InkjetBiz offers a wide variety of heat presses for different applications. One of the major factors impacting successful image transfers to garments is the type of heat press being used. There are two main types of heat press for garment transfers: swing-away and clamshell. A question which arises frequently is when should I use a swing-away heat press, and when is it okay to use a clamshell heat press?
Clamshell Best for Dye Sub
We find that many of our users have already purchased clamshell heat presses and expect to be able to use them for all of their applications. Even though clamshells are traditionally less expensive, they are not capable of being used for all flat panel transfers.
Clamshell units are great for doing dye-sub transfers. Dye sublimation is more forgiving with both temperature and pressure. Further, clamshell units also take up less space generally than swing-away heat presses.
How do clamshell presses work for toner transfers? We have found over the past few years that using clamshell presses for toner transfer applications is problematic and we do not recommend them for this application. In fact, most of the issues associated with toner transfers usually have to do with heat presses.
InkjetBiz offers two sizes of clamshells: 16”x 20” and 9”x 12” and are perfect for our SubliMate and FabriMate inks.
Swing-Away’s Best for Toner Transfers
InkjetBiz recommends swing-away heat presses for doing toner transfers, especially for garment transfers. Swing away is especially important for use with UniNet and OKI toner printers. The reason for this has to do with where and how the pressure is controlled, along with heat consistency. The swing-aways generally use pressure from the center of the platen ensuring that a user has consistent pressure across the platen. In addition, we find that swing-aways, because of their price points, usually have better heat control and offer consistent heat not offered by clamshell presses.
InkjetBiz has tested Shock Line, Forever and its own TransFix papers with our IJB Xpress 1620SA and they all work very well.
Which Brand?
InkjetBiz offers both clamshells and swing-away units from very reputable companies including Insta Graphics and Hotronix. Further, the Xpress line of heat presses offers outstanding value with excellent quality and pricing. The Xpress 1620SA (Swing-away) has a list price of $1,149, the Xpress 912CS (Clamshell) has a list price of $349 and the Xpress 1620CS has a list price of $549 and is available immediately from InkjetBiz.
IJB Xpress 1620SA Swing-Away Heat Press Product Page
IJB Xpress 1620CS Clamshell Heat Press Product Page
More Info
For more information please feel free to call InkJetBiz at 1-408-394-7595, send an email to orders@inkjetbiz.com or go to www.inkjetbiz.com