DSF

Finally decided to make the plunge after a training day down at Xpres (derby). Now I've seen what Sublimation is all about, the next step is obviously to buy some kit. I'm looking at a swing press, mug press and obviously the Sublimation Printer. Below is a list of what i'm looking at, so any advice would be appreciated.

Xpres Swing Press £900

Xpres Mug Press £420

Ricoh A3 Sublimation Printer inc Sawgrass Inks £800

I've put the prices so you can compare against any rival products (quality/Value for money).

I know this kit is expensive compared to some other kit avaiable on the market, but is it worth paying to get the job done properly???

Many Thanks Gary

Two trains of thought here, you don't need to spend that much money when you're starting out to get good results.....however, start as you mean to go on and buy the best you can afford is the second thought! lol.

I have the Adkins Mug Press and it really is superb. I also have an older Swing press which is also difficult to match for the money.

You're certainly buying at the upper end and if you have the finances to do this then you're giving yourself the best possible start

To be honest I can push to them prices but in the same breath I dont have money to chuck away. I was told today by Xpres that there kit is made by Adkins??? If so, is that pretty much the best quality?

My initial intention was to buy the Ricoh A4 sublimation printer, but after using there kit today I'm torn between the A3 Or A4.

I was like a kid in a sweet shop today, leaving the card at home was the best decision I made all day! Ha

Lol, I had the Xpres experience many years ago so I know what you're saying!

Yes, the machines are Adkins and they are very good. If I was looking at spending decent money again I'd look at Stahls (Target Transfers) as these machines are superb. I use an older Adkins machine as imo they were slightly better built but I don't think that should take anything away from the newer models.

One thing to bear in mind is the space you need for a swing press.... remember it swings way back so you can't position it right up to a wall.

You could get away with spending £200 on a swing press, £100 on a mug press but if you're serious and an afford it then I would suggest going for the kit you suggest

A4 or A3 is always debatable. The vast majority of members will tell you that 99% of their work would fit onto A4. The A3 printer is a big jump in price. It all depends what you're going to press. If you want to do larger place mats, sunshades etc. then A3 is the way to go.

Xpres are the place to go go for Adkins machines but don't discount other suppliers, Listawood for example have 10% discount on everything at the moment for Premium DSF Members (£10 per year) BMS also have some excellent discounts on mug presses. The beauty of heat presses, printers and so on is that the second hand market is excellent and you can sell on and upgrade quite easily.

I'll move this thread into the General Dye Sub section for better exposure

I just received the Xpres catalogue and I must say their branding makes them look very professional. Their prices for materials looks extremely competitive and no doubt their service, support and user knowledge make tyhem a cert for drawing in new custom and retaining the established clientele. I may also enquire about an info day with them when I get the chance to travel down there.... looks very promising!

p.s. sorry... I forgot to say Welcome to the forum! :redface:

Hi Gary

Welcome to the forum.

Xpress do sell good kit and what you have listed is very good. For comparison www.themagictouch.co.uk sell exactly the same heat presses (just a different badge) so you might want to check them out.

As a side issue, I purchased a Ricoh 7000 from Xpress. It went really wrong within the first six months. When I spoke to them they explained that Ricoh do not support the Sawgrass inks so it might be tricky to get a full replacement printer. I had to threaten to sue Xpress for misrepresentation in the sales literature before they gave me a new printer. This was not a nice experience as I personally prefer to create relationships based on trust and strong ethics and felt that as soon as something went wrong they were not interested.

Also, and depending on what sort of support you require you may want to check out BMS (www.printerowners.co.uk). I don't think they sell Adkins, but to be honest, I personally do not see what all the fuss about Adkins is. Yes its good, but if you look after your kit then it really does not need to be that good. As an example, I owned an Adkins for over 10 years before it packed up. This press cost £1000 then. I can get a cheaper press from BMS for just over £200. This means that the cheaper press can go wrong almost five times before I have spent the same amount!!!

Plus Martin at BMS is always on this forum. You get good, solid support and the after sales service that you may well require. Justin will be able to confirm but I think if you become a premium member on this site you get a discount from BMS.

Hope the above helps.

socialgiraffe;51122 wrote: Also, and depending on what sort of support you require you may want to check out BMS (www.printerowners.co.uk). I don't think they sell Adkins, but to be honest, I personally do not see what all the fuss about Adkins is. Yes its good, but if you look after your kit then it really does not need to be that good. As an example, I owned an Adkins for over 10 years before it packed up. This press cost £1000 then. I can get a cheaper press from BMS for just over £200. This means that the cheaper press can go wrong almost five times before I have spent the same amount!!!

Plus Martin at BMS is always on this forum. You get good, solid support and the after sales service that you may well require. Justin will be able to confirm but I think if you become a premium member on this site you get a discount from BMS.

Hope the above helps.

+1 for being a premium member on DSF before ordering your kit, and registering on BMS' website - although the discount from BMS applies to individual items, not the 'starter packages', thankfully Martin (another +1!) helped me out after I ordered the pack rather than the same list of items individually, it made quite a difference.

Here is my 2 pennorth worth.

I've only been doing this for just over a year and after a great deal of research decided to buy my equipment form BMS and I have never regretted it. No trouble from my Ricoh A4 printer and the mug press (the most basic one avaiable from them) has been great.

I dealt with Xpres for a long time and their tech support was always second to none. From what I hear things have changed over the past few years and some folk aren't that happy but I can't comment on this from personal (recent) experience.

Adkins machines are certainly built to last and having them working alongside cheaper models you do notice a difference, especially mug presses.

But...as I said previously, if you're just starting out and don't have a ready made market maybe it's better to spend £500 rather than £2500?