# Heat Press vs Screen Print vs Iron On



## obscene (Mar 29, 2006)

Hello, I'm working on my new website, since I'm pretty much broke I wanted to start with iron on tshirts, and then switch to either screen print or heat press once $$ starts coming in. Can someone show me the diff between all 3 with tshirt pictures? Which is the best for quality screen or heat press? Sorry for all these newbie questions! Thank you.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

If you read through some of the past threads that are similar to your question, you'll get a good idea of the differences.

I wouldn't recommend selling t-shirts with designs that you ironed on to customers. The quality just won't be there.

There are all different types of transfers (inkjet transfers for light garments, opaque inkjet transfers for dark garments, plastisol (screen printed) transfers, vinyl transfers, etc) some are better quality than others.

Generally screen printing is the best quality you can get. The next (when comparing screen printing to heat transfers) would be plastisol transfers which are basically heat transfers that are printed by a screen printer on transfer paper and sent to you to you to press on the shirts.


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## obscene (Mar 29, 2006)

I dont see any pictures in any posts...


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

obscene said:


> I dont see any pictures in any posts...


The versus tag Rodney gave you will give you some facts (and some opinions), the pics tag will show you a few pictures here and there.

Pictures don't even tell you half the story though (especially since the majority of them are out of focus), you need to see (and more importantly feel) the product for yourself.


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## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

Although you will not find a single person on these board who would recommend selling iron-on transfers to customers. Firstly, it drags down faith in the entire industry amongst customers. Secondly, your business will not succeed.

It would be better to save until you can afford another option. Sometimes things cannot be done on a shoe string. If you wanted a car, you wouldn't first build one out of cardboard.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

monkeylantern said:


> Although you will not find a single person on these board who would recommend selling iron-on transfers to customers. Firstly, it drags down faith in the entire industry amongst customers. Secondly, your business will not succeed.
> 
> It would be better to save until you can afford another option. Sometimes things cannot be done on a shoe string. If you wanted a car, you wouldn't first build one out of cardboard.


 
I do not agree.  

It really depends on what you are planning to do really.

Example: There is a local gal that works for a theater company in the costumes dep. (she makes good money I imagine).  ....anyways, she makes all types of printed stuff for the company using a Home Iron.

Now if you are thinking of Pumping out shirts by the case full.... do yourself a flavor and buy an Automatic Heat Press or Screen printing equip.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> Example: There is a local gal that works for a theater company in the costumes dep. (she makes good money I imagine). ....anyways, she makes all types of printed stuff for the company using a Home Iron.


That's not really an example of someone selling their iron on t-shirt designs to retail customers, which is what Nick was talking about.

I also don't think it's a good idea to try to sell iron-on goods to customers. I'm sure there are lots of people that do it, but the quality just isn't there from what I've seen, and you always want to give folks the best first impression of your business.

That's not saying that there's no use for iron-on transfers. There's no need to invest in a heat press if all you're going to do is make a couple of t-shirts for friends or family (or yourself). But once you get into the business of selling t-shirts to customers, and you are going the heat transfer route, the best option is really to invest money in some size heat press (used if you have to)


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

Rodney said:


> That's not really an example of someone selling their iron on t-shirt designs to retail customers, which is what Nick was talking about.


I understand.  

Selling at retail out of a store or selling it in other ways is the same when you are getting paid for it. 

In some cases making a one of a kind Shirt alone with a Home iron and selling it could be the same amount of $$$$ as selling 100 shirts done with a heat press. 

So, I guess it really means who your clients are and what your needs are and what you do as a designer. Not the fact that there would be any quality difference when using the proper transfers and you know how to print them.

As for the comment "your business will not succeed", it's true in a sense if you are planning on pumping out shirts off the bat. But not true at all when your nitch is being a Custom Designer for TV shows for example, where volume is not a factor and you sell your stuff for good $$$.

make sense ?

so ruling out the good old Iron in all aspects of selling your designs may not be true. Besides, i find that creative designers will use a home iron to make samples etc... especially when the print placement will not work with a Heat Press... like when there are multiple prints odd placements on one garment. From there, the Screen Print/heat press printing process on garment parts before they are sewed together would take over.........In the event you get a a big order. 

This is done often as a starting point for designer/brands.....just as an example of how the Iron is used here and there to create and sell Ideas. Ideas do sell too and you get paid for it. 

But yes, I do agree with Nick that a heat press is wise to own if you can now afford one. But if you can't, use the Iron for now and get the proper transfers.


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## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

Of course iron-on has many uses.....friends/family/costume/prototypes/etc etc.

But one of those isn't the classic selling-t-shirts-for-customers-to-wear, which is where I guess Obscene is heading.

DTG/screen prinitng/flex/transfers all have their pros and cons, but all are professional products that can sold to the general consumer market (apart from DTG on blacks in my opinion).

Iron-ons are not suitable for that market.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

I'll let you know how my new 16x20 Auto press compares, when it comes in..... I'll be printing collars with it.


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