Any Tips Before I Buy Heat Press 3 3

[the blob]

11 hours ago, Artboy99 said:

you want to obtain a Seal press.

Make sure it works, the top metal platen is in good condition, and the temperature is adjustable.

I use mine for pressing artwork all the time, can be used for dry mounting art/photos to card or foam core and yes to press comics.

The 210 pictured here is a perfect size.

 

when you talk about press artwork, are you flattening out water colors or something? i find that my water colors do a lot of curling (primarily because I don't use good paper) and I flatten them out with a little dampness on the back and a bunch of flat weight over 6-8 hours.

 

[Artboy99]

7 minutes ago, the blob said:

when you talk about press artwork, are you flattening out water colors or something? i find that my water colors do a lot of curling (primarily because I don't use good paper) and I flatten them out with a little dampness on the back and a bunch of flat weight over 6-8 hours.

 

Line art where I have glued something to the page and it curls.

I have also flattened out water colors.

[Icculus308win]

Why not a cold press OP?

[JazzMan]

1 minute ago, Icculus308win said:

Why not a cold press OP?

I hear cold press is not really a thing unless you have 20 or more years to spare.

[Larryw7]

On 11/25/2020 at 3:08 AM, littledoom said:

Any actual pointers on purchasing press machine? not on the process.. I'm shopping

 

[Ride the Tiger]

I hear "on and off" are the 2 things you need to master in pressing and suddenly you are a pro.

[Artboy99]

On 11/25/2020 at 7:33 AM, wilbil said:

does this hook up to the electrical accessory outlet in the car?

i think there may be a market for mobile pressing services.

It actually does work and I could offer mobile pressing. 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Artboy99

[aardvark88]

On 3/27/2022 at 10:36 AM, Artboy99 said:

It actually does work and I could offer mobile pressing. 

Or set up a pressing stand in a corner of your end cap at Calgary expo? My used Seal just died so I bought a new HP3804 Co-Z press. OK so far.

[classicaaron]

pressing really isnt that hard.  if you just do some research before starting you will have down the technique in just a handful of books.  all those saying its so difficult are most of the time pressers themselves trying to maintain their business and make it out to sound like its rocket science and just use them.  same as anything else.  will electrician tell you how easy it is to wire an electrical outlet, no, they will warn you of all the burnt down houses.  but a normal person who knows how to read can wire a box in minutes and 100% safe.  maybe a poor analogy but its not nearly as difficult as people want to make it out to be.

[oakman29]

Please don't press books, it's just not necessary. 

I beg of you.😥

[littledoom]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:46 AM, oakman29 said:

Please don't press books, it's just not necessary. 

I beg of you.😥

some comics desperately need it

[fastballspecial]

I miss the old days where people screamed about pressing. 

You have several options to choose from. Join a facebook group
there are several that have professional pressers in them. 

That CPR book is apparently really good it gets good reviews.

 

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by fastballspecial

[Jayman]

On 11/25/2020 at 8:13 PM, the blob said:

when you talk about press artwork, are you flattening out water colors or something? i find that my water colors do a lot of curling (primarily because I don't use good paper) and I flatten them out with a little dampness on the back and a bunch of flat weight over 6-8 hours.

 

I know this is an old post but if you stretch your watercolor paper, it will never wrinkle or curl.
1. Purchase a sheet of homasote board from Lowes or Home Depot larger than your watercolor paper.

2. Take a sheet of the watercolor paper and let it soak in a sink or bathtub with about 2” of water in it for about 15 minutes. It will absorb and expand to a larger size.

3. Carefully lift it out of the water and lay it flat on the homasote board. Staple the ends to the board starting at the corners, then middle till you staple the entire paper to the board around the edges. End result should have staples next to each other about an 1/8” apart. Let dry overnight.

You now have stretched tight watercolor paper that you can paint on and will not curl or wrinkle. Paint while the paper is still stapled to the board and cut loose when done with a razor blade or simply pop the staples out. The board can be reused almost indefinitely.

Wait, this was about pressing comics right? 

[joeypost]

On 11/24/2020 at 10:33 PM, seanfingh said:

Don’t listen to these guys. For heavy creasing 2-3 hours. About half that for light creasing. You are going to want to set the temp just ever so slightly above 450 degrees. Those creases won’t stand a chance!  Enjoy!

 

I recommend 455 degrees. 

[joeypost]

On 3/28/2022 at 2:03 PM, classicaaron said:

pressing really isnt that hard.  if you just do some research before starting you will have down the technique in just a handful of books.  all those saying its so difficult are most of the time pressers themselves trying to maintain their business and make it out to sound like its rocket science and just use them.  same as anything else.  will electrician tell you how easy it is to wire an electrical outlet, no, they will warn you of all the burnt down houses.  but a normal person who knows how to read can wire a box in minutes and 100% safe.  maybe a poor analogy but its not nearly as difficult as people want to make it out to be.

Based on what I see and have sent in to me, those that believe it isn’t that hard are pressing 9.8 moderns into 9.8 moderns. With that said I see many damaged books that I get from submitters who say I tried a friend out who started professionally pressing only to get book back that were permanently damaged. 
 

While there is truth behind the statement that we are protecting our livelihood, I also see the damage caused by so called “professionals” who went out and purchased a press, and after working on <100 books started advertising on Facebook. They get work because the experts do have long TAT’s. Sometimes, cheap is expensive. 

[shadroch]

If people who press are so concerned about pressing being done wrong, they could easily post a video showing how it is done and what pitfalls to avoid. As they don't , it seems they are more interersted in protecting their livilhoods than the hobby itself. Not that there is anything wrong with that. 

[Timely]

On 11/24/2020 at 3:25 PM, littledoom said:

How long to you typically leave comics in for?

My advice: Go to your LCS and buy 1000 books from their 25¢ boxes & press everyone at least once! Then you MIGHT be ready to press something of value.  Seriously!

[joeypost]

On 3/29/2022 at 12:36 PM, shadroch said:

If people who press are so concerned about pressing being done wrong, they could easily post a video showing how it is done and what pitfalls to avoid. As they don't , it seems they are more interersted in protecting their livilhoods than the hobby itself. Not that there is anything wrong with that. 

Or, you could like many individuals do, outsource to those who are experts. Many very successful companies do this because they see the wisdom of not stepping over dollars in search of pennies.

[Jayman]

On 3/29/2022 at 10:38 AM, joeypost said:

I recommend 455 degrees. 

It’s Shake-en-Bake…and I helped! 

[shadroch]

On 3/29/2022 at 11:16 AM, joeypost said:

Or, you could like many individuals do, outsource to those who are experts. Many very successful companies do this because they see the wisdom of not stepping over dollars in search of pennies.

I would, but I like to eat and can't wait a year or more to  get my books back to sell. When I asked about your waiting times, someone who claims to use you told me to expect six months for you and ten months or more for CGC.  I'm not sure where I'll be in fourteen months so using the experts isn't much of an option.  If you or any of the "experts" would guarentee a 30 day turnaround, I'd send you a couple hundred books tomorrow.  Since you can't and no one else can, it kind of limits peoples options.  I'd love to see you expand and bring in whatever you need to change your one man shop into a real business, and I don't mean that to say you don't already have a very nice business.  It just needs to be scaled so turnaround times are practical. 

Presented with the available options, it is no wonder so many people have taken to attempting to press their books.