| Although far from a casual tool, a machine for printing | | | | this in their included instructional material. |
| your own t-shirt graphics isn't as difficult to use as | | | | Just as important as the temperature settings |
| you might think. In basic principle it differs from an | | | | available is the sheer size of the machine. Most |
| iron primarily in terms of degree - it also uses heat | | | | machines will come with adequate room to make |
| and pressure, just a bit more of both to achieve the | | | | standard-sized t-shirt graphics. But if you have |
| desired effect. It doesn't take expert training to use | | | | something unusually large in mind, you may have to |
| a machine like this. In fact, if you follow the | | | | upgrade and look at the higher-end models. |
| instructions, you can be using yours the very day it | | | | If you've ever heard of silkscreen printing equipment |
| arrives at your home. | | | | before and aren't sure what the difference is |
| When you look at different kinds of t-shirt printers, | | | | between those machines and the ones discussed |
| pay attention to the heating plate in particular. A bad | | | | here, don't worry. It's primarily a difference in |
| heating plate on an otherwise good machine will | | | | terminology, since t-shirt printing in the manner |
| make for a bad t-shirt printing experience. Is the | | | | discussed here is done in the same manner as |
| plate bare metal, or coated? Usually you'll want a | | | | general screen printing. Screen printing can simply be |
| coating, such as Teflon, to avoid sticking and to | | | | thought of as a broader form of the same process. |
| provide general protection to both the shirt and the | | | | One recent competition with traditional t-shirt printing |
| plate. However, be careful not to scratch the coating, | | | | machine products is the digital t-shirt printer. These |
| as the resulting uneven surface can negatively impact | | | | are printers specifically made to print onto t-shirts |
| your presses. Some machines may provide separate | | | | and similar garments and materials. Although more |
| protective material, such as sheets, instead of or in | | | | convenient and less time-consuming for small |
| addition to coating the plate. | | | | production, these machines fail behind the t-shirt |
| If you can, try to ascertain the maximum angle the | | | | printers mentioned throughout this article when it |
| lid of the machine can lift up to. This is relevant for | | | | comes to large orders. The more shirts you're |
| two reasons. Firstly, the wider the machine can open | | | | printing, the more cost and time-efficient it will be to |
| up, the more room you have to work with when | | | | use the older style of machine. |
| laying out the relevant materials. Second, not enough | | | | It's difficult to get a new machine for printing shirts |
| room can make it hard to get your finished t-shirt | | | | at less than two hundred to three hundred dollars. |
| out without burning yourself! | | | | However, buying used from a worn out printing |
| Any good machine for printing t-shirts will come with | | | | enthusiast can give you an easy bargain... if you're |
| a wide range of temperature settings, from zero up | | | | willing to look long enough. Even the prices for |
| to five hundred Fahrenheit (two hundred and sixty | | | | brand-new machines are generally quite fair, if you |
| Celsius) or more. Don't experiment randomly with | | | | use them enough to make it worth the expenditure. |
| different temperatures if you're not sure what the | | | | And if you're planning on selling shirts or using them |
| right ones are for a project. Do your research and | | | | for marketing purposes, the machine will give you |
| find out what the best heat settings are before you | | | | profit vastly exceeding this in time, with good designs |
| use the machine! Many machines will inform you on | | | | and promotion. |