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Do you love making t-shirts to sell at local craft fairs or even at online marketplaces like Etsy? If you’re currently using your iron to get the job done, now is a great time to take the jump and purchase a dedicated heat press for your projects. Here are six reasons why a heat press is a better choice than a typical household iron.

#1: Save Tons of Time

The first benefit to owning a heat press is that it saves tons of time. Most heat presses include digital timers to ensure the right amount of press time at each use. Instead of having to stand at an ironing board during the press process and count down the seconds, you can simply set the time and work on something else until it is complete. It’s a great way to multi-task if you have numerous shirts to complete all at once.

#2: Always Get the Ideal Temperature

One of the biggest problems with using an iron for heat transfers is that there usually isn’t a way to set a specific temperature. With a heat press, you can ensure you’re always getting the ideal temperature for the style or type of transfer you’re using. This is really great news because it takes out all of the guesswork from the process.

#3: The Right Pressure Makes a Big Difference

If you want your transfer to last for many years through many washings, you have to pay attention to pressure. Some transfers require light pressure, while others need medium or firm. With a household iron, this is incredibly difficult to gauge. Plus, most have holes that make pressure across the plate intermittent. With a heat press, you can set the pressure for consistency throughout the entire design.

#4: Enjoy a Larger Pressing Footprint

Tired of having to press part of a project before moving onto the next corner? A heat press offers a much larger footprint than most irons provide. If you’re interested in doing complex or large designs, this benefit alone is well worth purchasing a heat press.

#5: Less Chance of Scorching

Let’s face it, household irons just aren’t designed for heat transfers. One wrong move or too many seconds in one place and there’s a good chance you’ll end up scorching the fabric or ruining the vinyl. With a heat press, the heating and pressure are consistent, which greatly reduces the chance of damage or marks. And who doesn’t love that?

#6: Increased Overall Customer Satisfaction

Another reason to purchase a heat press? Increased overall customer satisfaction. Your customers want a professional product and a heat press is really the only way to offer this level of quality. In addition, it makes a great investment into your t-shirt business and makes it much easier to create in larger volume.

Final Verdict: Time for a Craft Press

If you’re still trudging along with an iron, it is time to go ahead and purchase a heat press. Not only will your finished project look better, but you’ll enjoy the ease of using and consistent results.

Are you ready to learn more about purchasing a heat press for your t-shirt business? AmeriFLEX™ has exactly what you need. Please contact us today with any questions or shop our inventory of heat transfer vinyl supplies now.

 

You decided you want to start your own vinyl crafting business. The good news is you’ve picked the right business! Vinyl is available in hundreds of colors, finishes, and textures. In addition, there are a variety of substrates you can apply your vinyl to; aprons, t shirts, canvas bags, jackets, oven mitts, sweaters, hats, socks, phone cases, laptop covers, banners, blankets, and the list goes on. Personalized home goods, customized apparel, and unique merch are all in very high demand. The decision to use vinyl as your medium of choice offers a low cost of entry into the crafting business and more flexibility in what you can provide your customers. In understanding this we are still faced with the inevitable question. Where do I begin?

 

If you’ve surfed the net at any point in the last decade you understand that most information you need is readily available with one mouse click. There’s an abundance of info on equipment choices, start up supplies, and marketing. Choices are a good thing, but the overload can become confusing and overwhelming for some. The Ameriflex™ website has a few tools and hacks that will limit your decision fatigue, and help navigate the large variety of equipment and supply options available on the market. In order to do that ask yourself a few preliminary questions;

 

Will I focus on creating and selling my own custom designed products?

Will I focus on customizing items for others as a service?

Should I settle for a combination of selling my own products and customizing items for customers?

Will I sell online?

Will I sell at pop up shops and flea markets?

Will I focus on clients within my circle of influence and community?

Will I seek clients in large corporations, schools, and houses of worship?

Will I operate my business at home?

Should I set up a retail storefront?

What is my startup budget?

What products will I offer?

How often will you cut your designs?

How large will your transfers have to be?

What do you expect to print?

 

 

There is a small list of essential equipment and supplies needed to start and run a vinyl crafting business. After answering the questions above you will be able to determine the mandatory features your equipment should come with. The list of essential equipment and supplies include; vinyl cutter and its recommended software, vinyl weeder, teflon sheets, heat press, vinyl remover. The list of variable supplies needed will be substrate blanks, and vinyl.

 

 

 

What is and what size vinyl cutter should I purchase?

 

Vinyl cutters range in size, function, and speed. There are smaller less expensive vinyl cutters that are great for crafters and home-based businesses. Some of the most popular and reliable cutters are the cricut and silhouette vinyl cutters. If you only offer customized apparel as a business product or service, starting with one of these machines may serve as your most economical option. However, if your business caters to another popular niche – events and party planning, you may want to consider a large format cutter. Large format cutters range in functional differences that include faster cut times, wider design cutting capabilities, and print and cut options. Large format cutters will reduce production time and increase the range of services you can offer as a business.

 

 

Should I use a heat press?

Yes, its true – you can start your home based crafting business with an iron! Is it recommended? Here are factors you want to consider; You want to be sure your vinyl is properly bonded to the substrate. Especially if you intend to sell your product to a customer. Each type of vinyl will have its own recommended time, pressure, heating temperature, and appropriate peeling temperature recommended by the manufacturer. It’s important to follow these application instructions. By stepping outside these parameters you risk diminishing the durability of your end product. Proper settings can be mimicked using an iron, but there’s no way to be 100% sure its accurate. A heat press will distribute heat evenly and apply the appropriate amounts of pressure to your heat transfer material.

 

Which heat press should you choose? Like the vinyl cutter, the heat press range in size and features but will also come in a few different designs. The size of the heat transfer image you expect to imprint will determine the heat press size you want to start out with (5×5, 9×12, 15×15, 16×24, 40×40 etc). Your choice in vinyl cutter will most likely, and should, align with your choice in heat press size. Design Functionality is another important factor to consider during the heat press decision making process. There are several designs that offer functional benefits such as clam shell, swing away, and slide out drawer heat presses. Clam shell designs are the most common used press. Its angled opening has an appearance reminiscent of an open clam shell. The clam shell design is more compact and operates using vertical movement, making it ideal to use in smaller spaces such as a home office.

In contrast, the swing away heat press design swings the top platen away from the lower platen. This allows for more versatility in what you can imprint on. The top platen lowers onto the bottom platen in an even manner. Applying even heat and pressure to thick and less flaccid substrates like tiles, plates, and leather. The swing away design of the top platen keeps the heat away while you’re adjusting your substrate and heat transfer helping increase productivity. Similar in functional benefit, but different in design aesthetics the slide out drawer heat press offers a feature that will separate the heat from the work surface. The bottom platen slides out like a drawer while you’re adjusting your substrate and heat transfer vinyl. There are other add on features you may be interested in depending on what you offer your customers. There are heat presses that have Interchangeable platens and will come with additional attachments that will allow you to heat press hats, mugs, plates, tiles etc.

 

Recommendations before investing in any equipment;

Read product reviews, and purchase from a reputable company with good customer service. Issues will arise and/or you’ll have a simple question that requires the assistance of someone knowledgeable about your product. Technical support in these cases become an invaluable commodity.

 

Final thoughts

Find a reputable supplier with great reviews and great customer service.

Mistakes are fine, learn from them.

Price your items to not only include your material cost, but your labor cost as well.

Take pictures of your finished products. Use those pictures to obtain more customers and as examples for current customers.

Always test cut new vinyl.

Continue to learn and educate yourself.

 

Wearing jerseys and graphic t-shirts can make you look cool, but did you know they’ve been linked to cancer? Heat transfer vinyl emits harmful toxins that not only cause cancer but also harm the environment. Many unscrupulous companies use low-quality vinyl on jerseys and t-shirts. Since most people are unaware of the adverse effects of vinyl, they wear these clothes anyway.  

 

Vinyl sheets release cancer-causing toxins during its heating process. This means you’re not only exposed to the risk developing skin cancer but also lung cancer if you wear apparels containing regular vinyl sheets.

 

High-quality heat transfer vinyl

 

What is the solution if wearing t-shirts and jerseys with heat transfer vinyl causes cancer? The answer is Proposition 65-compliant vinyl sheets.

 

Polyvinyl chloride is one of the common ingredients in vinyl sheets used in the apparel manufacturing industry. The colored sheets provide the type of logo and name design you want on t-shirts and jerseys. But according to Proposition 65, it doesn’t meet the quality standards because it contains highly-toxic plastic that not only leads to various illnesses but also causes environmental pollution.

 

At AmeriFLEX™, we only use vinyl sheets that meet the quality standards according to Proposition 65. You will often see products with signs, such as “BPA FREE,” “PVC FREE,” “NO BPA,” etc. These signs mean that the product doesn’t contain cancer-causing vinyl.

 

What makes vinyl harmful

 

Before explaining our vinyl sheet manufacturing process, let’s understand how vinyl is harmful in the first place.

 

Plastic causes widespread pollution for marine life, humans, and the environment. Unfortunately, vinyl consists of plastic that makes it harmful. During the manufacture of vinyl sheets, PVC emits dioxin, a toxic chemical that causes cancer. This chemical gets absorbed by your body. In fact, your fatty tissues store dioxin for years. The more you wear t-shirts and jerseys with vinyl designs on them, the more your body becomes prone to cancer.

 

In fact, dioxin also makes its way into the food chain of animals and can reach its highest concentration among apex predators. While this chemical doesn’t reach your food chain, it certainly stays in your body once you start wearing apparels that contain even a small percentage of regular vinyl.

 

Apart from the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, even the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that you should avoid products that contain vinyl. Additionally, vinyl also emits phthalates, another carcinogenic toxin that lasts in your body for years.

 

How we manufacture heat transfer vinyl

 

Over the years, we have improved our vinyl manufacturing process significantly. Initially, we didn’t possess appropriate machines to provide Proposition 65-compliant vinyl, but now we do. AmeriFLEX™ now produces craft vinyl, which is the highest-quality vinyl that exists right now. It is not only a greener option but also Proposition 65-compliant.

 

At AmeriFLEX™, we want to provide heat transfer vinyl that doesn’t affect your body or the food chain of animals. Our manufacturing process doesn’t include even a single ounce of PVC. On the contrary, we use self-adhesive vinyl. This eliminates the need for PVC altogether. Our vinyl sheets can stick on any type of fabric almost permanently. Unless you burn the fabric, the vinyl sheet will not come off.

 

Another reason why you can trust our vinyl sheets is that they don’t contain chlorine, another ingredient responsible for increasing the amount of dioxins during PVC emissions. That means our vinyl sheets don’t contain two of the most dangerous cancer-causing ingredients: PVC and chlorine. The absence of chlorine is not only beneficial for humans but also for the environment. This makes craft vinyl a more viable and safer option. It makes our vinyl sheets more versatile because they don’t create environmental hazards.

 

Our vinyl sheets are not only safe for apparels but also children’s toys, food packaging, vinyl crafts, etc. Like regular vinyl, we can supply all the colors that you can think of without compromising the quality of our products and the safety of end-users.

 

You can now get personalized t-shirts and jerseys using heat transfer vinyl from our craft vinyl sheets. From apparels to stuffed animals, you can safely use our vinyl because they meet every quality standard, especially Proposition 65, which we consider as the strictest quality control test in the industry.