PowerPress Industrial Quality Digital Sublimation T-Shirt Heat Press Review

The PowerPress Industrial Quality Digital Sublimation Heat Press is one of the best t-shirt heat presses available on the market.

Whether you’re a business looking to sell shirts printed with your own designs, or simply making shirts for a family reunion, Christmas pyjamas for your kids, or shirts for a club or charity event, it’s a perfect way to get the job done in a quick and easy manner.

This machine turns a task you might otherwise dread into a speedy process that anyone old enough to operate high temperature machinery can do in a snap.

But it has some notable downsides that may cause you to think twice.

Before you double down or go on your way for another option, let us give you the full story one why this might be the perfect machine for you – or one that’s worth overlooking.

PowerPress Digital Sublimation T-Shirt Heat Press: The Details

Why go the old, boring, and time-consuming route of ironing on vinyl and other heat adhered items to clothing and fabric, when you could use tech to your advantage?

This PowerPress lives up to its name. With a pressure plate measuring 15 by 15 inches, it’s big enough to print on shirts up to a Men’s Double Extra Large without even a thought of needing an upgrade.

In a Nutshell

• Product Dimensions (in inches): 30” x 19” x 17”
• Weight (in pounds): 53 lbs
• Plate size (in inches): 15” x 15”
• Manual or Automatic: Manual
• Stand-Out Feature: The ranges available for both temperature and time make the machine versatile enough to conquer just about any heat pressing project.

Features

The PowerPress Heat Press is very versatile, accommodating each unique project and comes with a ton of easy to use features to help get you started.

These features are uncomplicated resulting in a machine that is great for beginners and perfect for new business owners to adjust to.

It takes only a single press to complete a shirt and move on to the next one. All this without having to deal with the hassle and strength it takes to press down a smaller iron, in small sections, over an entire image.

It’s important to make sure the cloth is as flat as possible, so the image transfers evenly. Wrinkles or seams in the clothing can catch into the press a little and cause some issues in the transfer.

Like with any new device, these features might take some adapting to get used to, but once you’re in a groove with it, one simple press with little effort will transfer an entire design just the way it should.

Let’s dig a little deeper into what the heat press is offering.

Large Plate Size 

The size of the heat plate? Well, it makes a sizeable difference.

As mentioned above, the size of this plate makes for a great feature in itself. As long as your vinyl or the image you intend to iron on is less than 15 by 15 inches (which is easy to accomplish), it can be done with one quick clamp of the press – finished and ready within seconds.

This creates an additional increase to the versatility of the heat press allowing you to work on a variety of sizes from really small to super sized.

The Power Press has a knob right on top of the machine to easily adjust the pressure to ensure the plates lock in place.

The heating plate also includes a centred dial, which makes it easy to keep your printed designs centred perfectly on the clothes. This ensures a more secure and accurate press each and every time.

As long as you line the dial and heating plate up properly, it’s a breeze. When you have a tall order and a very thin margin for error, it’s an asset that saves money while earning profit.

Uses Helpful Materials 

The digital t-shirt press comes equipped with a silicone gel base board, so you can skip the step of buying a silicone sheet.

The base board can handle temperatures of up to 350 degrees fahrenheit without the worry of any warping, twists, or disfigurements.

The heating plate is thickened with aluminum, promising steady heating and an even heat distribution throughout the plate, as well as a teflon coating that allows that extra bit of ease when moving your garments.

This takes the stress out of running out to nab a teflon sheet though for bigger projects, it might make sense to double up on protection.

This coating won’t add any distress or trauma to your material and makes any clean-up a breeze.

Just a couple other things you can take off your worried mind.

Let’s Get Digital

It’s easy to take control of your PowerPress T-Shirt Heat Press thanks to its digital LCD control board.

The control board conveniently allows you to change the temperature and timing of your heat press with little to no effort.

Depending on the source of the vinyl (or whatever is being ironed on), and according to the fabric t0 be pressed to, the temperature and the amount of time needed can really vary.

That’s where this machine’s highly adjustable settings really excel. The temperature can go from 0 to 500 degrees fahrenheit and the timed duration of the clamping press can range from 0 to 999 seconds.

Simply tap the required or preferred settings into the LCD board and once the print is over, the heat press will signal you with a beep.

Safety In Mind

No matter how long or how hot you need each project to be, this machine has you covered.

PowerPress makes sure you’re not ruining your heat press and slowing down production with a replaceable fuse.

This helps by avoiding shortages or overheating and in turn potentially ruining your machine.

And of course, the extra cautionary “hot surface” sticker is included in case anyone else wants to get touchy.

PowerPress Digital Sublimation T-Shirt Heat Press Review

Now that we’ve covered the nitty gritty, what do we really think of this machine? Can it stand the test of time? How many hidden assets does it have?

The Pros

Wide Range of Even Heating

The sizeable heating plate on the PowerPress is a massive asset when handling large orders or tackling a range of sizes.

No having to put in the extra effort, and no having to upgrade the machine in a few years when projects become more complicated.

The machine is very durable – you can trust that it has your needs covered from day one, and will continue to be your one-stop shop.

Incredibly Fast Process

There is a learning curve when just starting out, but with this machine, projects that used to take all day can now be summed into a matter of an hour or two.

For smaller events, like clothes for clubs or charity organizations, the work breezes by.

The heat press takes minutes to heat up to the desired temperature letting you skip the waiting process and get right to printing.

If you make a business out of the clothes and designs you print, then the machine will pay for itself in no time. 

Heat Presses on Many Different Clothes

Though t-shirts are the most common use of the PowerPress Industrial Quality T-Shirt Heat Press, it’s not limited to just that.

This machine will print on any type of clothing from hats, to leggings, to swimsuits, to even underwear as long as they’re not made out of an incredibly heat-sensitive material.

Expect your prints to last through your washes without peeling thanks to the quality this press gives.

Considering the small budgets of most startups, that’s a profitable level of diversity.

The Cons

Heavyweight Champion

It’s a heavy duty machine, and as such, is heavy in general.

Once you’ve set it up, it’s not the easiest thing to move around at will. That means you’ll have to centre it in your work space and then intend on leaving it there for the rest of its lifetime – or at least until you can hire The Rock to lug it around.

If you don’t have a fixed work space, or intend on moving to a new house or office in the near future, then be aware this machine will not appreciate that.

For those who travel a great deal or attend events where quick restocks are necessary on-site, this is a poor option for you. The only workaround might be to get some wheels to move the machine around on which can still be an inconvenience.

It would probably be best to wait until you’re settled in before making this investment.

There’s a Smell at the Start

Like most machines of its kind, when it comes out of its box, it’s all fresh and untouched. Never before heated, never before tested.

That means, once you fire it up to begin your first project, its components will be adjusting to the heat along with your materials. This will trigger a strange smell for the first few uses.

It’s not dangerous, it won’t harm your fabric, but it will create an unpleasant aroma which will take time to leave.

Be sure to let your material air out after the process, and open some windows if you have customers or guests coming over anytime soon.

Overall Verdict

The PowerPress Industrial Quality Digital Sublimation T-Shirt Heat Press is one of the best heat presses you can buy.

With some instruction, it’s suited for beginners and veterans, giving you a great deal of freedom in how large your prints can be.

However, due to its bulky nature, it’s designed especially for those committed to their projects; if you don’t possess a fixed workstation, you’ll find very little room for it elsewhere in your home.

As a trade-off, it offers versatility, ease-of-use in operating its more complex mechanisms, and certainly makes up in speed where it lacks in mobility.

If you’re a small business looking to invest, this machine will stand the test of time. If you’re a hobbyist, the commitment may be too large.

Where to Buy the PowerPress Industrial Quality Digital Sublimation T-Shirt Heat Press

The PowerPress Heat Press might be a little harder to track down in-stores. For starters, check out the online retailer below:

• Sears (from $944)

It’s also available on Amazon.

That’s it for our review on the PowerPress T-Shirt Heat Press.

Are you tempted to give it a go?