Looking for a basic heat press

[WB]

Hey guys,

I'll keep it simple and short.
I was thinking of getting a simple heat press to make some t-shirts and things at home.
My wife is off with a new baby for a year, she like to do little baby shirts and things like that. She has an embroidery machine and does things for fun. I happen to have a vinyl cutter here so she wants to try some shirts.
I don't want to go EBay china cheap so what should I look for. I really have no clue, I've never bothered with the garmet stuff.

Thanks

 

[ikarasu]

Hey guys,

I'll keep it simple and short.
I was thinking of getting a simple heat press to make some t-shirts and things at home.
My wife is off with a new baby for a year, she like to do little baby shirts and things like that. She has an embroidery machine and does things for fun. I happen to have a vinyl cutter here so she wants to try some shirts.
I don't want to go EBay china cheap so what should I look for. I really have no clue, I've never bothered with the garmet stuff.

Thanks

If it's just home stuff...you could even use an iron. Uscutter has some cheaper ones, Not ones I'd use for a business... but if its stuff for the kid that will be washed 10 times before they outgrow it, a cheaper one from uscutter should work ok.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

One thing that you are going to need to be careful of with any heat press is that there is even heat across the platen. Inconsistent heat can give inconsistent adherence between the decoration and the substrate.

With baby clothes, there is an added area of concern. Especially with embroidery as that goes through the substrate and to the other side that would have contact with the baby's skin. There are products that you can heat press after embroidery to mitigate that, however, you would also need to make sure that there isn't any specialty thread needing to be used that can be harmed by the heat process of applying that product after embroidery.

It may be possible to use an iron, but then the inconsistency will largely come from how well the person is applying the pressure. I would also use one that does not have the holes for steam and is completely smooth and only does heat.

 

[Mike_Koval]

One thing that you are going to need to be careful of with any heat press is that there is even heat across the platen. Inconsistent heat can give inconsistent adherence between the decoration and the substrate.

With baby clothes, there is an added area of concern. Especially with embroidery as that goes through the substrate and to the other side that would have contact with the baby's skin. There are products that you can heat press after embroidery to mitigate that, however, you would also need to make sure that there isn't any specialty thread needing to be used that can be harmed by the heat process of applying that product after embroidery.

It may be possible to use an iron, but then the inconsistency will largely come from how well the person is applying the pressure. I would also use one that does not have the holes for steam and is completely smooth and only does heat.

Spot on here...I would go with a name brand press to get the best results. Once she starts doing this, its likely going to be more than just a hobby. Especially with baby clothes etc...baby clothes and boutique style clothing is huge right now in the decorated apparel market. Patterned designs, monograms etc are all the rage and no signs of it going away. In addition to wearables, the bottle bags, diaper bags etc. can also be decorated. Look into a heat press that has optional platens to accommodate items other that clothing.

 

[d fleming]

Got a very gently used almost new and clean hotronix years ago off of ebay for basically half price. Used it this morning doing safety vests and one off shirts with eco film. Do not use an iron and expect professional results. Besides when the wife wants to throw something at you one day the heat press isn't as likely to come flying across the room as an iron is.

 

[Patentagosse]

I have this one collecting dust. Good for hobby / small projects when you're not shopping for "mass production" unit. I've done small batches of like 10 tees at the time for my trucker clients or landscaping companies. New thermostat, very clean unit. I'm in Montreal (if you're somewhere nearby... Make an offer

 

[Patentagosse]

Light Use Heat Presses - Geo Knight & Co Inc

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I have this one collecting dust. Good for hobby / small projects when you're not shopping for "mass production" unit. I've done small batches of like 10 tees at the time for my trucker clients or landscaping companies. New thermostat, very clean unit. I'm in Montreal (if you're somewhere nearby... Make an offer

I had one very similar to that for portability. Despite it's size, it was a hoss. Only downside is that when I was doing sublimation, it was barely sufficient for that, so if there was any variation of temp, it would (there at times is a swing of temp when putting in a cooler garment into the press, but then it levels off, but if the press is barely able to get the desired temp, that can be a problem) fluctuate.

My portable one was not the exact as the above, so don't think I'm saying that about the above.

Geo Knight (I have several of their heavy duty ones) is a brand that I really like. Can be on the pricey side, but I think worth it.