When you want to personalize your own textiles with flocking, whether to print jerseys for your kids or to sell your creations, you need to use a heat press.
The problem is that online there are loads of different types of heat presses, so many that it becomes almost impossible to choose the one that suits you best. 😵
So we are going to give you the tips and the keys to choose the right textile heat press with the best value for money, one that will fully satisfy you! 👍
What is a heat press for textiles?
A heat press is a machine that lets you transfer designs onto various surfaces (mainly textiles) in order to personalize them. The design is transferred through pressure and heat, hence the name heat press. 🥵
What can you do with a heat press? 🤔
The heat press is a versatile tool that can be used for several personalization methods, whether on textiles or on objects. Here are the main personalization techniques that require a heat press:
1 - flocking with iron-on flex
Iron-on flex is the most used and best-known textile marking technique when you want to use a heat press. This method is in fact the simplest, and its value for money is excellent. ✔️
Iron-on flex is generally sold in rolls. It has to be cut with a cutting machine to reproduce your design, in order to obtain a flocking that will then be transferred onto the textile (so the transfer is done with the heat press).
2 - flocking with printable flex
Printable flex is also an iron-on flex, the difference being that printable flex is "printable", so you can print your design on top of it using eco-solvent ink, then cut it out and transfer it onto the fabric.
3 - printing with a DTG printer
When you use a DTG printer (Direct-to-garment printing), you absolutely must dry the ink after printing it onto the textile. For that, there is nothing better than a heat press! 🤩
DTG printing is high quality, but it requires very expensive equipment.
4 - sublimation
Sublimation lets you transfer designs onto objects such as phone cases. Just like with iron-on flex, you need to use a heat press to transfer the design in sublimation.
How do you use a textile heat press?
It all depends on the type of press you use. Most heat presses have a lever that you push down in order to press your textile, so we are going to assume that your press also has an up-and-down lever:
1️⃣ Preparation: First, set aside your textile with the flocking logo you want to print, and turn on the machine. You must make sure that no flammable item is nearby and that the machine is out of reach of your children.
2️⃣ The screen of your textile heat press will show the temperature as well as the heating time. Take the time to adjust these two settings so that the heat press is used correctly.
In general, when you want to flock your clothes with iron-on flex, the heating temperature will be between 150 and 160 degrees and the pressing time between 15 and 25 seconds.
For drying a DTG ink logo, the temperature will be between 130 and 180 degrees and the heating time between 20 seconds and 1 minute.
3️⃣ Wait about ten minutes to let the textile heat press come up to temperature. You must make sure that the latch of your heat press is properly open.
4️⃣ During those fifteen minutes, you can take the opportunity to place your t-shirt on the press. To do this, most people use a ruler. You can also fold your t-shirt in two and unfold it to get a nice straight reference line in the middle of the fabric, which will help you position your design.
5️⃣ Position your logo on the fabric, make sure it is nice and straight, because once it is pressed it will be very hard to remove a flocking, and that could leave a few scars on your poor t-shirt. 🤕
6️⃣ Once the textile heat press has reached the right temperature and the logo is properly placed, push the lever and wait for the allotted time.
Once the time has elapsed, your heat press will make a beep. Lift the lever and your personalization is a success! 🤩
The essential criteria for choosing a heat press
Buying a textile heat press should not be done on a whim. First and foremost, you need to know the criteria that are important to you and that will allow you to choose the right press. Here are the 4 essential criteria that you absolutely must know before purchasing a heat press for textiles 👕:
a - Pressure:
The pressure of your heat press is a key criterion for your purchase, because if your textile heat press does not have enough pressure, the flocking will not print correctly.
When it comes to lever heat presses, you do not need to worry about this point, because they are made to apply pressure on the fabric.
However, machines like the Cricut Easy Press apply almost no pressure on the fabric (this is one of the reasons why I generally advise against this machine despite its great quality, but we will come back to that later in the blog).
b - The lifespan of the textile heat press:
The longevity of your heat press is one of the essential elements.
To be sure that a heat press will last over time, I advise you to find out about the machine's warranty and favor machines that have a warranty of 1 year or more.
You must also, and above all, take into account the number of prints you have been able to make with it. If you have had a textile heat press for a year but you have only done 10 flockings with it, that does not count. 🤷♂️
So do your research by looking at the reviews on the site or from the seller, it is a good option to get more information about the quality of the flocking machine.
Finally, it is clear that a 100 euro machine will not have the same lifespan as a 2000 euro machine, but I can assure you that you can easily last more than 3 years at a good pace with a small cheap textile heat press!
c - The size of the machine
The size of the machine becomes interesting when you want to flock large logos, for example on the back of your t-shirt.
To do this, you need to take into account that a logo on the back of a t-shirt generally measures 25x25cm and can even go up to 30cm x 30cm.
If you do not intend to make large logos, you will not need a big machine. Besides, it is possible to print flocking logos larger than the size of your machine itself. You just have to press your logo several times so that it is transferred across the whole textile. 👕
d - Price 🤑
Price is one of the most important criteria for choosing your press.
I would advise you, however, not to focus only on the price of the textile heat press, but rather to look at its price in relation to the number of textiles you have to personalize before it becomes profitable.
For example:
If you sell t-shirts at 20 euros each, your total manufacturing cost per t-shirt is 5 euros, and the purchase of your heat press is 300 euros, you will have to sell 20 t-shirts to make your machine profitable because:
15 euros (profit per t-shirt) x 20 (number of t-shirts to sell) = 300
The machines to personalize your textiles with flocking:
We are now going to look at several types of machines and presses that let you flock your textiles. We will also see what kind of person each machine we present is aimed at (professionals, individuals, and so on), and finally we will give a score based on the 4 criteria we defined above. 💯
1 - The iron
We all have a steam iron at home, and this wonderful tool can prove very useful when you start out with textile flocking personalization.
The iron is not normally a product suited to flocking. You need to apply pressure on your iron to print your textiles, and by applying too much pressure repeatedly it risks getting damaged.
The heat of irons is adjustable, which makes them interesting for flocking. Still, be careful, because some irons do not clearly indicate the heat in degrees. 🌡️
When you use the iron to print your design in iron-on flex, you need to press on it and apply strong pressure (pressure being an important criterion for flocking). Your little iron risks getting damaged in the long run with the pressure being applied to it. What is more, if you start selling more and more personalized textiles, you will start to get a sore shoulder from all that pressing with the iron.
In conclusion, at the very beginning, you do not necessarily need a textile heat press. I advise you, at first, to use the iron from your home, which will do the job. Once you start regularly printing textiles with flocking, switch quickly to a textile heat press. 😉
Warning: when you use an iron to flock your textiles, you have to be very careful with your hands, because the iron is made to IRON and not to press your textiles.
⭐ THE SCORE:
Pressure: 1/5
Lifespan: 2/5
Size: 2/5
Price: 5/5
Total: 10/20
2 - Textile heat presses:
The Cricut Easy Press 2:
The Cricut Easy Press 2 is mostly used by professional creators, entrepreneurs, or individuals who want to make flockings one at a time.
Cricut is a remarkable brand that not only offers products with attractive designs, but whose quality is also there. However, it is important to point out that, due to the brand's reputation, Cricut tools and machines are sold at slightly higher prices.
As for the Cricut warranty, it is 1 year minimum, and given its quality and the positive reviews about the product, it does seem capable of lasting several years.
The size of the Cricut Easy Press 2 is also perfect (30cm x 25cm, which is ideal for making good-sized logos with flocking).
But here is the thing: in my opinion, the Cricut Easy Press has one major problem, which is its lack of pressure during the flocking transfer. Indeed, if you use the Cricut Easy Press 2, you will be forced to apply the pressure yourself (with your own body weight) so that the flocking is properly applied onto the fabric.
⭐ THE SCORE:
Pressure: 2/5
Lifespan: 4/5
Size: 4/5
Price: 3/5
Total: 13/20
The clamshell heat press:
This textile heat press is 38cm x 38cm, so it will be perfect for making large designs on the back of your t-shirts and sweatshirts.
As for the pressure, a knob at the back of the press lets you adjust it. You have to be careful not to apply too much or too little pressure when printing your logo.
For a total of around 200 euros, this press gives you excellent value for money. 💸
⭐ THE SCORE:
Pressure: 3/5
Lifespan: 3/5
Size: 4/5
Price: 5/5
Total: 16/20
The automatic heat press:
This automatic heat press is ideal for saving time and improving the consistency of your transfers. Unlike manual models, the Auto Magic heat press applies the pressure and handles the opening automatically, which reduces the risk of errors and lets you work more comfortably, especially during long flocking sessions.
With its 38 cm x 38 cm surface, it is perfect for large designs on t-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, or even wider textiles like jackets. The pressure is easy to adjust, and its automatic system always ensures an even application across the whole marking area.
It is an excellent choice for regular creators, small businesses, or anyone who wants to enjoy a higher level of working comfort without investing in a professional machine costing several thousand euros.
⭐ THE SCORE:
-
Pressure: 5/5
-
Lifespan: 4/5
-
Size: 4/5
-
Price: 3/5
Total: 16/20
The professional heat press:
Professional textile heat presses are used mainly by textile personalization companies that flock more than a hundred textiles a day.
Their quality is excellent in every respect, but their price is very expensive. For example, the Transmatic REV S press is an excellent heat press, and its price is over 4000 euros.
It is up to you to decide whether you are ready to invest such a budget in a heat press. I would still advise you not to go straight for a professional press if you are a beginner.
Start by getting the hang of it with a less expensive heat press that can reproduce exactly the same flocking quality.
⭐ THE SCORE:
Pressure: 5/5
Lifespan: 5/5
Size: 5/5
Price: 1/5
Total: 16/20
