# POLL: How Many Shirts Can You Heat Press In a Hour?



## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi,

*Working by yourself with one heat press, not ganging them,

*using *Inkjet Heat Transfer Paper like JetproSofStretch, Ironall, Dharma, Alpha, etc (papers that you print with an inkjet printer and that usually have a 25 second dwell time, on average)*
(Not Plastisols or Stock Transfers, thanks)

How many shirts can you press in one hours time? Thanks!

*Adding: If you have the shirts stacked, transfers printed and trimmed out in advance of pressing... sorry, I hope this isn't too confusing... just looking for a number of what others can press in an hour with all the supplies ready in advance... thanks to all for participating.





_Sorry for misspelling in the title, I mean in "an" hour._


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## transferguru (Apr 24, 2007)

Using Transfer Express transfers that only press for 3 seconds, definitely over 80!


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

Okay, thank you, but I am only looking for heat transfer papers, not plastisols or stock transfers, thanks again...

I also mean including laying the shirt on the press, lining it up, pre-pressing, etc.. thanks again folks!


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## HybridImages (Apr 21, 2008)

If you already had your paper printed and trimmed and the shirts pulled and laid out. I said 41-50 It would be possible to do more but to take your time and make sure nothing is crocked and in line so that they all come out nice that would be a good estimate.


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## hutchx2 (Mar 16, 2008)

oops, my answer didn't take into account a 3 sec pressing time. I was assuming multiple types of transfers, multiple pressing times, multiple shirt styles and a single press. If every transfer is the same, so I don't have to change settings, and the press time is only 3 seconds (that seems really low to me), then I would say 40-60 shirts, instead of the 20 shirts that I answered the 1st time.


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## deChez (Nov 10, 2007)

Just placing and pressing and inkjet transfer, by myself, I'd say 20 per hour.

If I have to count the printing time and marking time as well, then we're down to about 12 per hour.


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## Colorfast (Sep 2, 2006)

Girlzndollz said:


> Hi,
> 
> *Working by yourself with one heat press, not ganging them,
> 
> ...


Align shirt on press
Use lint roller on tee to get any "stuff" off
Prepress shirt
Align transfer to print area
JPSS press for 30 secs
Remove transfer (burn fingers / cuss)
Post press for about 3 to 5 secs
Remove shirt

About 2.5 to 3 minutes per shirt.

Wash, rinse and repeat


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

Colorfast said:


> Align shirt on press
> Use lint roller on tee to get any "stuff" off
> Prepress shirt
> Align transfer to print area
> ...


 LOL, thanks for the chuckle, Chip! I try to say "dang" but otherwise, you've listed my method and timing to a tee... I'm at around 3 minutes a shirt, too... maybe 4 depending if I'm finding hangers fast enough to hang them on to cool before packaging... Great post, thanks!


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## Unik Ink (Nov 21, 2006)

I can print 150 one color 1 print location on my manual press. Thats including breaks to fold them in between size changes.


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## Leatherneck (Jan 18, 2008)

Girlzndollz said:


> LOL, thanks for the chuckle, Chip! I try to say "dang" but otherwise, you've listed my method and timing to a tee... I'm at around 3 minutes a shirt, too... maybe 4 depending if I'm finding hangers fast enough to hang them on to cool before packaging... Great post, thanks!


Definately a chuckle reading that post!  To solve the issue of tracking down hangers I have them pre hung on a pole near my workstation so I can increase production speed instead of performing search and rescue operations for hangers With them already there it's a simple press and hang then right back to pressing. I can do around 20 as well.


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## gmille39 (Oct 18, 2006)

Girlzndollz said:


> Okay, thank you, but I am only looking for heat transfer papers, not plastisols or stock transfers, thanks again...
> 
> I also mean including laying the shirt on the press, lining it up, pre-pressing, etc.. thanks again folks!


Including bathroom breaks, typical dilly dallying, watching a sporting event on TV, watching a tV show on TV, my two daughters interrupting me, my wife interrupting me, getting more caffine, etc. 
I can probably do 2-3. ha ha.


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## Leatherneck (Jan 18, 2008)

gmille39 said:


> Including bathroom breaks, typical dilly dallying, watching a sporting event on TV, watching a tV show on TV, my two daughters interrupting me, my wife interrupting me, getting more caffine, etc.
> I can probably do 2-3. ha ha.


 I keep a small tv near my workstation to solve that issue of peeking in on the sporting events ha ha. Sometimes it's just to tempting to check a score


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## gmille39 (Oct 18, 2006)

gmille39 said:


> Including bathroom breaks, typical dilly dallying, watching a sporting event on TV, watching a tV show on TV, my two daughters interrupting me, my wife interrupting me, getting more caffine, etc.
> I can probably do 2-3. ha ha.


Kidding. If everything is stacked and ready to go, I can do around 30 with the door locked and nobody bothering me. Typically, I'm doing bibs, onesies and toddler tees so I can go much faster on these. It's almost Jimmy Johns freeky fast type speed.


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## Leatherneck (Jan 18, 2008)

gmille39 said:


> Kidding. If everything is stacked and ready to go, I can do around 30 with the door locked and nobody bothering me. Typically, I'm doing bibs, onesies and toddler tees so I can go much faster on these. It's almost Jimmy Johns freeky fast type speed.


 I understand the whole locked door concept. Wow, Jimmy Johns type speed? Impressive most impressive


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## greyhorsewoman (Jul 19, 2007)

Having a little SUPER speed experience going at some of our shows ... when I am in full concentrations, I can do two shirts every minute.

Align shirt on press - 5 seconds/mist - 2 seconds
Prepress - 3 seconds
Align transfer - 3 seconds/mist - 2 seconds
Press - 13 seconds
Remove transfer - 2 seconds

However, the press will start getting so hot, that I have to let it take a minute break every 5 shirts or so ... so I'd probably only do about 100. 

I recently did have a wholesale order for totes, same design, same tote. Did 100 in an hour.

However ~~ at home, I normally multi-task like everyone else ... answer phone, watch a little TV, drink coffee, check BBs ~~ get three orders ready for Post Office in an hour (5 shirts).


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## gmille39 (Oct 18, 2006)

greyhorsewoman said:


> Having a little SUPER speed experience going at some of our shows ... when I am in full concentrations, I can do two shirts every minute.
> 
> Align shirt on press - 5 seconds/mist - 2 seconds
> Prepress - 3 seconds
> ...


What is the misting you are doing. You mean pre heat?


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## Leatherneck (Jan 18, 2008)

gmille39 said:


> What is the misting you are doing. You mean pre heat?


I was curious about that as well, can you please clarify for us? Thanks


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

greyhorsewoman said:


> Having a little SUPER speed experience going at some of our shows ... when I am in full concentrations, I can do two shirts every minute.


Grey, you truly are at the top of your game... way to go...
and way to have us all looking "up"! 

I don't think I could ever attain these speeds... so I am in awe... I'm so glad you posted in the thread... thanks for letting us know where the top rung is... there are few others in/near your pressing range. I am seeing where I land in the range.. and that's what I was truly wondering... have a great day! Kelly


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## gmille39 (Oct 18, 2006)

Girlzndollz said:


> Grey, you truly are at the top of your game... way to go...
> and way to have us all looking "up"!
> 
> I don't think I could ever attain these speeds... so I am in awe... I'm so glad you posted in the thread... thanks for letting us know where the top rung is... there are few others in/near your pressing range. I am seeing where I land in the range.. and that's what I was truly wondering... have a great day! Kelly


Yes, but you'll find Grey is probably using performance enhancing steroids or something. You can't get speeds like that by going all natural.
Grey, do you have the same agent as Roger Clemens?


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## gmille39 (Oct 18, 2006)

Leatherneck said:


> I understand the whole locked door concept. Wow, Jimmy Johns type speed? Impressive most impressive


Of course, if someone moves any of my things, my time is thrown off. 

My T-square has to be a certain distance to the right. The big garbage can to throw the paper after peeling is within an arms length to the left. the lint roller just to the right of the press.


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

gmille39 said:


> Of course, if someone moves any of my things, my time is thrown off.
> 
> My T-square has to be a certain distance to the right. The big garbage can to throw the paper after peeling is within an arms length to the left. the lint roller just to the right of the press.


Ahahaa, that's so funny, I can relate totally...


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## Leatherneck (Jan 18, 2008)

gmille39 said:


> Of course, if someone moves any of my things, my time is thrown off.
> 
> My T-square has to be a certain distance to the right. The big garbage can to throw the paper after peeling is within an arms length to the left. the lint roller just to the right of the press.


I hear that one, any adjustment to where my "tools" are and it throws everything off ... it's like the entire harmony has been affected lol


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## gmille39 (Oct 18, 2006)

Leatherneck said:


> I hear that one, any adjustment to where my "tools" are and it throws everything off ... it's like the entire harmony has been affected lol


My kids are great for taking my titanium blade expensive, favorite scissors and using them around the house for cardboard and whatever else. I would search an hour for them. I showed them. I went and bought five pair and keep all but one hidden. I'm kind of a jerk that way.


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## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

Girlzndollz said:


> Grey, you truly are at the top of your game... way to go...
> and way to have us all looking "up"!
> 
> I don't think I could ever attain these speeds... so I am in awe... I'm so glad you posted in the thread... thanks for letting us know where the top rung is... there are few others in/near your pressing range. I am seeing where I land in the range.. and that's what I was truly wondering... have a great day! Kelly


Yep...thats pretty amazing speed. My pre-press on blk tees is longer than your whole ordeal just about.


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## greyhorsewoman (Jul 19, 2007)

LOL, I have to laugh ... when I am at my best is when we are at shows. Son waits on customers and piles up garments with appropriate transfers. Then I start losing EVERYTHING !! Where did I put the scissors down; where is my teflon sheet?; is this the shirt for this transfer?; customer 'sneaking' in to the back to ask me a question; turn around to ask Jake question and customer standing there waiting to pay for something else, so I take their money. 

We don't do many like that. Sometimes it's just a few hours of a circuit. At the end of the day, I am so exhausted, I can barely get to the restaurant/motel to crash! Still, it's amazing how calculating that bottomline gives you an adrenoline rush! 

'Misting' (spritz lightly over platen) ~~ I've mentioned before. For _INKJET TRANSFERS ONLY_ ~~ I MIST everything. *I know* that just completely goes against the whole 'get the moisture out' concept. I mist before I prepress garment; align transfer, mist again, press. Been doing it for five years with great success. Ever had a transfer not completely peel? Just mist, repress, and 9 times out of 10, it peels (don't forget teflon sheet when repressing over an existing transfer!)


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

Thanks to everyone who voted in this poll. Pretty good bet the answers are in now. I fall into the same category as most others, and it's nice to see I shouldn't be falling all over myself trying to work faster. Sometimes it's hard to judge how you are doing when you work alone. Thanks again, everyone.


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

Girlzndollz said:


> Thanks to everyone who voted in this poll. Pretty good bet the answers are in now. I fall into the same category as most others, and it's nice to see I shouldn't be falling all over myself trying to work faster. Sometimes it's hard to judge how you are doing when you work alone. Thanks again, everyone.


Kelly, if i were you I would worry about accuracy. I would rather print 20 correct in a hour , thsn 30 wrong. I never hurry when working. I like o keep my waste down and my prfits up. ..... JB


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## brand resistant (Mar 21, 2008)

Girlzndollz said:


> Thanks to everyone who voted in this poll. Pretty good bet the answers are in now. I fall into the same category as most others, and it's nice to see I shouldn't be falling all over myself trying to work faster. Sometimes it's hard to judge how you are doing when you work alone. Thanks again, everyone.


Thanks for posting the poll. It was a great idea. I was pretty curious to see if I needed to step it up a notch. It's also really useful when you are starting out for pricing and turnaround times. Cheers


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

brand resistant said:


> Thanks for posting the poll. It was a great idea. I was pretty curious to see if I needed to step it up a notch. It's also really useful when you are starting out for pricing and turnaround times. Cheers


Thank you, and you're welcome. Those were the same things I was wondering. It's pretty cool to see where it all falls in place. Have a great day.


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## pocopoco (Nov 4, 2007)

COEDS said:


> Kelly, if i were you I would worry about accuracy. I would rather print 20 correct in a hour , thsn 30 wrong. I never hurry when working. I like o keep my waste down and my prfits up. ..... JB


Agree with this! you have a recommended time, and once you work out what is best for you then stick to it.


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## Girlzndollz (Oct 3, 2007)

COEDS said:


> Kelly, if i were you I would worry about accuracy. I would rather print 20 correct in a hour , thsn 30 wrong. I never hurry when working. I like o keep my waste down and my prfits up. ..... JB


 
The accuracy is fine. I wouldn't compromise that for speed, but I would up my skillz if I needed to add more speed while maintaining the accuracy... 

Just wanted to know if I am slow as molasses and have to step up my game, or if I'm in the zone... 

I tend to be a perfectionist, and I felt it could have been hampering me, but it's a bit of a relief to see my numbers are fine despite my constant nitpicking and extra scrutiny.. thanks, tho, JB, I know your post is well intented of course..


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## EnchantedMirror (May 24, 2008)

gmille39 said:


> Including bathroom breaks, typical dilly dallying, watching a sporting event on TV, watching a tV show on TV, my two daughters interrupting me, my wife interrupting me, getting more caffine, etc.
> I can probably do 2-3. ha ha.


I was thinking this too, I get distracted very easily with kitties, music, phone, etc...I would say about 3 or 4 per hour. But that is ok, I wish I HAD 100 orders, but I don't, LOL!


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