How to increase efficiency with heat press accessories

Working as efficiently as possible while maintaining a high level of quality across your products is vital for all garment decoration businesses. Andy Rogers, marketing manager at Target Transfers, outlines the best in heat press accessories.

Here at Target Transfers we don’t just manufacture and sell heat printing products, we give our customers an education to ensure they are in the best position to start, run and grow their business.

Start maximising your time, money and quality with these essential heat press accessories.

Heat tape

Heat tape holds your transfer in place while it’s being fused to ensure accuracy across all products. It also gives you the chance prepare and line up multiple transfers onto blank garments while one is in under the heat press.

This will decrease the amount of time you spend before and after fusing each item and increase your overall efficiency.

Lower platens

A selection of interchangeable platens for the lower part of your press is a real game-changer. If you are pressing on the sleeves or legs, doing a run of baby clothes, or even pressing on trainers.

Having the correct sized and shaped platen for the garment you’re pressing means you can easily thread the garment onto the press. You can also isolate the area you wish to fuse onto while avoiding pressing over zips, buttons, toggles and more allowing you to ensure accurate pressure and a high-quality result.

Platen protectors

There are multiple benefits to having upper and lower platen protectors and are worth their small investment cost.

Lower platen protectors also speed up the process of loading and unloading garments to the heat press, allowing you to fuse more garments in less time.

Platen protectors prevent any moisture or excess residue from the garment or transfer getting onto the original platen, this increases the longevity of the platen. Without a protector, the top platen of your press should be cleaned one to two times a week, switched off, with warm soapy water – nothing abrasive.

They’re also non-stick meaning any garment and transfer you fuse will come away cleanly ready to peel. This also prevents any garment or transfer excess from being carried onto your next transfer, ensuring each product is of the highest standard possible.

Grip Flex

Grip Flex is a flexible rubber sheet that is used in place of release paper to create a thicker, protective layer between the garment and transfer and the heat press platen.

It will protect both the transfer and the garment allowing you to prevent the majority of scorch marks and fuse onto more delicate fabrics. This will allow you to improve the quality of your products and expand your product range.

Grip Flex will also keep the garment stable (stops the material in the garment expanding) during the fuse. This is more likely in materials such as neoprene which are used in garments such as wetsuits and lycra which is often found in leggings.

Finally, Grip Flex will also protect your heat press by preventing any dye from the garment or excess from the transfer getting onto your heat press.

Power platens

Lower Power platens provide heat to the underneath of the garment allowing the upper platen to decrease in temperature to ensure any scorch marks are on the inside of the garment and the transfer side is flawless.

Lower Power platens also increase productivity with reduced application time due to no required pre-press. No heat printing pads, pillows, extra cover sheets, or preheating are required, so you get more done in less time, and that translates to your bottom line.

Caddie Stand

Threadability is one of the most important features for a heat press printer. It speeds up the whole process while making it easier and more accurate all at once. If your heat press doesn’t have Threadability, you can purchase accessories such as the heat press caddie stand to turn any heat press into a threadable one.

The Caddie Stand is heavy duty pedestal design which can be moved to suit your workspace. You simply attach your heat press to the top and you have a threadable heat press. The patented adjustable stand can be raised or lowered to suit the induvial. The stand also frees up counter space, leaving more room for layout and necessary heat printing accessories.

Counter Caddie

This countertop version of the Heat Press Caddie sits on a flat work surface. So, you can choose the accessory that suits you and your business best. It again, adds industry exclusive Threadability to a heat press. Essential for garment decorators.