[hc90]

Good Morning,

My sister and I are starting up a small t shirt printing business for children and after searching online for what we need I found a bundle on monstershop & monsterdoodle by PixMax. Is this make any good? I've read conflicting reviews online. Is there another brand that someone could recommend? I did look at Silhoutte cutting machine and a swing away heat press on Amazon.

We just want to print our designs using vinyls on to t shirts. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

 

[seacookie]

Hi I usually don't write in those thread, because it all depends how big is your budget, what is your business plan and there are many guys who knows much more then I.

I did check those bundles though. Here is a link for others to check:
https://www.monstershop.co.uk/sign-and-digital/sublimation-vinyl-starter-bundles

I don't even know what kinda vinyl cutter is that -.-
But if you decide to go with cameo 3 which I got and I think is great for starters check their prices:
http://www.foxystudio.com/Category/silhouette/page/2/

use this code for cameo 3 for discount and see what would be the price for it: FOXY4ORANGE

If we talk about presses they are probably chinese rebranded to Pixmax. My view on this is: If you get one year warranty and they deal fast with it, you are safe for one year. But you must know if you will make enough money as a starter and tester to buy better one after one year. Good heatpresses starting from 1k euros.

You also need to decide if you will do sublimation or heat transfers which are for pigment inks. Lot's of people are getting confused with dye and pigment inks, and this is important for the printer which you wanna buy.

I know guys who knows much more then I will chime in to this thread, so you are in safe hands.

 

[webtrekker]

You take a chance with cheaper heat presses in that the most important thing is that the heat press must maintain constant temperature all across the heated platen, with no hot or cold spots. Some cheaper presses are fine in that respect, many aren't.

Also, although not my favourite machine, you will find the Cameo much more versatile than a cheap vinyl cutter. If you're only going to be cutting htv for t-shirts then the Cameo is more than up to the task.

 

[PatWibble]

Difficult to know what to suggest. It is just cheap Chinese gear, no better or worse than any of the other similar stuff available on Amazon or fleabay.
It will get you started (or allow you to dip your toe in the water), but don't necessarily rely on it lasting forever.
Buy using your personal credit card ( not debit) and you will have protection under the consumer credit act. That means that your credit card provider will be jointly liable for all items over £100. DON'T pay through paypal ( even if you are using your credit card) because the consumer credit act will not apply.

 

[seacookie]

this is what webtrekker is talking about. Check video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlXNEPggGE4

 

[hc90]

You take a chance with cheaper heat presses in that the most important thing is that the heat press must maintain constant temperature all across the heated platen, with no hot or cold spots. Some cheaper presses are fine in that respect, many aren't.

Also, although not my favourite machine, you will find the Cameo much more versatile than a cheap vinyl cutter. If you're only going to be cutting htv for t-shirts then the Cameo is more than up to the task.

Thank you. We did look at cameo as well. Is there a vinyl cutter you would recommend? Also which heat press would you recommend. We would rather buy one that lasts. I wasn’t aware that they are just rebranded ones from China.. that’s how little knowledge I have regarding the equipment

 

[hc90]

Thank you everyone. We did look at cameo as well. Is there a vinyl cutter any of you would recommend? Also which heat press would you recommend. We would rather buy one that lasts. I wasn’t aware that they are just rebranded ones from China.. that’s how little knowledge I have regarding the equipment

 

[seacookie]

Thank you everyone. We did look at cameo as well. Is there a vinyl cutter any of you would recommend? Also which heat press would you recommend. We would rather buy one that lasts. I wasn’t aware that they are just rebranded ones from China.. that’s how little knowledge I have regarding the equipment

stahls,geo knight, hix

like I sad cameo is good for starters but it depends, if you need or not need cutter which can cut bigger sizes. You can always go with big Roland or Graptech.

Others will give you better information

 

[into the T]

i like the cameo as well, esp. to start with
then you always have a good back-up or second machine when busy

for larger cutters to start with, at a reasonable price, gcc
for a decent chinese cutter, raven

i'll add instapress to seacookie's heatpress list,
you can always check the classified/used listings in your area, then post what you find here before you buy
it's better to buy a good used, rather than a poor new

 

[Badgers]

With regards to a vinyl cutter, we have two Silhouette Cameo's that we use to cut Heat Transfer Vinyl in our retail shop on Blackpool promenade which keeps them busy over the summer season and they're great starter tools (or for those with limited space!) - Providing your only looking at producing fairly low quantities of the same design and up to A3-size designs, they are suitable for new startups and established businesses. In addition, as a Graphtec product (rather than a generic Chinese import), there's also a UK telephone number you can call if you have an issue with the cutter.


For the heat presses, the PixMax is definitely a Chinese heat press so it's worth treading carefully to make sure that you get what you need in the long term - The main thing to check when buying a press are usually the following:

• Where was the heat press manufactured? Most cheap heat presses are built in China and rebranded - Some companies acknowledge this, but most don't... Some companies even use phrases such as "Assembled & Designed in the UK" to lead customers to believe that they are manufactured in the UK. Due to the labour and material costs, presses made in Europe or the USA are considerably more expensive than Chinese alternatives, but they're usually better supported.

• What warranty comes with the heat press? As far as I'm aware, even the largest UK suppliers of heat presses offer a return-to-base warranty, with either a one or two year warranty as standard. Some companies also offer a lifetime warranty on the heating element which gives you some additional support. Once the warranty has expired, that's when you separate the "chaff from the wheat" with regards to heat presses and heat press suppliers.

• Does the supplier stock spare parts (and carry out repairs or servicing) if required? Many online sellers are simply "box shifters" of generic Chinese heat presses with very little expertise on how to fix them if they go wrong. A simple way to check is to see if the company can supply parts for and repair the heat presses they supply. If they can't do either of these, it's a strong indication that they can't support you beyond the extent of the warranty - From experience, these types of companies usually just exchange a faulty heat press within the warranty period for another press, by collecting the heat press from you and shipping out the new one free of charge - The cost of shipping a 35-40kg heat press is usually about £25.00 +VAT (with a reverse collection being even more), which gives you an indication of the profit they're making on a sub-£200 press (excluding VAT).

 

[PatWibble]

It is also worth remembering that under EU regulations country of manufacture is legally defined as the country where 'substantial' final assembly took place. A lot of the British and European presses are Chinese models with a minimum amount of final assembly - there is a lot of ambiguity as to what constitutes 'substantial final assembly'.

The only completely UK made press is from Pressmech ( even then some of the components will be imported). Industrial quality press. No bells or whistles or LCD touchscreens but it will last a lifetime. If it breaks the man who made it will repair it.

Adkins sell a range of quality Chinese made presses and offer aftersales support.

You need to find a supplier who offers UK based aftersales support after the guarantee expires.

I almost forgot about Jarin, who sell heatpresses under the brand name of 'Europa', with a reasonably good reputation. Not sure if they make from scratch, or if they assemble chinese made parts.

 

[Badgers]

I almost forgot about Jarin, who sell heatpresses under the brand name of 'Europa', with a reasonably good reputation. Not sure if they make from scratch, or if they assemble chinese made parts.

To confirm, Jarin Europa Leisure have always completely manufactured and assembled their heat press entirely in the UK for 40+ years.

With regards to the reliability and support, Jarin heat presses are used in almost every Premier League, Championship & Football League ground (and by many European teams, too) and I'm sure that between them they print a fair number of garments and demand a high-quality press to do so. Jarin also stock parts, service and repair heat presses from their location in Essex.

 

[PatWibble]

To confirm, Jarin Europa Leisure have always completely manufactured and assembled their heat press entirely in the UK for 40+ years.

Do they make/use all UK components or are they assembling Chinese parts? The word 'manufacted' can be misconstrued to imply that they make everything. It is possible to 'manufacture' something by 'assembling' imported parts and still legitimately calling it UK made. How much assembly actually takes place?

Jarin are a bit of a forgotten brand in the UK, which is why I almost forgot to mention them. Outside of the football league and sports shops they don't have a massively high profile presence in the UK garment industry. It is strange that imported brands like Stahls outsell them. They don't have a very high profile distribution network.

 

[Badgers]

According to Jarin, all of the component parts are UK-made and assembled in the UK by the Jarin Europa team that support them - I agree with what you mean about the distribution, but based on their sales over the past 25 years of being the biggest brand in sports presses, I don't think that they're too worried about their profile outside of the sports industries.

They might not be the cheapest around, but the quality of the heat presses and the after-sales support that they offer is second to none from our experience of dealing with them for 30+ years.

 

[PatWibble]

According to Jarin, all of the component parts are UK-made and assembled in the UK by the Jarin Europa team that support them - I agree with what you mean about the distribution, but based on their sales over the past 25 years of being the biggest brand in sports presses, I don't think that they're too worried about their profile outside of the sports industries.

They might not be the cheapest around, but the quality of the heat presses and the after-sales support that they offer is second to none from our experience of dealing with them for 30+ years.

Definately a niche product. I have heard mainly good things about them. Probably worth considering if you need a basic clamshell.

 

[seacookie]

anybody knows schulze? -.-
Manual heat presses | SCHULZE GmbH - Transferpressen

 

[PatWibble]

Good reputation. Amaya sell them in the UK. The BluePressline swing looks identical to the Studio Easy swing that Adkins used to sell, so I think they are rebadged Chinese presses. It would depend on the aftersales that Schulze offer.

Both look very similar to the Pressmech.

 

[seacookie]

Good reputation. Amaya sell them in the UK. The BluePressline swing looks identical to the Studio Easy swing that Adkins used to sell, so I think they are rebadged Chinese presses. It would depend on the aftersales that Schulze offer.

My local screen printing shop was talking good about them the other day. I heard for them first time ever.

 

[ukracer]

What did you end up getting.?