Press types

• Tabletop or one-color hinge clamps: the simplest way to start. Fine for one-color work, hard to register multicolor.
• Manual carousel: the workhorse of small shops, from 4 colors up to 6–8 colors with several stations. Better models have micro-registration, tool-free off-contact and stronger platen arms.
• Automatic: pneumatic or servo print heads and an indexing carousel. Fastest and most consistent, with big air and power needs.

Planning numbers, not promises: Printavo’s pricing guide uses about 80–150 impressions an hour for manual presses, and describes automatics as typically running 300–600 an hour. Your real number depends on colors, flashes, garment type and crew.