Choices are a part of life. Some personal choices are easy: our favorite food at our favorite restaurant and who to ask to bake our favorite cookies. Personal choices aside, business choices are rarely easy to make -- we cannot predict what the end result will be.
Because many business choices mean spending a considerable amount of money, seeking the advice of an experienced friend can help. Let's talk about how to choose the best heat press for your business and projects, whether you are a crafter or a seasoned professional.
Small and large sign businesses are asked to produce more than just signs and banners -- personalized products and specialty gifts are often requested. These orders can contribute largely to your volume of sales, especially if you are looking to expand your business. When choosing the best heat press for your products, the many options may prove overwhelming.
Helping You Choose the Best Heat Presses
As a SignWarehouse customer, you know that we research, test, and stand behind all the products we offer -- both equipment and supplies. We have compiled a list for you of the best heat presses we offer for many, if not all, of your projects. You can find all of these presses on signwarehouse.com. And can also reach out to our sales professionals with any questions so we can assist you in choosing the best heat press for you.
Best Heat Press for Home Crafters
Home crafting has gained popularity with the 2+ years we have spent at home and with the uptick of business from online craft sales websites and social media marketplaces. And it is always fun to have that one family member who can make custom crafts or wearables for reunions, anniversaries, graduations, and other gift-giving occasions.
We recommend the EnduraPRESS CS16. It features a 16" x 20" heating element with a temperature range of up to 480°F. It also features a digital touch-screen LCD control panel, makint it easier to customize controls for a variety of applications. Large but easy to use, the EnduraPRESS CS16 also comes in an optional floor stand bundle.
Best Heat Press for Small Businesses - Low Daily Volume
If you have a low daily volume of requests for heat press items, or only have sporadic occasions when you need to produce large amounts of specialized products, we recommend the EnduraPRESS CS16AR.
This heat press is similar to the EndraPRESS CS16, with the addition of an auto-release system. This takes away the task of opening the press and gives you or your employees more of a hands-free solution, facilitating multitasking. Great for shops with few employees handling multiple jobs, or if you want to grab a cup of coffee while your design is taking shape.
Best Heat Press for Small Businesses - Moderate Daily Volume
If you have a steady, moderate daily volume of business, consider the EnduraPRESS SD20 Digital Swing-Away Heat Press. This press offers professional features found in far more expensive heat presses.
The EnduraPRESS SD20 is a popular choice for businesses doing laser transfers as it provides consistent, even temperature and pressure. It's so reliable! It is SignWarehouse's best-selling heat press for a reason!
The full-sized, 16" x 20" upper heat platen supports pressing larger transfers with 20" heat transfer vinyl. The swing away platen design provides more room for setting up substrates, and has the optimal vertical pressure necessary for thicker substrates, such as tiles and mouse pads. (Mouse pads or other small items are terrific up-selling products for current or new customers.)
Best Heat Press for Small Businesses - High Volume Production
Produce large volumes of items with minimal physical effort! The SilverBolt 1620PA is our recommendation for shops with a high volume of production. It features an electrically activated auto-open and auto-close system. Just press the buttons to close the press. And the 1620PA opens automatically at the end of the cycle.
The 16" x 20" platen and rugged construction are engineered for high production garment decoration. Read our previous article about the SilverBolt 1620PA.
Best Heat Press for White Toner Laser Transfers
With the SilverBolt 1620SA, you get swing-arm action!
It produces even pressure across the platen to ensure the quality of your work. And the advanced job control menu with stored presets for time, temperature, and pressure helps to simplify laser transfers. Who wouldn't want to make their job easier? Find even more information in our article about the SilverBolt 1620SA.
Best Heat Press for Pressing Hats/Caps
For customers needing you to produce professional, personalized hats for teams, businesses, or personal use, using the EnduraPress SA CP36 will ensure quality production. It is a dedicated cap press with a spring-loaded arm to hold caps securely in place for better quality transfers. No more strikes or runs (queue baseball joke here).
Best Heat Press for Sublimated Mugs and Drinkware
To produce quality sublimation drinkware, including mugs, the SilverBolt MugPro 5 is your best choice. The five, independently-controlled heating units, you can gain maximum productivity for mugs, tumblers, sports bottles, and more.
Print up to five designs at a time! No more waiting for one batch of products to finish before sublimating a different design needing a different temperature. For detailed information on using the SilverBolt for dye sublimation, read our previous article.
Best Heat Press - To Do It All
The EnduraPRESS MF15 five-in-one heat press is the Musketeer of heat presses - it's all for one and one for all!
This combination press is configured for shirts, caps, mugs, and plates (with attachments)
This do-it-all heat press supports decorating mugs and tumblers with sublimation or laser transfer; shirts with laser transfer processes and self-weeding paper; caps with HTV or sublimation; and plates with sublimation and laser transfer. What a great assistant!
Businesses with high volume sales are expected to produce quality results, no matter the product. Even if you are a mid or low-volume business, or only offer a few heat press items, you still want your reputation to be for the highest-quality work. Non-professionals, crafters, or businesses with few heat press items sold each year, you still want your results to be professional.
The heat presses we listed above are recommended by our staff of professionals and our many loyal customers. At SignWarehouse, we are dedicated to helping you press on to success!
