So you know there are two main styles of heat press, right? Swing away, or “swinger”, or “swing head” – and clamshell, or “clam”.

There’s a third style, which isn’t quite as well known, which I’ll discuss shortly, but most of the presses you’ll be looking at will probably be swing away or clamshell.

I’m guessing you know the major difference?

Clamshell heat presses open like a clamshell. Swing away heat presses lift up, and then swing away.

This is all very well and good, and you’ve probably read this or been told this multiple times by potential suppliers, but unless you’ve actually experienced a full demonstration of clamshell heat presses vs swing away heat presses, you  may be struggling to understand what the pros and cons are of clam heat presses versus swing heat presses, and as a result, you’re not sure which way to go?

This is very common, in fact I’d say nearly everyone who buys a heat press for the first time, struggles with this one initially, whether to buy a swing or a clam press, even once they theoretically understand the difference.

To demonstrate swing away Vs clamshell, put your hands together…

No, I don’t mean give me a round of applause for this amazing blog about heat presses and T shirt printing, although you can if you want, I won’t find it strange ;-).

I mean, put your hands together, and then open up your hands as if you’re imitating a crocodile’s snap.

What you’ll find, is four things actually.

First, you’ll find that it’s not comfortable to get your hands a great distance apart while your palms are touching, anywhere close to 90 degrees will start to feel uncomfortable, unless you’re some kind of flexible freak ;-).

Second, when you close your hands, you’ll find that your hands are almost touching at the point that they’re parallel, there’s not a big gap.

Third, you can clap your hands together pretty quickly from this position, it doesn’t take much effort to open and close your hands when your palms are touching like this, does it?

Fourth, the only space used in this operation of opening and closing your hands is the exact footprint of your hand, you’re only using vertical space, there’s no space required to either side of your hands.

Oh, another thing you’ll find, is that if you’re doing this in public, you’re getting some strange looks right now.

But, joking apart, in this little exercise you’ve demonstrated to yourself the main pros of clamshell heat presses.

The main pro being that there’s not much operator effort involved in opening and closing a clamshell press, so from a production consideration, this is good.

The other important pro for clamshells is they take up very little space. You only need to consider the footprint of the press. For instance if the press is 12″ wide by 16″ deep, this is all the space you need, except for the space in front of it where you’ll need to stand while operating it.

You can also experience the cons of clamshell presses with this exercise, too.

Not being able to open your hands past 90 degrees represents one issue with clamshell presses, which is that the heated top platen is always fairly close to the operator.

Depending on the clamshell press in question, the top platen will open somewhere between 40-50 degrees. This doesn’t give a great deal of clearance between the back of your hands and the heated platen, when you’re loading the bottom platen.

I have no problem at all working with clamshell heat presses, it’s something you have to get used to – and I can’t remember the last time I caught the back of my hand on the heat platen. It can be a pain, though, when you’re getting started, and it reduces the time you have to work on the bottom table before the edges of the transfer or vinyl starts to curl with the heat.

How close your fingers are to each other at the point that they become parallel, represents one of the other main cons with clamshell presses vs swing away presses, and that is the maximum substrate thickness.

With clamshells, you’re usually looking at around a third of an inch, to maybe an inch maximum in terms of max substrate thickness, depending on the clamshell heat press in question.

Not all clamshell presses are the same, though, when it comes to maximum thickness.

While many clamshell presses will have a maximum practical item thickness of around .25 – .75 inch, the Stahls Hotronix Auto Open presses will take items up to an inch in thickness.

Sticking with the hands, we can also demonstrate the pros and cons of swing away heat presses.

If you put your hands together, and then raise your top hand a couple of inches, and then pivot your top hand around to your other wrist, you’re imitating the way a swing away heat press works.

You’ll instantly recognize one of the main pros vs clamshell presses, that there’s a lot more space in between your fingers when you lift your top hand away from the bottom hand.

Swing away heat presses can generally take much thicker items than clamshell heat presses.

The Geo Digital Knight Swingers (DK20S, DK25S, DK20SP, DK25SP) are the swing away heat presses on the market with the biggest maximum thickness, at around 2-2.5 inches, which makes them popular for pressing thicker hard items including ceramic tiles & wooden blanks.

The Insta 256 isn’t too far behind, with a max thickness of approx 1.5 inches.

This exercise also points out one of the main cons of swing away vs clamshell heat presses.

If you do the same motion again, you’ll note that your fingertips  on your top hand come out all the way around your bottom hand towards the back, meaning that you need the length of your hand free to the side and the back of your other hand.

What this represents is how much more space you need in order to operate a swing away heat press vs a clamshell heat press. With swing away heat presses you need enough space for the full length of the platen to swing out to the side and all the way around to the back of the press.

This means that while you can push a clamshell right up to a wall, or tuck it into a corner, you can’t do the same with a swinger press, it needs to be stood proud of any walls behind and on the swing side of the press.

If space isn’t an issue for you, then of course this isn’t a problem.

What if you don’t have the space for a swing away press, but you need the features of swing away?

Drawer operated presses.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that there’s a third style, and this is drawer operated presses, also known as “slide out” presses.

With these kinds of presses, the lower table pulls out from under the top platen, to be loaded and then pushed back under the heat platen. This clever style of press combines some of the best features of both swing away and clamshell heat presses.

Heat press nation offer a range of drawer operated heat presses.

There’s an Italian brand called Transmatic which makes two drawer presses, the TS2M which is a 20×16″ press, and the  TS74M, a 29×20″ press (74cm x 50cm hence the “74” in the model name).

One of my favourite heat presses, the Stahls Fusion, is a dual style heat press, it swings away, and it’s also a slide out drawer press, so you can use it however suits you best.

What about cost?

Cost is the only pro/con vs clamshell and swing away heat presses that can’t be demonstrated using hands, but it’s a very simple one. Swing away heat presses cost more to manufacture, and they’re usually quite a bit more expensive than clamshell heat presses.

This isn’t to say there aren’t lower cost swing away heat presses, there are of course, but leading brand swing away heat presses are higher cost than leading brand clamshells presses – except for the light use/hobby presses offered by some brands such as the Geo Knight Jet Press range,  and Hix SwingMan Hobby Lite.

Clamshell Vs swing away, conclusion.

I hope this has helped you to get a better understanding of the main differences between swing away, camshell & drawer operated heat presses, so you can decide which is the best style of heat press for you. If you need more help, I’d recommend speaking to one of the friendly folk at Heat Press Nation.

The company was started by George Knight in 1885, and first made industrial heat presses & die cutters primarily for the shoe manufacturing process.

Geo Knight has been one of the leading T shirt heat transfer press manufacturers in the USA for decades, and their heat presses are popular world wide. I’ve had a lot of hands on experience with their heat presses over the years.

I owned a DK20SP for a few years, such a good press. Prior to that, I worked for one of their main dealers, so I was involved in demonstrating, selling and supporting Geo Knight presses.

They make good old fashioned work horse heat presses, built to be serviced, and to last for decades. If you’re looking to invest in a serious business machine, I don’t think you can go wrong with Geo Knight Presses.

I visited the Geo Knight factory in Brockton MA many years ago & was given a tour of the factory by the VP, Aaron Knight. One of the things that struck me during that visit, was the older heat presses that were in for service and repair. Another was the amount of passion that Aaron and the other people I met that day had for their heat presses.

By the way, the heat press supplier I recommend is Heat Press Nation. They’re a very well known & reputable supplier, based in Fullerton, CA, and they stock the most reputable brands including Geo Knight, Hix & Insta.

I do earn money from Heat Press Nation, as an affiliate. In other words, they don’t sponsor this blog as an advertiser, instead I earn an affiliate commission when I refer someone to their website who goes on to buy equipment from them.

This allows me to earn money from the blog in return for the helpful content I create, but without filling the blog with annoying intrusive ads, and it also allows me to only recommend a supplier that I would genuinely & wholeheartedly recommend.

The Geo Knight Jet Press Range

These are the budget, hobby presses or “light use” heat presses made by Geo Knight.

The JP12 is a 9×12 inch press, while the JP14 is 12×14″. They’re both swing away heat presses.

I really can’t knock the Jet Press range,  they’re not the heat presses that I’m used to working with, as they’re really intended for the hobby market or light use, rather than the printing business. But as far as hobby presses go, I think these are great machines.

They don’t have an integrated digital control panel, that you’ll find on the other Geo Knight heat presses. They have a timer which is stuck to the top platen, and they have an analog thermometer as opposed to a digital one. The heat is adjusted via a mechanical dial.

Being very much the entry range heat press from Geo Knight, this press doesn’t have any bells or whistles, but if you’re simply looking for a well built press from a reputable manufacturer, for light use or home use, then the JP12 or JP14 are worth considering.

The Jp12 is $279, and the Jp14 is $495, at HeatPressNation.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight Jet Press heat presses on eBay.

The Geo Knight DK16 & DK20

The DK16 and DK20 are clamshell heat presses from Geo Knight. The DK stands for Digital Knight, if you were wondering.

The DK16 & DK20 are very popular commercial heat presses for T shirt production, as are the auto open variations, the DK16A and DK20A.

There are a few key reasons that this is such a popular clamshell heat press.

Wide Opening.

The DK clamshell presses offer more space for the operator to work than with many clamshell presses, due to how wide the gas strut assisted platen opens, it’s a particularly wide opening for a clamshell press.

As you can see from the photo above, there’s plenty of space free between the platens, a lot more space than there is available on many clamshell heat presses.

If you look at the space available towards the back of this clamshell heat press below (which is similar to many cheaper clamshell heat presses available online) you will see what I mean.

Threadability

Threading, means draping, or “dressing” the garment or the bag, etc., over the bottom table. This means that you’re only pressing one side of the garment or bag, vs having apply heat and pressure to both sides of the product.

Not all heat presses have the drape space required to make them threadable, the DK16 & DK20 are easily threadable from the front, with plenty of space below the bottom platen.

Light Weight

For such a substantial heat press, with solid steel framework, capable of heavy pressure and serious production, the DK presses are relatively lightweight (the DK16 is 83 lbs, and the DK20 is 103 lbs).

Interchangeable tables

There are Interchangeable bottom tables available for the DK16 & DK20 to allow for easier pressing of smaller items, particularly useful for pressing baby clothes, children’s garments & bags.

Warranty

All of the Geo Knight DK & DC heat presses come with life time element warranty. There is a three year warranty on the digital control panel, and 1 year on the rest of the press.

The DK16 is $1075, and the DK20 is $1325, and both are available as Automatic models for $175 extra at HeatPressNation.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight DK16 & DK20 heat presses on eBay.

The Geo Knight DK7 Cap Press

This is the 4×7 inch cap press version of the DK range.

It features the same quality framework & the same digital controller as the DK16 and DK20, but with top and bottom platen for caps.

It’s a great cap press for the money, at $595 on HeatPressNation.

It’s also available as a twin head version for enhanced production, as the DK7T.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight DK7 cap presses on eBay.

The Geo Knight DK8 Label Press

This is the label press model from the Geo Knight DK range.

A very handy heat press for transferring onto specific areas of garments and bags, the DK8 is great for pressing onto bags, collars, sleeves, socks, and much more.

The small platens allow the user to avoid pressing any area of the bag or garment other than the specific area that the transfer needs to be applied to.

The DK8 comes with three interchangeable tables, 6″ x 8″, 3″ x 5″, 3″ x 3″ – and for just $695 on HeatPressHenry.com including all the tables, I think the DK8 offers great value to anyone who needs to press targeted areas of bags & garments.

As with the DK7, there’s also a twin head version for increased production, the DK8T, which is $1,075.00.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight DK8 label presses on eBay.

The Geo Knight Digital Combo DC16

The DC16 was, as far as I’m aware, the world’s first full combination press.

This press comes as a 14×16″ swing away heat press, and without the attachments, it’s basically the smaller sibling of the DK20S. The major difference, though, on top of the platen size, is that the DC16 has a number of different attachments available, for pressing mugs, caps, cubes & plates.

I’ve had a lot of experience with the DC16, and I think it’s a great heat press as a stand alone 14×16 swing away heat press. I’m not a big fan of the combination press idea, to be perfectly honest.

If you’re mainly pressing Tshirts & other garments, and there’s no other items that are important enough to warrant buying a stand alone press, then the DC16 wouldn’t be a bad idea in theory, if it represents a big saving on having a separate machine.

The issue I have with combination presses, is that if the item (such as caps, or plates) aren’t important enough an item to warrant spending a few hundred dollars more on a stand alone press for that item, are they an important enough item for you to stop your garment production while you swap the attachment over just to produce one or two of the other item such as caps or plates?

My issue with the DC16 when it comes to using it as a combination press, is that I don’t think the savings are significant enough to make sense.

The cap attachment is $300. Heat Press Nation’s signature series cap press is only $30 more than this, and even the Geo Knight DK7 cap press is only $295 more than this. Having  a stand alone cap press would allow you to press caps and Tshirts at the same time, rather than stopping your Tshirt production to press caps.

The mug attachment is $400, which is nearly $300 MORE than the M Press mug press, and $10 more than the Heat Press Nation Signature series auto mug press, so for me the mug attachment doesn’t make commercial sense at that price.

My problem with most other combination presses, is that is the savings are significant vs buying separate machines, but they’re unbranded and often unreliable and poorly built machines, which is a recipe for disaster when you have one heat press for all of the items you’re going to be pressing.

The only combination heat press machines I would consider if I was looking for a lower cost combination press, would be the HPN Black Series 8-in-1 heat press, and the HPN Signature Series 8-in-1 Multifunction heat press – these are own brand heat presses offered by a reputable heat press supplier with great customer service & support.

But as I said earlier, as a slightly smaller swing away heat press than the DK20S, I think the DC16 is a brilliant option.

The DC16 is $1295 HeatPressNation. and the attachments are between $300-$400.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight DC16 on eBay.

The Geo Knight Digital Combo DC16AP

This is the air operated auto version of the DC16, so it’s basically the combination or multi-function version of the DK20SP.

Everything that I said above also goes for the DC16AP, except for the fact that as far as I’m aware the DC16AP is the only pneumatic combination press on the market.

I used to own the DK20SP, a brilliant heat press. The DC16AP is smaller at 14×16 inch vs 16×20 inch, and is roughly $250 less.

The DC16AP is $2300 at HeatPressNation. and the attachments are between $300-$400, as with the DC16.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight DC16AP on eBay.

The Geo Knight DK20S

The DK20S is one of the most popular swing away heat presses on the planet, having sold in countless numbers all over the world for decades.

This is a 16 x 20 inch heavy duty swing away heat press, made from industrial grade solid steel framework, it’s truly a work-horse heat press that you can expect to be able to rely on for many years, probably decades!

As with the DK16 & DK20, the DK20S comes with a lifetime element warranty, three years on the control panel, and a year on the rest of the heat press.

One of the things the DK20S is known for, is it’s high max thickness, you can press substrates up to two inches thick on the DK20s, which makes it a popular press for tiles, wood, and other thick items, as well as being a popular T shirt press.

I’ve had a lot of experience with the DK20S, including working with models well over ten years old, they’re such well built, sturdy & reliable work horse machines! These are industrial machines, don’t expect perfect and pretty aesthetics, these presses are built as heavy duty commercial heat press machines.

The only issue I ever had with a DK20S, was I came across a model that was roughly 15 years old, which had some kind of issue with pressure. I simply emailed the support email address on the geo knight website, and received an email the same day telling me how to fix it, and that fifteen year-old press was back to work, probably for another decade or more!

I think the DK20S offers incredible value for such a reliable and high quality heat press, it’s just $1575 at heatpressnation.com, which I think is a brilliant price for this industrial grade press!

There’s a jumbo version available, the DK25S, which is the same press but with 20×25 inch platens, and includes the DK universal stand, for $3,575.00.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight DK20S on eBay.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight DK25S on eBay.

The Geo Knight DK20SP

This is the air operated version of the DK20S. I’ve owned this press myself in the past, and I can certainly vouch for the DK20SP as a  brilliant, super easy to use industrial grade heat press.

Everything I said above for the DK20S is true for the DK20SP, the major difference is that there’s no effort required to open and close the DK20SP, being air operated.

It’s a bit more expensive, but I still think it’s great value for money at $2,550.00 at heatpressnation.com.

As with the DK20S, there is a jumbo version, the DK25SP at 20×25 inches, which includes the DK universal stand, for $4,550.00

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight DK20SP on eBay.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight DK25SP on eBay.

The Geo Knight Maxi Press

The maxi press is a wide format or “over-sized” manual clamshell heat press, available in two sizes, 32″ x 42″ and 44″ x 64″.

If you want to press sportswear panels, large aluminium panels, large floor mats, carpets or other large items, the Maxi Press is a great option at a relatively low price for such a wide format heat press.

It is a surprisingly effortless process to open and close the maxi press given that it’s such a large platen size, thanks to the design & the gas shock counter springs.

The 32×42″ option is $8950.00, and the 44″ x 64″ is $14,250.00 at heatpressnation.com.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight Maxi Press on eBay.

The Geo Knight Maxi Press Air

This is the air operated version of the Maxi Press, so it’s push button operated vs manual open & close.

It’s available in the same two sizes, 32″ x 42″ and 44″ x 64″, and it has all the same benefits as the Maxi, but with the added benefit of being automatic, no effort required – other than the pressing of a button.

The 32×42″ option is $12,250.00, and the 44″ x 64″ is $19,450.00 at heatpressnation.com.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight Maxi Press Air on eBay.

Geo Knight Triton 931

This is a wide format pneumatic heat press designed for high volume production of multiple piece items & large sheet materials.

The Triton 931 is available in platen sizes from 4 x 7 feet, to 8 x 12 feet, and is available in various formats; manual single station, manual twin station, auto shuttle single station and auto shuttle twin station.

This is serious production heat press suitable for garments, banners, mats, carpets and other thicker materials including plastics & sheet metal. Also suitable for foiling, laminating, hot stamping & heat sealing.

The Triton is an air bag Pneumatic press, which provide a great deal more pressure than rotary heat presses. This kind of heat press is also self-leveling.

In short, this is a serious press for serious production!

The Triton 931 is priced from $30,750.00 – $ 51,750.00 at heatpressnation.com.

See ending soon auctions for Geo Knight Maxi Press Air on eBay.