Top Heat Press Platens To Expand Your Product Range
Expand Your Product Range with these Platens
If you're reading this blog, you've likely bought your first-ever Hotronix heat press and you're here because you want to know exactly what it can do for you.
Welcome, don't worry, we've got you!
While we could harp on and on about the high-quality framework and the unbeatable heated platen on all Hotronix machines. Today we're going to dive deeper into what the Hotronix lower platen range can offer you and your heat press business.
If you didn't already know, your Hotronix heat press is compatible with 15 interchangeable lower platens. Look for the lever under the right-hand side of your lower platen, pull it out towards you, and you'll be able to slip your platen on or off your Hotronix heat press.
Why would you need to change your lower heat press platen?
Because laying multiple layers of fabric onto one large heat press platen is not best practice for high-quality heat printing.
When you lay a hoodie or t-shirt on top of a heat press platen, you'll likely leave chunky zips, pockets, seams or collars in the way of an accurate fuse. Your heat press takes its pressure reading from the thickest piece of fabric on the platen. So if your hoodie pocket or t-shirt collar is on the press, these are the parts of the garment that are receiving accurate time, temperature and pressure, not your heat transfer (which you have likely placed on a lower, flatter part of the garment). If your heat transfer isn't receiving the correct time, temperature or pressure, you're risking sending your customer a low-quality product. That transfer might peel in the wash resulting in you losing that customer's business down the line not to mention the ugly press marks that collars and pockets push through both sides of your garment.
So, that's where the Interchangeable platen range comes in.
Hotronix has designed 15 different-sized lower platens that can help you isolate any print area of any garment.
Keep reading if you'd like to know how to use each platen and the products it could introduce into your heat printing business.
The 10x10cm Platen.
Compatible with any size Hotronix heat press.
This tiny piece of metal is the perfect-sized platen for printing neck labels inside your garments for business branding purposes. Get referral business and quietly market your services to every single wearer of your garments.
It's also great for isolating left chest logo spaces, isolating the middle of a pocket or a hood on a jacket too.
The Tag Along Platen
Compatible with 40x50cm size Hotronix heat presses
This heat press platen offers you two placement areas that can be printed at the same time. It comes with a built in quick slip platen protector meaning that your tshirt will just glide onto it quickly and efficiently too.
With this platen you can print your main front chest print and pull your inner neck label area through and onto the smaller space on this platen. This way you can print both at the same time removing any extra time needed to change platens or fuse neck labels separately.
You could then also pull a sleeve through onto the neck label area and isolate this for a print too.
The 18cm Round Platen
Compatible with any size Hotronix heat press.
You might be thinking, when would I ever need a round platen instead of a square one. The use of this platen more than anything else, comes down to personal preference.
It's great for logos and left chest designs that are bigger than the 10x10cm platen, it will also isolate circle spaces on the front of tshirts and hoodies too.
One great use for this heat press platen is that it will isolate the circular end of most duffel bags meaning you could print school or club logos onto sports kit bags for clients with all those chunky seams hanging off the platen and not getting in the way.
We have also used this platen to print the top of large bucket hats too.
Smaller Platens - 15x25cm, 20x25cm, 28x38cm and 38x38cm.
Compatible with most sized Hotronix Heat Press. If your upper platen is smaller than the size measurement of the platen you're choosing, it is not compatible.
A 40x50cm platen is perfect for fusing full front and back prints but as mentioned earlier, pockets and seams often get in the way when using this platen.
Luckily for you, we have small rectangular and square platens to help fit every print space.
The smaller sizes work well for childrens clothing, accessories such as tote bags, the fronts of hoodies when you're avoiding a pocket.
The Can Cooler Platen
Compatible with 40x50cm size Hotronix heat presses
In Britain, the weather is rarely hot enough to warrant the need for a can cooler but because of their extremely low price point and novelty feel, they are still a popular promotional item within some industries. Offering them for promotional events is a great idea because it brands normal glassware or plastic drinking bottles in a very inexpensive way. They're also a great memento for guests to take home.
Add them to your branded workwear offering to upsell your current clients!
If your client is purchasing branded work tote bags, badges or anything extra and inessential like that, we are 99% certain you can upsell them some branded can coolers too.
This platen offers you 8 spokes and it's truly up to you what you fit on them. Why not hang tshirt sleeves off them? Slide socks or sliders onto them? You're immediately increasing your efficiency with this platen as you can print 8 small items at the same time.
The Cap Bill Platen
Compatible with 40x40cm and 40x50cm size Hotronix heat presses
If you thought you needed a hat press to print caps, think again.
A cap bill platen allows you to add decoration to a stiff peak of a cap.
Place the cap upside down in the semi-circle crevice of the platen and rest the flat peak of the cap on the platen. This allows you to print the underside of a cap but if you turn your hats inside out, you can also print the top side of the cap bill too.
You could also use the platen protruding areas to print other things like scarves, socks or really anything that will drape off or slide onto it.
The Shoe Platen
Compatible with 40x40cm and 40x50cm size Hotronix heat presses
This platen has two protruding areas on either side that you can thread two shoes onto and print side placements. We recommend using sneakers or trainers as these shoes usually have a flatter side area which is the ideal environment for heat printing but you can also use sports shoes like football or rugby shoes. This way you can upsell any of your sports team customers to include branded footwear too. Shoes are high value items that could really reap your business some extra profit.
The Double Leg and Sleeve Platen
Compatible with 40x50cm size Hotronix heat presses
This platen does what it says on the tin. You can print both legs or both sleeves at the same time. If you're creative with your placements, you could print two sleeves and drape the lower edge of a tshirt over the third area of the platen too for that extra time saving.
Not only is this platen great for legs and sleeves, but you can thread towels, tea towels, socks and so much more onto it to isolate a long thin print space.