# How much space does a heat press require?



## Fat Tire (Aug 18, 2006)

I have a tiny apartment and am wondering whether it would be practical do set up a printing operation there. I want to do vinyl cutting with a heat press. Would heat pressing in my cramped living room heat up the whole apartment suana style? Is it a bad idea to do this sort of thing somewhere besides a garage? Am I missing something?


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## Mr.4ColorProcess (Dec 5, 2005)

I don't know what kind of heat press you have but you shouldn't have any problem pressing items in your apartment. If you can fit a microwave in your apartment, you can fit a heat press there, too. Heat shouldn't be an issue, either.


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

One thing to keep in mind when looking at cramped conditions is the type of heat press - clam or swing-away style. The swing-away presses will take up more _working_ space because you need room for the top platen to swing.

But in general they don't take up all too much space; depending on the size of the press, a large microwave is a pretty good comparison (but make sure you also have room in front of the press to work).


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## Fat Tire (Aug 18, 2006)

Twinge said:


> One thing to keep in mind when looking at cramped conditions is the type of heat press - clam or swing-away style. The swing-away presses will take up more _working_ space because you need room for the top platen to swing.
> 
> But in general they don't take up all too much space; depending on the size of the press, a large microwave is a pretty good comparison (but make sure you also have room in front of the press to work).


I was hoping to get a swing away press because I'm a clutz and would prefer not to burn my face off or something, but maybe I'll have to get a clam with the small space.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

(this is speculation since I've hardly used either press, but... something to consider...)

It's possible that a swing-away would actually be better than a clam in a cramped work environment. Why? Because with a swing-away you need more space for the press to sit in, but you need less space to actually safely operate it. With a clam you'd want space around it to get some distance on it, so you are less likely to burn yourself on the element. A swing away, the element is swung away - so long as you have space to stand and space to move the element to, you're safe.

Just an idea to make that decision all the harder, but maybe I'm stretching


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## Fat Tire (Aug 18, 2006)

Okay, stupid question, but is a heat press a major fire hazard?


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

see my videos.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

It's definitely not a stupid question: it's the kind of question everyone should ask before buying a piece of electrical equipment designed to heat up to 400 or so degrees and putting it in their living room, but few do.

From what I've read I believe them to be quite safe/reasonable, etc. but I am very much *not* experienced in this area and we'll need to see what others say on the matter though.

I just wanted to say though that personally I _don't_ subscribe to the "the only stupid question is one that doesn't get asked" school of thought, and I *don't* think it's a stupid question.


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## Fat Tire (Aug 18, 2006)

badalou said:


> see my videos.


Hi, I did watch your videos. Very interesting. Can you comment on the fire hazard issue? It appeared that you had the press in a different room than your printer. Was that your garage? Also, what do you have the press set up on? Thanks.


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## kentphoto (Jan 16, 2006)

One thing I will add. Actually pressing either with vinyl, or plastisol; does give off some fumes. I live in a fairly large apartment, and had to move my press to my work, set up with a fan blowing away from the press out the door.

Some may think I'm being too cautious, but I think you should take measures to minimize the toxins we breath. 

Check out this book: "Artist Beware"
http://www.epinions.com/content_228689219204

So in a smaller apartment, I would set your press up near a window, at the very least, and have a fan blowing out .


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## Fat Tire (Aug 18, 2006)

kentphoto said:


> One thing I will add. Actually pressing either with vinyl, or plastisol; does give off some fumes. I live in a fairly large apartment, and had to move my press to my work, set up with a fan blowing away from the press out the door.
> 
> Some may think I'm being too cautious, but I think you should take measures to minimize the toxins we breath.
> 
> ...


Eh, I was worried about this...

Between the lack of space, fire hazard and fumes, printing in my apartment looks unappealing, but I don't see any other options, so i guess I'll just have to take as many precautions as possible.


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

make sure you check the electrical specs for your heat press. It may require a 20amp dedicated circuit which you may not have available. Most household plugs will be 15amp (USA). This shouldn't be a problem but you should at least know where the breaker box is for the times you trip the breaker because of too much load. 

Also, your apt. manager may not like you running commercial equipment in your place.


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

Speaking of fumes, I might as well also mention that heating up the teflon causes fumes which will be harmful (potentially deadly) to pet birds.

The only thing really resembling a fire hazard issue (vaguely) that I can think of is the occasional electrical problems associated with Geo Knight brand presses. Otherwise, just don't leave your press on when you're not using it and don't have lose fabric/paper right next to it and you should be fine.


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

No it was all in the same room. Just different side. I bought these heavy duty shelves from Costco and I have my 15 x 15 mighty press on top of it. actually the shelves come so you can separate them instead of stacking them so I have 2 in my 10 x 10 office in my house. I think the issue of being a fire hazard is a sound one but keep in mind that these are professional heat presses and built under the Code. I would not buy one of those cheap press that look like they were made with a grill on ebay. And I turn it off when not in use. I would be glad to send pictures of my set up if you email me. Lou


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

Twinge said:


> Speaking of fumes, I might as well also mention that heating up the teflon causes fumes which will be harmful (potentially deadly) to pet birds.


Can you please explain this ? 
How does a heat press Teflon sheet hurt the enviroment when heat is applied to it ?

Never heard of such a thing, but i'm willing to learn.


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## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

I have one 3x6 folding table for the computer and 24" plotter and one for the 15x15 heatpress. Half the heatpress table I use to position the cad-cut vinyl designs on the shirts before pressing the other half is taken up by the press. A Stahls 15x15 heatpresss will come mounted on a 20" wide by 31" long half inch piece of plywood for stability. Since I break down this equipment quite often for events I use the folding tables...probably better for the press to have a more sturdy structure. I do heatpress vinyl and plastisol transfers in an upstairs bedroom....the press will heat that room up if doing a couple hour run. I really dont notice fumes so much but do have a cieling fun running all the time. To answer your initial question. Yes you can print in your apartment fairly easily and yes that press gets hot...probably going to be between 370-400 degrees when printing. Be carful and pay attention and you will do just fine. A simple way to understand the heat is to turn on high the large burner on your stove for a couple hours...is your kitchen hot?


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## kentphoto (Jan 16, 2006)

T-BOT said:


> Can you please explain this ?
> How does a heat press Teflon sheet hurt the enviroment when heat is applied to it ?
> 
> Never heard of such a thing, but i'm willing to learn.



Here's a short article on teflon. If you google "dangers of teflon" you'll find lots o' info
http://www.centerforantiaging.com/The_Dangers_of_Teflon.htm

Kent


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

T-BOT said:


> Can you please explain this ?
> How does a heat press Teflon sheet hurt the enviroment when heat is applied to it ?
> 
> Never heard of such a thing, but i'm willing to learn.


Kent's got it mostly covered there. Birds are more suseptible to gases like that -- that's why they use canaries in mine shafts to test for gasses; the bird will die before the gasses build up enough to be deadly to humans, generally.

I don't know precisely how easily or often teflon breaks dow simply by heating it, but I've seen people mention it too often to write it off as a rarity. I don't think there's much danger to cats or dogs generally, but birds and teflon are not a good mix.


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## Fat Tire (Aug 18, 2006)

binki said:


> make sure you check the electrical specs for your heat press. It may require a 20amp dedicated circuit which you may not have available. Most household plugs will be 15amp (USA). This shouldn't be a problem but you should at least know where the breaker box is for the times you trip the breaker because of too much load.
> 
> Also, your apt. manager may not like you running commercial equipment in your place.


I'm curious...what sort of heat press would require 20amp? I was browsing here http://www.blankshirts.com/Resale/botmenu.asp?src=heatpress.asp and it seems every single one requires 15amp or less. Are we talking huge super duper mega presses that would require 20?


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

thanks for the teflon run down, i didn't know that.  
good thing my Bionic Blue Jays live out doors, here in the bush....bwahahaha  


The heat press Amps stuff, i think most are 15.


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

T-BOT said:


> The heat press Amps stuff, i think most are 15.


Both of mine are 20a


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## Fat Tire (Aug 18, 2006)

binki said:


> Both of mine are 20a


what kinds do you have?


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

oops, sorry, 15a. Oh well, first mistake this year.


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## JoshEllsworth (Dec 14, 2005)

If space is a limitation you might also consider a draw press. The bottom platen actually pulls out for a heat free layout area. A clam definitely takes up less space than a swing away style.


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## jrford (Jun 29, 2006)

Re: Fire Hazard

First of all, not all heat presses are "built to code" since there is no legal requirement to do so. Reputable companies will get third party approvals or listings from companies like UL or FM. Listed items have had their design looked at and OK'd by the company. Approved items mean that the third party rep. actually spends time at the manufacturer's and pulls random samples to ensure things are being built to the approvaed standards.

If you see a heat press that explicity states it requires a 20 ampere circuit, and it is either listed or approved, it will have a different plug on the end than we are used to in the US. One of the blades of the plug will be horizontal instead of vertical to prevent its use in a lower rated outlet. The amperage draw will indicate how many watts the heating element requires. Heat output will not always be the same for a given wattage since not all heating elements are created equal with regards to efficiency. However, as a general rule, the higher the wattage, the more heat you will get.

Even the best made equipment can become a fire hazard if not properly maintained. The cord and plug should be inspected prior to every use. The plug should fit snugly in the outlet. The cord should be routed so that nothing will fall or drop on it and where it will not be subjected to heat.

The best bet if you are concerned about fire hazards is to buy a UL approved, not listed, machine. Any manufacturer who is willing to pay the additional money for this service and who has the confidence to let a third party randomly test equipment during any phase of the manufacturing cycle is going to be pretty confident in their product.

The heat press we purchased is a great unit but has one feature that troubles me. It can be set to come on at a certain times of the days and week. The unit stays unplugged until I am ready to use it.

My one cent's worth.


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