# Budget DTG Hat Platen... $15



## ghostofmedusa (Mar 12, 2013)

Ok TSF fam... been a minute since I contributed, so I figured I'd share my experimental find here with yous all..

It was a foggy night, with clouds and... No, it was a dry and hot desert night here in Vegas. I needed a Hat Platen post haste, and could not wait for the lead time to build and ship one out.. I also didn't have $725 clams to allot for a genuine Livingston Systems dealio...

I got the idea to go to Lowes and grab me a sheet of 1/2" MDF and draw up a design based on images of real hat platens I have been eye-ballin online. And I always wanted to try and print hats, and I always say "yes" to clients whether or not I am equipped to fulfill the order.. Hey, necessity is the mother of invention, no lie. So I took an order of 100 caps and got busy stressing out about how the hell I would accomplish this task.
Anyways, here is what I came up with. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

_**If anyone would like dimensions just PM me because I don't want to P-off any manufacturers of legitimate platens. Plus, I eyeballed most of it and don't have any dimensions written down.

.
_


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## ghostofmedusa (Mar 12, 2013)

Also, hats were 100% Polyester _(Which I hate printing on... ink bleeds and looks faded)_. But, I found that using DP Dark PT held the print in place long enough to dry it up with the heat gun. Also reduced the ink bleeding by 99% Wagner Heat Gun was used to cure/dry DuPont Dark PT. And ultimately used to cure the DuPont ink print... It did a great job of that. 

Using the heat gun was challenging at first, melted a few hats in the process


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## DTGPRINTERPARTS (Jul 13, 2012)

That is so damn cool man. You're gonna put my platen biz to shame lol!


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## ghostofmedusa (Mar 12, 2013)

DTGPRINTERPARTS said:


> That is so damn cool man. You're gonna put my platen biz to shame lol!


 I make you a sweet deal and charge you $680 wholesale, then you can re-sell for $1487.31.

I will just sit in my garage with my jigsaw... All day and night... Change my name to *Jigsaw Jimmy*... The MDF Platen Tycoon.
lol..

_**Disclaimer** - J/K not for sale_

-


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## DTGPRINTERPARTS (Jul 13, 2012)

Hahaha too funny bro. Lmao deal!


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## HRH (Mar 4, 2015)

That looks like its more functional than the $725 unit we bought


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## BillyV (May 8, 2009)

Nice job, Looks allot better than the one I was looking at... A trip to Home Depot is in my future!


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## Mammath (Jul 21, 2014)

I enjoy seeing those that knock up their own platens. Ol' school cool.


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## marzatplay (May 25, 2014)

Very creative. You went a step above what I would have done.


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## ghostofmedusa (Mar 12, 2013)

Thanks all! Took around 2 hours to saw up and screw together. My youngest daughter thinks its a portable toilet lol... I can see that too


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## DTGPRINTERPARTS (Jul 13, 2012)

Ghost, you are the new Golden Boy. I give you tons of pats on the back for that. Save money. That's the name of the game! Buen Trabajo amigo (good luck my friend)


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## ghostofmedusa (Mar 12, 2013)

DTGPRINTERPARTS said:


> Ghost, you are the new Golden Boy. I give you tons of pats on the back for that. Save money. That's the name of the game! Buen Trabajo amigo (good luck my friend)


Thanks Clan Daddy... But doesn't _Trabajo_ means "Job" ya?

"Buena Suerte" means good luck. 

I should know because I haven't had a _real Trabajo_ in 2 years lololol!
And somehow manage to make more scrilla with my fake job... Ah life... Always the opposite of what they tell you it is supposed to be eh?
.


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## ghostofmedusa (Mar 12, 2013)

BillyV said:


> Nice job, Looks allot better than the one I was looking at... A trip to Home Depot is in my future!


 
You'll be proud of yourself: So easy, costs $15 and does the essential job of holding down the hat, flat enough to get a print on it... 

Opened up a new monetary channel for me and made a repeat customer happy.

Only thing is remember to put some tape around the mouth of the lid, so as not to get any MDF dust on the hats. Clear packing tape works decent

.


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## OmniPaul (Jun 11, 2014)

Thanks buddy, there go all our sales! naaaw, awesome man. I printed a lot of hats with the livingston dialing in the process for DTG and then wrote a Printwear article on it. You want to print mesh trucker hats,they conform easy and those are the only hats really printed on. Dark pretreat and i think you need to dial the ink amount down a little. Heat gun or I even found you can let them just sit over night and they are good to go.


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## ghostofmedusa (Mar 12, 2013)

OmniPaul said:


> ...Dark pretreat and i think you need to dial the ink amount down a little. Heat gun or I even found you can let them just sit over night and they are good to go.


 Yes, you are right: Dark PT and less ink. I printed them 1440x1440 and they bled on the 100% poly. Dialed down to 1440x720 and images stayed put long enough to get a heat gun on them.
Cant let them sit or the water in the DuPont ink will wick away outside the print outlines.. On the poly Trucker hats. I need to source some 100% cotton truckers, but these were cheap and I am greedy...

That, and make sure the foam behind the poly layer is completely dry after PT, or the ink will bleed instantly when it hits the surface. 


- Cheap and Greedy

/


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## printlifecrazy (Nov 25, 2012)

Your the platten god!!!


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## mrscootrocka (Mar 29, 2010)

Dimensions please!


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## islandgirl95 (Mar 12, 2019)

can i get dimensions? please


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## strassbo (Jul 19, 2019)

Do you still have any diagrams, dimensions, drawings, etc. you used to make this hat platen? Thanks


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## strassbo (Jul 19, 2019)

Did anybody come up with any diagrams, dimensions, drawings, etc. to make a Freejex DTG hat platen? Thanks. [email protected]


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## phototec (May 11, 2008)

ghostofmedusa said:


> Ok TSF fam... been a minute since I contributed, so I figured I'd share my experimental find here with yous all..
> 
> It was a foggy night, with clouds and... No, it was a dry and hot desert night here in Vegas. I needed a Hat Platen post haste, and could not wait for the lead time to build and ship one out.. I also didn't have $725 clams to allot for a genuine Livingston Systems dealio...
> 
> ...


Great hat platen, can you send me the dimensions for the DIY hat platen? Thanks

[email protected]


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