The Truth About Garment Decoration

When talking about heat applied graphics, I would be remiss if I didn’t take some time to discuss what to look for in a heat press.  Whether you are thinking about a swing-away press, a draw press or a clam style heat press, here are some things to consider when purchasing a heat transfer press.

The Big Three 

 The “trinity” of heat printing or the three main components to manage are Time, Temperature and Pressure.  These components are critical in achieving successful prints each and every time.  So how do you make sure that you are managing these accurately?

Go Digital  

Today’s adhesives on heat applied films and heat transfers are more sophisticated and more application specific than ever before.  Every heat applied transfer has its own “recipe” and the margin for error is much narrower than in the days where 350 degrees and “mashing them on” for 10 seconds was a one-setting-fits-all situation.  You want to make sure that you achieve melting point to liquefy and activate the adhesive without over applying heat.  Too much heat can liquify the adhesive to the point that it can actually absorb entirely into the fabric and not adhere to the transfer.  Without a digital temperature read-out on your heat press, your temperature can vary 10 to 15 degrees.  The length of time or “dwell time” that the press is engaged on the transfer is critical as well.  While time is time and you could use an egg timer or (God forbid) count in your head, having a digital timer incorporated in your heat press is an overlooked convenience.  Even better would be to have one that not only counts down and beeps, but actually opens automatically when the timer hits zero.  That’s not just a lazy man’s feature, but a production tool that allows you to multi-task and not be chained to your heat press waiting for the beep.  I would venture to say that there have been a lot less damaged garments since this innovation has been available.  The last component to be measured is pressure.  Having a digitalmeans of measuring the actual applied pressure takes away all guesswork.  To date, pressure has been very subjective as “medium pressure” is a lot different to a 250 lb man in comparison to an 80 lb woman.  Having a live digital pressure read-out on your heat press can be a big plus.

Size matters

There are typically 3 standard sizes of heat presses (aside from special application presses), 16×20,16×16 (or 15×15) and 11×15.  If you are looking to purchase your first press, I recommend a 16×20.  The reason is that while a large portion of the designs that you want to press will fit on a 16×16, you don’t want to short-change yourself and limit yourself to a cerain size image.  For the price difference, you will never regret going larger to start.  The other benefit of the larger heat press is that it is easier to align designs properly when you see more of the shirt on the press and use the longer side lines of the lower platen as a reference.  Many heat transfer machines have interchangeable lower platens that can help when you have long runs of smaller garments or odd shaped items to heat press.

Heat Press Manufacturer

It pays to buy from a reputable company who will service you well and from a manufacturer who offers a product with a solid warranty, easy to use and good service after the sale.  If you have never heard of them, there’s a good chance that you might want to avoid them.

Heat Press Style

The style of your heat press shouldn’t be a trendy thing, it should take into consideration the type of heat applications you will be doing, who will be the primary operator(s) and also physical space restrictions if any.

There are 3 major styles of heat presses, each has its own beneficial attributes.  The most commonly used heat press is the clam style press.  This one opens and closes like an alligators mouth (or a George Foreman Grill if you will) where it is hinged in the back.  The clam press takes up the least amount of space, is typically the most portable and requires the least number of operator motion to use.  Some people are concerned with burning there knuckles on this one, but I say you will only do it once.  If you are looking to have full access to your shirt and design, then you should consider the swing-away heat press.  This one pivots the heating element totally away from the work area allowing for placement of individual letters or rhinestones etc.  The pneumatic or “air” version of the swinger is my personal favorite press as it offers so many veratile benefits (more on that one in another blog).  The swing away press does take up the most space in your work area, over twice as much as the clam style press, so consider that as you decide.  Rounding out the offerings is the Draw Press.  Much like the swinger, it allows for full access to your design area, but instead of swinging the heat away, it draws the lower platen toward you like a drawer.  If you are placing individual rhinestones, this might not be the best choice as you are now moving the garment and all, but for normal heat transfers and heat applied films, it’s a nice alternative.

I could continue to ramble on, but hopefully, this covers the key elements to consider when choosing a heat press.  If you have any questions that I didn’t cover here just drop me a line or give me a call.

peace