5A&feature=related[/media]

But you can also use soft platens with a canal under the seam together with 3D or high density inks, 3D emulsion/Capillary films, and low mesh count screens.

Videos:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVehzOKu5rI&feature=related[/media][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDbwQwQIo5Q[/media][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bnRcDJIbhg[/media]

 

[shirleyg]

We have a CAPS machine that you describe. It works fine. We've bought an embroidery machine and stitch most of our hats now and have our CAPS machine for sale. (Along with screens and a flash.) Contact me if you are interested.

 

[tonytw]

I have a caps 4 color one station with micros, I also have a caps 2 color, and a caps single color. the Orange ones, built like tanks... I bought a new riley hopkins 6 color 4 station, sold it and bought the 4 color caps single station.. Reason I usually only print one to two colors on shirts, also I went to lowes and bought a 69 dollar cart and placed both the 2 color and 4 color on the cart for easy move ability, when I am not using it to get it out of the way of things. I have a Brother GT 381 to print color shirts. But let me tell some of you who want to get into screen printing a secret I learned about these printers... One all three of the printers were designed to print Caps... So not many print Caps much anymore so they are cheap... I converted all 3 printers to print T-Shirts for pennies.. The same printers that are sold to print shirts cost hundreds because they are T-Shirt Printers.. ha, ha. my printers are excellent to print T-Shirts. the lie that the arms won't hold up the screens is false, I use mine everyday and only have pennies in my screen printers because someone thought they would not print T-Shirts.. my printers are still able to print caps also.. Feel free to contact me and I can help you convert your cap printer to a t-shirt printer also.. This is a pic of the 2 color my 4 color is also on the same type cart,, works great

 

[shirleyg]

This machine has been SOLD.