Shirt Printing Equipment

Now a day heat press is arguably the most important component of any T-shirt printing business. And without a high quality model, you’ll find your final prints lacking color and clarity. This is very important to gauge both the heat and pressure of your transfers. Choosing the right heat press will ensure consistency throughout. Because the absolute beginners and those with space to consider, the Clam Type Press is a great choice. We have a small frame so we won’t find it consuming half of your living room. Another step up is the Swing Press, which is a modified design. It improves speed and accuracy of printing by allowing easier access to the shirt you are printing. And if you’re looking to mass produce, you’d be well advised to invest in a Pneumatic Press. We see these machines are more expensive but they work efficiently with precise heat and pressure application. Some companies such as Express and Target Transfers supply full ranges of heat presses.

Once you have a quality heat press; the next step is to invest in an efficient printer and now you’re faced with the golden question – ink jet or laser? The both printer technologies have their pros and cons. Like ink jet devices are much cheaper to buy than their laser counterparts and the advantage of ink jet printers is that they produce bright color with vibrant contrast. But the downside is that the ink can be expensive and texture of the print from an inkjet printer is different to T-shirts that have been commercially printed. We cannot you accept a slightly less professional texture, in exchange for a reduced set up cost and brighter color. On the other hand Laser printers are renowned for producing prints which will last for a much longer period of time and they aren’t blessed with the same bright color output, and they’re also more expensive.

Large incentive of laser printing is that the fabric will retain a more natural feel. Or we can say, it won’t feel as if you’ve pressed a design on to it. And for professional output, this is extremely appealing. For brand names, you’ll find that the major printer brands HP Canon; Epson will have a printer in their range that will meet your requirements. And for sublimation printing, you may need to invest in a different kind of printer – along with special inks. They are specifically catered for the heat sensitivity that the sublimation process requires. This possible to buy a low budget printer from a dealer like Epson, and by making use of the sublimation inks; you should be able to use it for your purpose.
And finally, if you’re interested in the vinyl manufacturing option, you will need an actual vinyl cutter.

John Bush is a professional fashion designer with 10 years of experience in the Custom Printed T shirts design and Screen Printing T Shirts design field.