Clam presses are often favoured amongst garment printers as they require less operator effort, and they make for slightly faster production speeds with slightly less physical user effort required as with swing away presses. As discussed earlier, “cheap” and “high-pressure” don’t go well together when it comes to heat presses. If you’re going to be regularly pressing at high pressures, you would be best advised to invest in a press which is build to withstand heavier pressure. Quite often, the steel used to manufacture cheap presses is of a low quality which is a major concern due to the heat radiating from the upper platen. The reason for this is that it can result in warping of the platens and affect the required even pressure of the heat press. First of all, do you actually need a plate press (or in some cases two sized of plate press), a cap press, a mug press and a flat press?

Please note that we are a UK trade supplier of heat presses& related machines, blanks and consumables, so it is fair to expect us to be biased towards the heat presses that we sell. Not all presses have the same capabilities when it comes to heavier pressure, it depends on how well built the heat press is, and the quality of all of the components used. They develop quality, precision heat transfer and fusing presses for worldwide distribution. A. Adkins and Sons Limited policy is one of constant improvement and/ or modification to meet changing conditions and as such they remain as a pre-eminent force in our industry for sublimation heat presses. Stahls Clam Basic Heat Presses: These are entry-level clam shell presses which are reasonably priced and built in China but to the high standard that customers demand from Stahls’ products.Intended Use: First think about your primary use, whether it's for personal crafting, a small business, or a commercial operation. Different needs may require different types of heat presses. The two main types are clamshell heat presses, which are compact, easy to use and ideal for small spaces, or swing-away heat presses, which offer a larger workspace and better access to the lower platen.

If you were for example only looking to supply clothes for children and smaller garments then a smaller heat press such as a 28cm x 38cm should be the only heat press you’d need. Wide opening for easy garment placement: 65 degree opening (10% wider than most available in the UK)

Heat Presses & Accessories

Our Heat Transfer Vinyls and custom heat transfers are manufactured for use with commercial heat presses which are able to maintain a consistent temperature and even pressure which are both something that the Cricut EasyPress struggles to provide due to it being aimed at the hobby market and is rarely used for retail/commercial use. Based on this, if you’re looking to supply the finished goods for retail sale we’d strongly recommend looking at purchasing a commercial heat press to ensure that the heat transfer is properly bonded to the intended fabric.