Heat Presses

The act of sublimation (solid ink dye particles vaporising directly to gas without passing through the liquid stage) relies on adding heat and pressure to the sublimation transfer and the blank substrate. This is done using a commercial heat press. There are a variety of heat presses available on the market, but the wide format world tends to use two types of heat presses for sublimation transfers: Platen and Rotary.  

Platen Heat Presses

Typically used for producing individual pieces, platen heat presses use a heated platen (or perfectly flat steel plate) to press flat or rigid pieces such as cut apparel, ceramics, wood, metals and more. There are a variety of sizes available ranging from 12” wide to 5’ wide. For increased production, shuttle platen presses utilise two workspaces with a single heated platen, allowing you to prep your product on one surface, while you are pressing another product on the second surface, reducing production time!

Rotary Heat Presses

Rotary heat presses use a heated drum which spins fabric through the press to decorate rolls of fabric continuously. These presses are designed to print fabric pieces that are too large for a platen press. Used mainly for banners, flags, and cut/sew apparel (like jerseys), rotary presses tend to be more productive than platen presses. They cannot be used, however, to press rigid substrates.

Recommended Heat Presses

PLATEN HEAT PRESSES	ROTARY HEAT PRESSES
George Knight Maxi (30"x40")	AIT 7420 Rotary
George Knight Maxi (30" x 40") Air	AIT 7360 IJ 60" Rotary
George Knight Maxi (40" x 64")	AIT 7372 IJ 72" Rotary
George Knight Maxi (40" x 64") Air	AIT 7616 Narrow Web
AIT 354CR (30" x 48")	Klieverik GTC 101/2000SS
AIT 165CR600 (39" x 63")	Klieverik GTC 1850DS-SS
	Klieverik GTC 1850
	Klieverik GTC 2300
	Klieverik GTC 3400

For more information on any of our products, please click contact sales and get in touch with one of our helpful team who will  be more than happy to help determine the best printing solution for your business!