Heat press

[Craig]

Hi DSF im looking for some more advice.

I have been offered a 40x50 heat press with no power lead and about 3 years old but apparently not usedalot as was a trial unit the guy had to try out before he ordered alot to sell on.How much problem does the power lead pose ie is it a normal kettle lead or not.

A mug press with some mugs and sublimation transfer papers again chinese and used a few times both for £130 so hoiw much of a problem does this pose.

Both items are chinese so i know the old pay your money take your chance but wondered if these were good prices to pay to take on a steep learning curve while i practice

I look about and there seems to be hundereds of items like heat presses around on ebay and the likes but alot of them are unbranded like the 1s i have mentioned above and im never really sure what to look out for and also if there are any known problems that occur.

Also when i look on suppliers website there seems to be a gulf in price difference as in 1 company may sell a heat press for £200 and the same people will sell a different 1 the same size for say £600 and im not sure if the cheaper 1s are the same as chinese models or are uk made etc.

Sorry for what may appear silly questions and thanks for any assistance

[Justin]

You do get what you pay for with both types of press. That said, there's usually no reason why the Chinese presses aren't up to the job. It would be good if you could get a pic or model number for the presses. It does sound like a good deal if they both work ok, power lead shouldn't be a problem.

Paper wise you'll probably end up sourcing your own so I wouldn't put any value on those.

The only silly questions are the questions you don't ask :-)

[Craig]

Justin thanks i really do appreciate and responses like yours do make new people like me feel welcome on the forums so thanks for that.

I have linked below the press that i am talking about the chap said it has no model numbers on it and the mug press is the same so i have no idea about those.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/T-SHIRT-HEAT-PRESS-/320951359546?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4aba31183a

am i right in thinking it will be a normal kettle lead as if i decide to collect rather than have posted i would like to take 1 to check it fires up althought that will prob be the only test i will be able to do

Thanks

[socialgiraffe]

With dye sublimation I have found the problem is not always with the kit. I have a very cheap heat press purchased from BMS. It works very well and does the job but I always have to ignore the recommended settings for pressing. As it only presses t-shirts I can play around with it without thinking how much am I wasting here. The more expensive heat presses are just better made. Adkins presses are really considered the best and really do last the test of time, but you probably will not need such a good press for a while.

With mugs its very different. Once you have used a mug it can not be reused, if the mug press is not good enough you will only find out after wasting a box of mugs and £40+ down the drain. The only mug press I have found that pretty much worked out of the box is a DF-1 which I purchased secondhand. Good little machine for the money. I do not use it that often as I print large quantities of mugs and the single heads are not quick enough. But if I was starting out I would consider this to be the best option.

By all means as the questions (silly or not!!) there will always be someone here who can answer it. But I think you need to nail down what you want to do first.

By this I mean you can buy everything cheap on ebay or elsewhere. It will be cheap and not the best quality but should do the job you require. As long as you are prepared to put in the effort to work out what is going wrong and then subsequently rectify it then i would suggest you go that route. However, if you want to be in the position of concentrating on where to sell your designs or what to put on your items then go to somewhere like BMS. They will sell you decent kit and be at the end of the phone when you require assistance. You should be able to print good quality mugs within about 3 attempts if you purchase from BMS, where as buying cheap or unbranded machinery could end up costing you more becuase of the amount of testing you have had to do.

Hope that helps

Simon

[Craig]

What would you say would be a decent size heat press for t shirts just out of intereste as this is 1 thing im looking to do but there seem to be a lot of little press's about.

Thanks for advice on mug press i have already bought a latte 1 to play with but was only £40 so not alot in the grand scheme of things but im now thinking along the lines of everything new from a company in the uk then i have after sales and assistance etc

[Justin]

Justin thanks i really do appreciate and responses like yours do make new people like me feel welcome on the forums so thanks for that.

I have linked below the press that i am talking about the chap said it has no model numbers on it and the mug press is the same so i have no idea about those.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/T-SHIRT-HEAT-PRESS-/320951359546?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4aba31183a

am i right in thinking it will be a normal kettle lead as if i decide to collect rather than have posted i would like to take 1 to check it fires up althought that will prob be the only test i will be able to do

Thanks

Always welcome :-)

That press is a Senko (so at least it has a brand name!) I had a cheap press, reckon it was the same make. For the price you've been offered I reckon this could be OK. It has a pull out drawer lower platen which is a bonus.

My only concern is that without a mains lead the seller can't prove it works. It should be a normal 3 pin kettle type lead but if that's the case can he not nick one from his pc/monitor and show it working? In an ideal situation you'd warm it up and make sure the heat is even across the press and there are no dead spots. A laser temp gun is great for this but just to feel it getting hot in all 4 corners is a start :-)

Great advice from the giraffe above there btw :-)

[socialgiraffe]

If you are looking at A4 printers then you only need a press that can press upto A4!!!

But it is probably worth purchasing something that can do A3, there is not much difference in the price but it will give you the larger press area should you want to purchase a bigger printer. I purchased this one (http://www.printerowners.co.uk/hardware-equipment/714/df50-40cm-x-50cm-clam-action-heat-press.htm) about two months ago, so far have done about 2-3000 presses and no problems. Remember to always look after your press area, keep it clean and make sure that any residue gets removed as soon as posssible.

Out of interest, what do you want to do with all this kit you are thinking of purchasing? The reason I ask is because everyone could give you advice on what to buy and what not to buy and they will all be different, but without knowing more about what you are going to be doing it is going to be difficult to give decent advice.

For example, are you printing your own designs or are you taking orders for personalised mugs? Do you eventually want to turn this into a full time business or is it a hobby? the more info you can give the better someone here will be able to advise.

S>

[WorthDoingRight]

I have already bought a latte 1 to play with but was only £40 so not alot in the grand scheme of things

Well you might be able to just buy a different blanket to fit this press for standard 10/11 oz mugs. That way you can experiment a bit more.

[Craig]

Thanks again all

Giraffe to be honest im looking to do T shirts and Mugs but like i say im totally new and learning so i am open to suggestions etc as it will be abit of a hobby to start with as i may be rubbish at it :redface:.

I have just looked at the heat press you recommended above and i was also looking at this
http://www.printerowners.co.uk/hardware-equipment/231/8-in-1-combination-startup-business-package.htm

With the 3300 printer which would mean i had the full lot from the same place which is not going to be chinese cheapies :smile:

I just was not sure about what sort of size is recommended for the heat press but as someone said before if i get an a4 printer i have kind of answered my own question really just wasnt sure as if i qwanted to go vinyl route in the futur would i then need to upgrade the press again etc.

cheers

[socialgiraffe]

Hi Craig

I think that as one of the other members screen name suggests

WORTH DOING RIGHT

Its a motto that I have always lived by and think it sums up exactly what you need to do :-)

I hope you succeed and become a valued member of this community.

[Craig]

Thanks again giraffe if there is 1 thing that happens from this experience/new venture it is that i want to do things the right way and if it works great and if it dont then at least i stuck to my principles of doing things correctly.

Just as a side i only just noticed you are in wisbech which int that far from me.are there any other members around near us.

[socialgiraffe]

Have no idea.

I am often in P'boro so if you get stuck I am sure I can pop in.

[Craig]

Has anyone had any dealings with the press pakage i have put in a couple of posts above this 1. any opinions it seems a good starter point i think

[purpledragon]

before you buy check out the guys feedback i wouldnt touch him with a barge pole 78% feedback but only 30 feedback ouch !!!!

[socialgiraffe]

Never heard of them, judging by purpledragon's comments I presume they are an ebay seller. If they are then my motto is only deal with those that publish their address and telephone number.

If I spend a lot of money I tend to call them first and "get a feel" for who I am dealing with.

[Craig]

yeah the original 1 i was looking at that dragon commented about was an ebay member but i have since decided down the new route

http://www.printerowners.co.uk/hardware-equipment/231/8-in-1-combination-startup-business-package.htm

sorry if i conused anyone above is what i have been looking at as it seems to have everything apart from a vinyl cutter which comes later i think as the wife is not going to lie me if i continue looking at spending :smile:

[socialgiraffe]

Looks like a good deal.

[Craig]

The other 1 i have looked at so far is with coralgraph which is the same machine as BMS 1 but when watching the video of it in action the vid is chinese. I dont know anything about coralgraph do they deal in the same type of chinese stuff that is on ebay. If anyone has dealt with them or has any equipment opinions would be appreciated.

[socialgiraffe]

Hi Craig

To be fair, most machines are made in China these days. Not sure if the ones by BMS are or not, but it would not surprise me if they were. It is not where they are made that is the issue but simply how good they are. BMS have a good after sales service so the machines they sell, Chinese or otherwise, would be recommended by them as good reliable machines. I am not sure how good the aftersales service is with Corelgraph as I have never dealt with them, I am sure someone else on this forum might know more about their service. The other good thing about BMS is that they are a very regular contributor to this forum, so they are contactable via several different methods.

This is begininning to sound like an advert for BMS which its not. I have nothing to do with them except I am a customer who thinks good service deserves praise and "biggin up" whenever possible.

[Scotty@BMS]

Hi Craig



This is begininning to sound like an advert for BMS which its not. I have nothing to do with them except I am a customer who thinks good service deserves praise and "biggin up" whenever possible.

Money going to usual address, Simon! ;)

[Kahboose]

I have to agree with Socialgiraffe. BMS are very friendly and reliable. My advise as a fellow newbie would be spend the extra few £'s and go to someone like them.
Aftercare is awesome and friendly. There are a few other really good retailers such as MDP but i can only vouch for BMS as thats who i use.
One of the best finds i made along side this Forum which is second to none.

Lee

PS
Ment to add well worth the investment in subscribing to this forum also. Ive already saved 3x my subscription with discounts. (unbiased opinion) ;)

[JackB]

Just as a side i only just noticed you are in wisbech which int that far from me.are there any other members around near us.

I am in Kettering, not that far.

Jack

[Craig]

Thanks for the advice all if there is one thing i do it is ponder alot but i will be speaking with BMS about some of there items for sure as i do belive good customer service goes along way and it seems they have kept alot of people happy on here.Jack yeah kettering is only up the road so not far at all really.