I talk about various different Tshirt printing methods on this blog, and the one machine which connects all these different methods, is the heat press.
Whether you decide on inkjet transfer, CMYK laser transfer, white toner laser transfer printing, contour cut vinyl, DTG printing, screen printing or dye sublimation, you’re going to need a heat press.
And yes, is the answer to one of the most common heat press questions: Can I use the same Tshirt heat press for all heat transfer processes.
Although there’s one caveat, and that is that some T shirt heat transfer processes are more demanding than others on the heat press.
Dye sublimation printing is quite an easy going process when it comes to the heat press, it’s a more forgiving process, and for this reason you’ll notice that some heat presses are sold as “sublimation heat presses” specifically.
Other processes including laser transfer and screen printed plastisol transfers, require a lot from the heat press in terms of heavy, even pressure, and very precise temp across the platen with absolutely no cool spots, meaning that you really need a premium heat press for these printing methods.
Swing away Vs Clamshell.
You’ll notice that there are two main types of flat heat press, swing away and clamshell.
Swing away presses, or swing head heat presses, are operated by swinging the top platen all the way around to the back of the press, while clamshell presses are operated by opening and closing the heat press like a clam seashell, hence the name.
In a nutshell, swing away presses are usually heavier weight, they’re usually more expensive, they tend to have bigger maximum item thickness and probably the major benefit is that the heat platen is swung completely away around the back of the machine, so heat platen isn’t pointing directly at the back of your hands and wrists as you’re loading the press, as is the case with clamshells.
Clamshells are usually lighter weight, more portable, a bit faster to operate as you simply open and close them, no swinging back and forth required in between opening and closing. They’re usually more affordable, and they require less space, you can put them against a wall or push them right into a corner of a room, while swing away heat presses need more space.
For more see swing away vs clam heat presses.
Cheap heat presses Vs premium established brands.
The next question after swing away vs clamshell, is usually whether to go for a well known, more expensive brand, or take a gamble with a cheap imported press.
There’s such a huge difference in price between cheap or budget heat presses imported from the far east, and the well known, premium heat press brands, so it’s very tempting to ignore the top brands and go for a budget heat presses.
But just keep in mind that buying a cheap imported heat press isn’t the same as buying a well known premium heat press brand.
When buying a trusted brand, you have the peace of mind of knowing you have a well built press using top quality reliable components, along with a great warranty. With cheap imported presses, you may believe that you have this same peace of mind, if you believe the sales copy – but you may be wrong.
See the pros and cons of buying a cheap heat press.
The various options for buying a heat press on a budget.
If you’re on a tight budget, you have six main options.
- Buy an entry level press from one of the better known brands
- Buy direct from China
- Buy a Chinese imported heat press from a box shifter
- Buy a Chinese imported heat press from a reputable supplier
- Buy a heat press from a newer, lesser known brand
- Buy a used heat press
Entry Level Heat Presses from Well Known Brands.
Some of the better known brands, offer a lower cost entry level option.
Buying an entry level press like this, from a well known heat press manufacturer, isn’t quite the same as buying a non-branded heat press either directly from China or via a re-seller who simply imports them and sells them on.
The lower priced presses from the well known brands, are going to be made with cheaper components, they’re usually lighter weight, and won’t have the same kind of warranty as the flagship models from the same brand.
But these brands can’t afford to have unreliable poorly performing presses bringing down the value of their brand, so you should still expect reliability and great after-sales support with a respected heat press brand, regardless of the cost of the press.
Geo knight have the Jet press 12 and Jet press 14, but keep in mind that these are made for the hobby use and crafting, they’re not intended for any kind of business production.
The same is true of the Hix hobby light, at the very entry level. Hix also offer the Swingman 15×15 & Swingman 20 E.
Currently only available in Europe, Stahls have the Clam Basic, at the very lowest entry level pricing.
I have experience of the clam basic, and I’ve found it to be a very reliable heat press, for sublimation and other less demanding printing methods. I wouldn’t recommend trying to use this, or any other budget press for more demanding methods such as plastisol transfers or laser transfer.
Stahls also have the Stahls Hotronix Maxx entry level clamshell heat presses.
Adkins have the Studio range (sold in the UK also via The Magic Touch and Xpres) which are their entry level heat press, which are marketed as “sublimation presses” to stipulate that they’re not intended for the garment decoration methods that are more demanding of the heat press.
Buying Direct from China.
This is possibly the cheapest option, and you may not even realise this is what you’re doing.
There are heat presses and other machinery sold on eBay and Amazon, and via other websites, which appears to be coming from within your home country, yet when you receive it, you discover that you’ve actually either bought directly from a Chinese supplier, or you’ve bought from a seller who took your money, banked some profit & then bought your press directly & gave the supplier your address.
This can be a shock you also get a customs bill for the tax and customs duty, meaning that it doesn’t end up as cheap a heat press as you were expecting.
When you buy in this way, the warranty can be hit and miss, and if you do need to return your heat press, you’ll find you have to return it to China, and you may even have to pay to have the repaired heat press shipped back to you.
Often when people are faced with this, they discover it’s cheaper to chalk it up to experience and buy again, and the saying “buy right or buy twice” becomes a reality rather than just a cliche’.
Buying from a Box Shifter
Most of the people who sell heat presses on eBay and Amazon, are what are referred to as “Box Shifters”. Even some of the firms who seem to sell a lot, and who even create fancy sounding brand names for their heat presses, are essentially just box shifters.
A box shifter is basically someone who see’s a market for an item, doesn’t really know much about it, just buys in boxes and re-sells them, or, has the heat presses sent directly from the supplier to the buyer.
Box shifters often don’t have a clue about heat presses, or whatever it is they’re selling. If you look at their other items, you may find they also sell kitchen appliances, and a huge range of other items, which would reinforce the likelihood that this supplier is a box shifter.
Box shifters often don’t bother to focus much on the after-sales side of things, and don’t even stock any spare replacement presses or spare parts.
I know this because in my roles in the past with various companies who supplied heat presses, where my job was to provide support to customers, I would receive many phone calls and emails from Tshirt printers who were seeking spare parts for heat presses they’d bought from these kinds of suppliers.
The usual response when I suggested they speak to their supplier, is that they either can’t get any response from them, or they’ve been informed that the supplier can’t supply any parts or other support.
Buy a Chinese imported heat press from a reputable supplier
Some of the reputable suppliers of Tshirt printing equipment import and sell Chinese heat presses.
Buying a Chinese made imported press from a well known supplier, is usually a different experience from buying direct or via a box shifter.
Unlike box shifters, specialist suppliers tend to know quite a bit about what they’re selling, and they have regular repeat customers who they don’t want to lose, so they tend to make sure they can perform well on the aftersales side, which usually means that they stock parts, and educate some of their staff on carrying out the common warranty repairs.
You’ll probably pay a bit more for the same kind of press from a reputable supplier vs buying direct or via box shifter, but it’s probably worth it too.
Buying a newer, lesser established brand.
Most of the newer brands of press I tend to see popping up, are Chinese imported heat presses which are being sold under a new brand name.
Often, if you choose a press like this, you’re probably just buying from a box shifter, or you’re buying a Chinese built heat press from a new supplier who hasn’t as yet built up a reputation, in either case you’re possibly taking a bit of a gamble.
If you hunt around, though, you may be lucky and find a new decent brand of heat press, who’re selling at a lower cost by necessity, having not yet built the reputation to allow them to demand the same prices for their presses as the tried and tested brands. This is an option which might take some time and effort, and again, it is a bit of a gamble.
Buying a used heat press.
In my opinion, one of the best ways to go about buying a heat press on a budget, is to carefully look for a used top brand heat press.
I say carefully, because you don’t want to end up with a piece of old junk, so I would recommend that you look at all of the photos very carefully, properly read the description, and ask the seller some questions to be on the safe side.
If at all possible, I would look for used heat presses selling close enough for you to go and view the press first, see it working, and then collect in person so you don’t have to pay a pricey shipping cost.
If you’re really lucky, you might even get hold of a top brand heat press which still has a warranty. Some of these presses have lifetime elements which stay with the press regardless of the owner.
The best brands of heat presses
In my opinion, the best brands of USA made heat presses, are Geo Knight, Stahls/hotronix, Insta & Hix.
These are all very well known, reputable brands of heat press, and if you’re in the US, I really don’t think you can go wrong with any of these, if have the budget for them, or if you can find a bargain on eBay within your budget.
Or if you’re interested in any specific brand, see the links below:
Used Geo Knight Heat Presses
Used Stahls/Hotronix Heat Presses
Used Insta Heat Presses
Used Hix Heat Presses
I’d recommend that you then enter your zip code and sort them by closest to you, so you can see if there are any of these brands of heat press close enough for you to go and see in person.
In the UK (UK visitors represent the second largest group here after US based visitors) the best heat press brands in my opinion, are Adkins, Jarin Europa & Techmech UK made presses. Also, the Italian brand Transmatic and the German brand Schulze – in addition to the US made brands, Geo Knight & Stahls Hotronix which are particularly popular in the UK.
The following links will take you to used heat presses selling within the UK only, sorted by ending soonest.
Again, I’d recommend that you filter by nearest to your post code first, and see if there are any selling within driving distance so you can go have a look before taking the plunge.
Keep in mind that the link I’ve formatted for used Adkins presses, will bring up results for “Xpres” and “Magic Touch” heat presses too, as these are Adkins heat presses, re-badged.
