Heat Presses

The act of sublimation (solid ink dye particles vaporizing directly to gas without passing through liquid stage) relies on adding heat and pressure to the sublimation transfer and the blank substrate. This is done using a commercial heat press. There are a variety of heat presses available on the market, but the wide format world tends to use two types of heat presses for sublimation transfers:

Platen Presses
Typically used for individual pieces, platen presses use a heated platen (or perfectly flat steel plate) to press flat and rigid pieces such as cut apparel, ceramics, wood, metals and more. There are a variety of sizes available ranging from 12” wide to 5’ wide and above. For increased production, Shuttle Platen Presses utilize two workspaces with a single heated platen, allowing you to prep your product on one surface, while you are pressing another product on the second surfaces, reducing production time!

Rotary Heat Presses
Rotary heat presses use a heated drum which spins fabric through the press to decorate rolls of fabric continuously. These presses are designed to print fabric pieces that are too large for a platen press. Used mainly for banners, flags, and cut/sew apparel (like jerseys), rotary presses tend to be more productive than platen presses. They cannot be used, however, to print rigid substrates.

Contact our Wide Format Sales Consultants to decide which heat press works best for your application(s) and business model.