Dumb question...

[Evo]

Who makes the absolute best single color press? Side clamps essential.

I'm jumping out of the game but I'm setting up an area in the garage to print my wife's artwork. After owning a Chameleon, I can't see myself printing on a "Silver" press. LOL.


Looking at a Hix benchtop.

Thoughts?

[Screened Gear]

What the Silver press is not the best?

[tpitman]

Unless you're buying for the micros, I wouldn't spend the money on a shirt press to do flatstock work. Just use jiffy clamps on a base with bracing to keep it flat and rig up something to keep the screen raised while switching stock. I certainly wouldn't waste the money on a shirt press with no micros, like a silver press, to do flatstock work.
You might want to go over to gigposters.com and have a look at some of the ways people print . . . some of it inspired, some of it pretty ugly, but it works.

[Sbrem]

I wouldn't buy anything commercial either. Decent hinge clamps, a counterweight or kickstand, and rigid stops for when the screen is in the print position. A vacuum base might be nice...

Steve

[tpitman]

Actually, thinking about this, I might be inclined to cobble up a line table press instead. You can incorporate micros into the screens themselves, set your off-contact with either shim under the screens, or like I did on my coroplast press put a couple of screws into the board at the operator end of the screen to raise and lower it. Here's a picture of one design that incorporates the in/out/skew micros into a clamp rather than screws or bolts directly inserted into the frame itself. The left/right micro is in the angle bracket in the center of the clamp that bears against the sliding indexing extrusion that rides on the horizontal rail at the head of the press. A hacksaw, and shy any welding equipment, some scuffing of mating surfaces and a dose of JB-Weld epoxy would probably do. Paint it and it'll look store-bought.

[Gilligan]

Oh, NOW look who is ghetto'ing up presses. :p

Just kidding... they are right no need for a full shirt press for flat stock.  Plenty of vids out there of cool setups with counter weights and such... pretty slick.  Though I still like my bungee cord setup. :p

[tpitman]

Worse part of a line-table press is having a place to set your screen down. On the other hand, you can have as many colors as you want (or as many as you've got room for setting down screens). This clip was from a manufacturer out of Brazil. A lot of shirts get printed on these things, and it's a cheap way to get micros into your process. For flatstock work, it'd be great, since you don't use a flash.

[Evo]

I'm sure I'll be doing textiles and flat work. I think I got I sorted. I will post up pics when I get it all together.

[Gilligan]

As far as storing screens in a line table... you could put one of these on the wall or something.



Screens just "wedge" in there.

[tpitman]

Not really an issue with flatstock work since you do one color at a time through the whole edition. More of a problem with shirts. In South American and Asia they usually have as many people as colors printing the jobs around a room so it's not so much of an issue. Even so a folding table would do.

[Evo]

Not laughing at the suggestions here, but I asked what the very best single color press is, and the thread reverts to posts about making screen holders from MDF board.

Things never change here, ya cheapskates.
 

[Gilligan]

Well, I think honestly if it's for flat stock the question might have been answered.

I mean I'm sure there are some killer commercial systems out there but maybe you should state a budget if that is your intention. :p

For the record... yes, I'm a cheapskate.

[tpitman]

Not laughing at the suggestions here, but I asked what the very best single color press is, and the thread reverts to posts about making screen holders from MDF board.

Things never change here, ya cheapskates.
 

I don't think you could beat the combination of "thrift" and DIY out of a lot of us. At least we didn't suggest using a windshield squeegie or call the ink "paint" . . .

[Evo]

I don't think you could beat the combination of "thrift" and DIY out of a lot of us. At least we didn't suggest using a windshield squeegie or call the ink "paint" . . .

Don't get me wrong, I could probably out-thrift most everyone here. I've built plenty of stuff, and some of the gear I've used practically needed a necromancer to make it work again.


I mainly posed the question because, at least for shirts/textiles, the "better" press gear is multi color, and you don't see much top-end single color stuff. I'm looking to actually do both textiles and flatwork, and I think it's all sorted out very nicely. (thanks to a certain someone) I'll post pics when it comes together.

[Shawn (EIP)]

Not laughing at the suggestions here, but I asked what the very best single color press is, and the thread reverts to posts about making screen holders from MDF board.

Things never change here, ya cheapskates.
 

Actually RJennings probably makes the best single color press hands down, and a vac attachment too.

http://www.rjennings.com/T-265-One-Color-
Shirt-Press-more_p_371.html

and side clamps from this guy?

www.sideclamps.com - DEMONSTRATION

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Professional-Screen-Printing-Press-Side-Clamps-Brackets-/200572199348?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb308e1b4