A Few Questions

[Tania]

I am posting here as I have a few questions to ask and hope you will be able.

I am new to sublimation, I arranged for a demonstration of equipment from Xpress in Derby.
I am amazed at the difference in prices relating to the Swing Heat Press. I noted some members recommend
DF50 from BMS is approximately £200ish, from Xpress it is closer to £900, I was wondering why there
is such a big difference.

I notice Coral Draw is mainly used for setting up templates etc., is there any reason why we could not
use photoshop?

There is a large selection of printers and inks available, do members have a preference of a supplier and is
there anything to avoid.

Thank you for your time.

[Paul]

Can you post links to press you reffering too.

[Tania]

http://www.printerowners.co.uk/hardware ... -press.htm

http://www.xpres.co.uk/p-7924-swing-hea ... .aspx?p=55

Here they are, thank you.

[mrs maggot]

you are not comparing like with like, to put it in a car concept - you cannot compare a mercedes with a ford, if you are doing this for a long term living then its mercedes all the way, but the ford will offer you a reliable product, do not however consider going below a ford, at least with ford you have a full service. you should be able to see the quality of the two presses just by looking at them, they are in no way the same beast, if you are looking to get as much as you can for the money then fords combi press is a great starting point.

as for printers and inks, go to the printers page with a cup of tea, as it needs time to read through.

[Tania]

Thank you for your reply it is really helpful.

kind regards

[RogerC]

Regarding photoshop/corel draw. I use Corel for most everything I do. It is good for resizing, cropping, putting images inside a template etc. I occasionally use photoshop but as I don't use it a lot I find it difficult and time consuming though others will no doubt be inclined to primarily use photoshop. IMO it's what you're familiar with that makes the difference.

[bms]

I am posting here as I have a few questions to ask and hope you will be able.

I am new to sublimation, I arranged for a demonstration of equipment from Xpress in Derby.
I am amazed at the difference in prices relating to the Swing Heat Press. I noted some members recommend
DF50 from BMS is approximately £200ish, from Xpress it is closer to £900, I was wondering why there
is such a big difference.

I notice Coral Draw is mainly used for setting up templates etc., is there any reason why we could not
use photoshop?

There is a large selection of printers and inks available, do members have a preference of a supplier and is
there anything to avoid.

Thank you for your time.

There are differences certainly. The Xpres versions are Atkins presses and very much at the top end of the market. Both presses though are glorified irons at the end of the day - they get hot and regulate their heat. Both will do much the same thing, but the Atkins press will feel much more robust in use and they have an excellent reputation. Like Xpres, we can supply the £900 version, but funnily enough we don't get much demand for them!

[pisquee]

The cheaper end of the market for presses may give you a good entry into the business, and be a way of learning if it is something you want to do long term, without outlaying too much money.
But, once you've used a good quality high end press, it is difficult to go back to the cheap ones.

As Martin said, the X-Press press are rebadged Adkins (which are sometimes also branded as Magic touch) they are a very good quality British made press. They are similar in design to InstaPress, which are made in USA, (which are sometimes also rebadged as XPress, MagicTouch, and MetroSport.) There are other similar high quality British built presses, for around the same price point from Jarin/Europa, and PressMech (also sold as MaxiPrint.) whereas the cheap ones usually come from China.

InstaPress
Adkins
Jarin/Europa
PressMech

We've used all of the above makes, along with the cheaper Chinese varieties, and we rate the PressMech as the best in terms of usability and maintenance.

[Hyraxx]

We use Adkins and Stahls presses as we find them to provide even heating and more importantly they are battle ready to throw anything at them, during the last week before christmas we upgraded our sprint models from 1997 that used dial in heating and glass thermostat, to the all singing digital timer with auto open and are even more impressed.

I'm a firm believer that you should buy the best you can afford, especially if this is going to be a business and not a hobby.

[Sawgrass]

Tania -
Have a look at this page & sections : there is a wealth of information to help you choose systems, printers and set-up, as well as how-to videos and tips
http://www.sawgrasseurope.com/education-events