New start-up

[paul 44]

HI Folks,

I have been reading up over the months on various presses etc and methods of pressing and so on so I decided to get myself a new printer Epson xp 720 using pigments (5 colors, well 2 are black) but it is a good printer and prints at around 200 dpi on standard setting (A4)

I have a load of JPSS white paper (not opaque) which is great in my opinion and have done a load of test prints, with an iron of all things. Some prints were printing ok on the tees with my previous printer which was an HP using dye and some weren't (ink run after washing) and some on my new printer which is the new epson xp 720 (pigment) printing at 200dpi on standard print setting are also running but trial and error as far as an iron goes coupled with a sore back lol.

I have been reading up a lot on heat presses etc and due to budget limitations, I was restricted here, hence why I used an iron to start off, knowing full well that I needed a press, I have been selling off some items in order to get something to press with, which I have done and had around £300.00 for a press.

I am enthusiastic about the printing game and you need to start somewhere without getting into debt etc (loans for kit and so forth) and I could not afford a Geoknight or a Stahls press so opted for a combo pixmax (5 in 1).

Reading up on it, there are a few reviews around, some say good, some say bad but it looks to me that the good outweighs the bad on this one i.e well built, solid, lasts well etc although there are a few bad reviews such as a review on youtube in which is fell apart (ceris review). I'm not one to shy away from anything that has a bad review but thought I'd give it a bash, amazon reviews also seem favorable on this machine.

This is a start-up for me with a few ideas rolling around my head that I want to get done so I ordered this press today and should it be here by Tuesday, given that I sold some stuff to get it, I still have some funds left over to get some sub mugs and a few tester tees for printing to get the pressure settings right and test the machine out.

My aim is to start off with the pixmax combo, get some sales and aim for a larger more robust machine such as a stahl or tronix machine.

It has a 12 month warranty on it so if any problems in the 1st year it goes back and costs me nothing.

It's a start for me and people have given good reports on it, albeit, some negative but gotta start somewhere, I read that some other guy bought one and it turned out to be a little workhorse for 2 years which is not to bad.

Anyway, that was my first post and I'm glad to be here.

Cheers

Paul

[Ravisteam]

Hi Paul I am not an expert. But I can advise u with my experience. .1st you need a heat press to get good results on jpss..They are great papers..and also just dye ink work on them too (you don't need pigment ink) I have read a long conversation on here about this dye ink on jpss .and my experience also good with dye ink...
Okay Heat press !...I had a cheep Chinese press over 2 years and I was doing various things on it..how ever T-shirt transfers did not work that we'll on that Chinese heat press tho...so I didn't do much ...but if you use a Teflon pillow underneath the tshirt they would do better.on the other hand a good press like hotronix you don't these additional pillows for trasfers....so my advice try to find a used good press if possible that would cost u maybe additional 150-200 than a Chinese press but they will give u consistency so u don't have to wary about the press something goes wrong (I alway had the doubt about the press)....also pixmax is just another Chinese machine labeled by them and they are not different to others expect the high price..and also I saw many posts saying negative things about combo press ...hope this help a bit...

[jonna]

Plenty of threads on here about presses. Iv got a chinese one paid around £130 for it. I dont do many transfers with paper I use mainly vinyl however I havent had a proper when using transfers unless its the cheap rubbish off ebay. I use JPSS or 3G Opaque not had any problems with them so far. Personally I cant complain about my Chinese press however there are 2 ways to look at it

1. Buy a Chinese press use it for 12 months and save up for a good quality press like the ones you have mentioned. Total outlay £700 roughly. The bonus is you now have a back up press incase the new one breaks or you have an increased workload.

2. Buy good quality press get improved pressing quality, less wastage or cock ups, improved productivity and profitablity.

Everybody has a different opinion on what press to get when you start up.If its just a hobby for a little extra beer money go for chinese if its for an actual business with books and to pay you a wage etc go for quality

[paul 44]

HI Both,

Thanks both for the replies, very much appreciated. I am looking at the pixmax to get me up and running and to get me a little more income to get a better machine, im looking long term here going forward and to build up the business for a steady income.

I was limited on funds as to what I could buy hence the machine I have purchased. I will be using JPSS and JP opaque also as I think they are just quality papers and always had good results, if I can get a good print with an iron then the press should be a lot better with less back braking work to put in haha.

I will also be looking into getting a sublimation printer as I have just also purchased an Epson a few weeks ago as my HP died, using pigment claria inks for the transfers and will be using the sublimation printer for mugs, a;; going well, my next purchase is a vinyl cutter but will be concentrating on the tshirts first off to get me off the ground so to speak.

The press, according to some amazon reviews seems to be ok and it does the job it's supposed to but obviously it won't have the shelf life of a more expensive unit but it's a start for me.

Onwards and upwards eh

Cheers again

Paul

[paul 44]

New machine arrives tomorrow!

[paul 44]

Opaque II or opaque 3g for darks on transfer paper (pigment inks)?

Opinions please as I have only used Opaque II

thanks again

[jonna]

I use 3g jet opaque for darks. I use pigment inks aswell in mine I dont think there is much difference between dye based ink or pigment based. Others with more experience than me may offer a better explanation as to which is better and the pros and cons of each type. I used pigment from the start its what was advised when I ordered the transfers from YOLO creative, it worked so I stuck with it.

Good luck with your venture

[paul 44]

I have just spoken to YOLO and I was advised by them that the 3G is for mostly cotton tees, if there is a mix in there it is best to go with opaque 2.

Cheers

[jonna]

i use my transfers on cotton tees and hoodies mainly but I have also used them on a poly cotton blend of roughly 60/40 with no problems. If im honest it gave them less hand on the poly/cotton blend. I have found that this business is mostly trial and error when setting up equipment or using new products. I have a couple of tees that i use solely for testing purposes.

[paul 44]

Hi Jonna

I have a load of t-shirt fabric that my wife has for testing so I will be testing on this later, also just got myself an IR thermometer to see the temp of the press when its set up, hopefully only a few degrees from middle to side when I check it!

Ordered some more opaque paper today as I have a few do do so I stuck to the paper I know, feels more 'vinyl' like than transfer when pressed though, will see how the press fairs when I use that.

Cheers