So now it is time to shop for a new heat press! The most popular types of heat presses out there are either a clamshell or a swing away. My last Heat Press was a swing away, but I started my journey with heat presses with Cricut’s EasyPress, a gift from my son. I loved it and used it all the time. Then my husband surprised me with a swing-away 6 in 1 heat press for my birthday. Even though it came with lots of added attachments like a mug press, plate press, and hat press, I did not use those attachments. So I thought as I started to look for a new heat press that I would do a little research to see what there is in the market.
As I started my research, I discovered that there are so many heat press options, it can be overwhelming to figure out what best fits your needs. I want to share some key elements that I am looking for in a heat press in my shopping guide. Just like in my shopping guide for a sublimation printer, you need to answer a few questions. Like, what materials are you planning to press, and on what types of substrates will you use with your heat press? Once you answer those questions, the other things you will want to consider are style, size, and cost.
Let’s take a look at what materials you are using and what you are transferring to with your heat press.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRANSFER
There are different types of printing media and transfers that all require specific pressures and temperatures. The pressure and temperatures that are required for your media are important. For instance, my original heat press was my Cricut Easy Press. I had to apply the press by leaning on the press manually, and it only heated up to 360 degrees. It worked great for Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV), but when I started doing sublimation, I needed a heat press that would heat up to 400 degrees and the ability to increase the pressure.
WHAT MATERIALS WILL YOU USE?
Another essential question that should guide you through buying the best heat press is what materials you are pressing on to? Are you only pressing onto T-Shirts, or do you want to do mugs, hats, tiles, and other substrates like metal and slate?
So now that you have identified what print media, transfers and materials you are using with your heat-press. Let’s first look at heat-press styles. Each style has its advantages and disadvantages.
CLAMSHELL STYLE
Clamshell heat presses open just like their name says. They have a heating plate that opens at an approximate 70-degree angle above the lower plate. They are great for T-shirts and thin flat substrates, like keychains and metal photo panels.
The most significant advantages of this style of the press are that they don’t take up a lot of space and feel sturdier. For my purposes, I think the most significant disadvantage is that you are limited on the thickness of substrates you can press. But if you are only pressing T-Shirts, this style is a great option.
SWING AWAY STYLE
Swing away heat press opens just like the name says; the heating element swings to the side and out of the way of the lower plate. The Swing Away also works great for T-shirts, but they also work great for thicker items, like plaques, ceramics tiles, and sandstone coasters. The heating element has a vertical floating design and allows the element to adjust to the substrate’s thickness and allows for even pressure.
I believe that the most significant advantage of this press style is that its top plate rotates 360 degrees, and it is easily moved out of the way, which gives you a lot of space to work. Plus, as you are placing your substrate, you have the heating element out of the way and less chance of any injury! The main downside is that you will need more room for this style to take advantage of the entire 360 swing-away.
SIZE
Next, let’s take a look at the sizes of Heat Presses. Before purchasing a heat press, it is important to think about the size of the images you will be transferring. My original swing away was a 12″ x15,” and it worked for most of my projects. When I did sublimation on a canvas and floor mats, I wished it was a little bigger. One thing to remember though is that the larger the heat press is, the cost usually goes up too! So once again, think about what you want to press and the size of those items.
You will find hobby or home use heat press ranging from a small format 5″ x 5″ or 6″ x8″, standard-sized presses are normally 15″ x15″, 16″ x20″ or 16″ x24″. A larger size of a heat press would be considered a large format, and you would normally find them in a commercial business.
In Review
In short, clamshell-style heat presses are compact, efficient, and suitable for most garments and thin, flat substrates. By comparison, swing-away style heat presses provide clear overhead access to the pressing area and a vertical pressure application that is ideal for thicker substrates. The best style of heat press for you will ultimately depend on how much space you have available, as well as the type of substrates and transfers you’ll mainly be working with on your press.
Checkout my Buyers Guide for Heat Presses to see what fits your needs and budget! I hope my list of Heat Presses will help you find one that meets your needs. I also have a Sublimation Tips and Tricks download that you might like too!
Now I need to order my new Heat Press! Based on my needs, I think that my choice is going to be the TUSY Pro 5 in 1. It checks the boxes on all the essential items on my list. Your first step is to determine what things are important to you when it comes to a Heat Press.
If this helped inspired you to buy a new heat press, then check out some of my DIY projects for more inspiration!
Don’t forget to checkout my Fun Stuff Crafts Amazon Storefront!
*Disclaimer: Links above are affiliate links. By clicking on these links I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Some products may have been provided to me by vendors, however, all opinions and reviews are strictly my own.
Social Media Links
CLICK HERE If you would like to join the Facebook Group, Crafts and Inspiration hosted by Fun Stuff Crafts! In the group, I share and encourage members to share tips and projects.
1 comment
[…] Place your T-Shirt on your heat-press. I place paper inside my shirt to prevent the ink from bleeding through to the back of the shirt. The bleed is referred to as “Blow Out!”. If you are looking for a Heat Press I posted a blog post a couple of months ago on a review of Heat Presses and what to look for when purchasing one. You can check it out HERE! […]