[Xeon]

Hi all,

Just curious, but I was watching a video of how one guy uses transfer paper + a normal iron to transfer the image onto the t-shirt.

What I don't understand is, if the everyday iron used for ironing clothes can do the job, why do people need heat presses?

For factories, I can understand, but for small businesses, won't irons be better?

Thanks!
Xeon

 

[mhuk]

Isn't a press quicker and more consistent?

 

[PressForProfit]

Hi all,

Just curious, but I was watching a video of how one guy uses transfer paper + a normal iron to transfer the image onto the t-shirt.

What I don't understand is, if the everyday iron used for ironing clothes can do the job, why do people need heat presses?

For factories, I can understand, but for small businesses, won't irons be better?

Thanks!
Xeon

Irons do work with many inkjet papers. However, they do require more time and effort/muscle. The are also many inkjet transfer papers that have a more narrow window of application temperature and pressure.

Irons do not work for transfers produced with color laser printers.

You will get better penetration into the fabric (i.e. wash performance) with a heat press. The best iron with a "Gorilla" leaning on it cannot match the pressure and predictable heat of a small hobby press like the one below.

However, for someone looking to knock out a few free family gifts, iron away!...unless yours looks like the one below...

 

[Girlzndollz]

Hahahaa, Mike!! I totally enjoyed your post!!!


Hey Xe!

My husband and I started out handironing Ironall light. The time and effort for any kind of volume in nutz. My hub has 60 pounds on me, and I can tell you he used to do a much better job than I did getting the polymer into the shirt. That said, none of my shirts failed, or came back to us, but I could see the difference with his.

Here is why we think heat presses are better:

To make the shirts, we used to stand on a stool at the counter, and lean our body weight on our poor little iron. The handle sagged under the pressure. Also, we had to run it at full temp, and preheat it for 10 full minutes. The iron only lasted 2 months under this kind of abuse.

It also took a full 5 minutes per shirt, between prep time, press time of 3 full minutes of that kind of laborious pressing, then there was the stretch and re-press after that. But, we earned enough profit off our little iron to buy our heat press outright.

The day the press arrived, life became like a dream. I was able to process orders all day, rather than wait for hubby to come home and press the shirts all night. I was able to process in a half hour or less what took him hours each night.

I pre-pressed for 5 seconds, pressed for 30 seconds, stretched repressed for 5 and was done. No hard labor, and during that 30 seconds, I day dreamed instead of killing my hands, arms and back for 3 full minutes.

So to sum it up:
* 1 minute compared to 5 mintues per item. With a press, you can process many more items in the same time, or process less items faster, leaving more time for SEO!! haha. Also, the time saved could be used to do the shipping, or paperwork, etc. Time is money.
* No worries about "did I get the corners well enough?" The heat press gets that pressure on there much better.
* A press leaves you enough energy after to try to drum up some more sales.
* Presses can reach a higher heat than most household irons can, so there is less worry about temp issues with a press.
* Not all heat transfer papers can be hand ironed, like Mike said.

And that is why we think heat presses kick butt over hand irons.

 

[proworlded]

In a nutshell, a professional heat press will give a professional result, time after time with less time.

 

[Xeon]

Thanks a lot, PrintForProfit, Kelly and Mhuk!

After reading your posts, I started to realized there's so many bad things about irons!

Yeah, I'll give heat presses a thought. Sometimes, though, their high prices freak me out and in such times when the economy and everyone is doing badly, well.....it makes you hesitate to spend holy $$$ on heat presses. Even the cheaper ones are at US$299, so it makes me ponder a bit.

Maybe the heat press companies can take the economy into consideration and sell the presses cheaper.

Thanks anyway!
Xeon