Cap printing

[Callunna]

Thanks Jennywren. I do try to clamp them down tight but I fear it's the general design of my crappy cap press that's causing the problem. Moral of the tale - don't buy cheap crappy Chinese machines!

[Callunna]

Interesting. The caps I used were Beechfield. The cheapest ones were a nightmare but the B171 looks pretty smart and is more substantial. My customer loves it and says he can't see the crease. He even says he's perfectly happy to live with the creases on the cheap ones. Oh, if only all customers were as easy to please!!!
So - the only cap supplies I've been able to source are from BTC and Ralawise and they both seem to only do Beechfield.
Does anyone know what other manufacturers are there and where can I source them?

[willd]

Thanks Jennywren. I do try to clamp them down tight but I fear it's the general design of my crappy cap press that's causing the problem. Moral of the tale - don't buy cheap crappy Chinese machines!

We struggled with our Stahls, so there's a bit more to it than just the press...

[Earl Smith]

Myrtle Beach.
Atlantis
Sols
No idea where to buy in the UK but I can help if you need from Germany.

[willd]

I see Longforte carry some, as do the Transfer Press. Oddly the latter have a stone coloured cap for sublimation printing, which must limit it's usage somewhat!

[Callunna]

We struggled with our Stahls, so there's a bit more to it than just the press...

Actually that makes me feel a bit better about buying cheap stuff. If it's down to my incompetence then at least I can possibly do something about that!

[willd]

I think incompetence is a little strong, it seems that most aspects of the industry - at our end of it anyway - have quirks that need to be understood to produce a quality item every time, and that only comes with an amount of experience.

We picked up a contract a while ago for multiple prints on golf umbrellas - we'd never done any before, and even though I had a local fabrication shop make me up a bespoke lower plate for our heat press we cursed ever taking the order, as we had so much difficulty with it.

We subsequently took on another order, being the masochists that we are, and breezed through it.

So all you need is the kit, experience, knowledge, confidence and luck

[Earl Smith]

Believe me, even with years of experience you will make mistakes. Each cap, t-shirt , sweat is different. I had a t-shirt with elastic in (5%) the other day. An absolute sod to print whereas the FOL t-shirt printed perfectly with the same print. But, most stuff will print ok but every now and again a problem will come along and you will curse it.

[paul 44]

I just did a cap (5 panel) tonight for a boxer friend of mine, used a galaxy GS 501 with blockout vinyl, had a few issues, ended up pressing the front panel of the cap and it was a nightmare, ended up with tiny creases in the blockout where it hadn't adhered to the cap after pressing. I ended up uping the pressure to the point where it was hard to get the press back off the cap lol, it worked to a point but still a few creases but not noticeable unless i pointed them out.

Like was said earlier, it's not just the press, I had to literally press the cap spring down on the press to stretch the cap to get it to adhere and this was after pre heating the cap!

[Callunna]

Earl, I'm almost ashamed to admit it but I do an awful lot of cursing when printing my mugs and tees! Good job I work on my own...

On the other hand, I also do a little happy dance when things go right [emoji1]