Heat press help please

[Steve Underhill]

basically you get what you pay for in this case, buy a big a platen as you can, IE 40×50 will do most work, Some presses have detachable platens so you can add cap, mug, plate presses etc, these are a good option if you are going to be doing this at all.
Any of the big brands will do the job for you.
Hix (Thermopress) George knight, Adkins, etc just do a search on the forums its been discussed a lot lately.

[Jane Victoria]

I only have a limited budget at this stage, about £600. Does that unit fall into my price bracket? If not,could you please advise on another model.

Thanks once again

[Jane Victoria]

Just had a look at the model you mentioned. I dont have the space for a swing type model – Any other suggestions please. Thank you

[Steve Underhill]

If you don’t have room for a swing press you will have to make do with a clam shell press but they are nowhere near as good, in the sense you cant very well print crushable items like tins, lighters etc, without damaging them, its also a lot harder to line up logo’s on shirts and checking they are straigt etc as you cant swing the platen away to see if you have it right or not.
Clam shell presses are very limited in terms of functionality and are only really suited to the most basic of pressing jobs.
If you really are that limited on space I would have a long think about where you are using the press, as if you are doing T shirts & clothing where will you fold it all?, where will you keep the blanks for pressing, you need to have them close to hand for checking & counting off, if you have a bigger job to do you will have boxes of shirts stacked up, It really isn’t something I would recommend doing in a cramped space, you need room to work and working in a tight space mistakes will be made as you wont have room to lay stuff out properly.
If you really are that limited on space try to find a press that has a platen that lifts high off the bed, but with a small handle as some of the larger ones will reach back just as far when open as a swing press would reach to the side.
Do a search for heat presses in the UK and buy the best one you can afford, and do try to consider re-locating it, as if you are serous about it you really could do with a swing press, and some decent working space.
My Swing press takes up only 18 inches extra when open and its a 40x50cm model.

[Neil Speirs]

Hi Jane,

I would take Steve’s advice on this, swing presses are the best way to go.

I started out with a clam press and found it very frustrating to use, quickly upgraded to a Adkins swing press & never looked back.

They really make the job a 100 times easier 🙂

[Alan Drury]

I have a clam press and have used it successfully for some years however it is a Jarin sports press so the bed is not tight against the housing and you get 2 different size beds which make life much easier. I do agree that a swing head may be easier to position stuff initially but you will soon get used to positioning with a clam press, I wouldn’t want you to get the impression that they are no good – many people use them professionally- daily.
Alan D

[Steve Underhill]

I wasn’t suggesting they were no good, but if you can afford a swing press there is no comparison in terms of functionality and practicality.
especially if you are doing tight registration multi layered transfers or crushable items, you can get as close as you like to line up the transfer in a swing away, in a clam shell your head is a few cm away from a 160 degree piece of metal if you need to look very closely.
but with a lot of clam shell presses the handle sticks quite a way over the back anyway so the space needed is just as much as a swing press, just to the side rather than the rear, so in most cases it wouldn’t matter to have a swing press.
Just buy the best press you can afford and pay close attention to the footprint and dimensions of it, as you may find a swing press takes up the same space as a clam shell.

[Freddy.Tait]

keep your eye out for an
adkins t shirt press and you wont go far wrong
they can take some stick (and worth paying more)
and spares available in u.k.
they are in leicester

all the best from freddy

[Jane Victoria]

Thanks to you all for your advise. I think your right,a swing press it is then.
Bearing in mind my tight budget and the need to press a neck label into my garments, what model do I go for?

[Jane Victoria]

Any more suggestions please?

[Peter Normington]

give the magictouch a call, they often have second user machines in stock as people upgrade to the pneumatic operated ones.

http://www.themagictouch.co.uk

Ask for Paul,

Peter

[Steve Underhill]

Buy any decent branded machine as mentioned above, and with a big a platen as you can afford basically, the only models we will be able to really recommend are the ones we use unless someones got loads of different makes.
You do get what you pay for at the end of the day.
But any of the makes mentioned will do you just fine, then its just a matter of budget.

[Jane Victoria]

Can you recommend a starter level swing heat press that I can heat press labels in as well or would I have to buy two separate machines. I am a bit of a novice on vinyl. Ink Im okay on!

[Steve Underhill]

Ill have a look for you once this crazy 18 month old gives me us minute to ourselves.
as for the internal labels, any press should do this just fine, I sometimes put our logo inside the neck of T shirts and sweatshirts etc its no problem.

[Jane Victoria]

Thanks once again Steve

[Steve Underhill]

This doesn’t seem like a bad little starter press, its a bit smaller than is ideal, but for the money it seems pretty good, if it has a years warranty and it does what its meant to then its good enough for the job.
12" x 14" is adequate for most jobs, if not all you do is use heat tape to secure the vinyl and press in 2 sections.
It is being sold by R.A smart who is a very reputable supplier within the industry, so you wont have any warranty problems, and the machine is nice and compact too, so your space you need isn’t all taken up.
Have a look here, with VAT its £522.

http://www.rasmart.co.uk/ShopRASmart/pr … &prodID=46

[Jane Victoria]

Thanks for all your help on this one. Its seems the one you mentioned is ideal for what I need at this stage and for the near future

[Steve Underhill]

Well that’s good, it does look like quite a sturdy press and if its from RA smart it should be a decent one, as I’m sure they wouldn’t stock anything they weren’t confident of.
They are also helpful i phoned them about a sublimation product I wasn’t sure of that I didn’t even buy from them, and they helped me out regardless, so they seem very helpful and genuine.
Good luck with it all