Leatherette
Dual platen hat press- Top platen
- 260F
- Bottom platen
- 400F
- Time
- 45 seconds
- Pressure
- Medium
Confirmed on our presses. This is the setting we use.
Maker Foundry
Heat press settings
Settings for the materials we sell, on the two press types most shops run. Find your row, check it against a scrap first, then run the batch.
Leatherette on a dual platen is confirmed on our own presses. The other rows are collected industry figures we have not yet verified against our stock, and at least one of them disagrees with what we measure, so test on a scrap before running a batch. Worth checking your press with a temperature strip too: a dial reading 350F is often not a platen at 350F.
Material
Press
Leatherette
Single platen hat press- Temperature
- 350F
- Time
- 50 seconds
- Pressure
- Medium
- Cool before handling
- 10 to 15 seconds
UV Printed
Dual platen hat press- Top platen
- 320F
- Bottom platen
- 280F
- Time
- 45 seconds
- Pressure
- Medium
UV Printed
Single platen hat press- Temperature
- 350F
- Time
- 50 seconds
- Pressure
- Medium
- Cool before handling
- 10 to 15 seconds
Acrylic
Dual platen hat press- Top platen
- 280F
- Bottom platen
- 280F
- Time
- 30 to 35 seconds
- Pressure
- Low to medium
Acrylic wants less heat than leather. Warm it before the full press.
Acrylic
Single platen hat press- Temperature
- 350F
- Per cycle
- 30 seconds
- Pressure
- Low to medium
- Press cycles
- 2 to 3
Warm the patch near the platen until it goes slightly matte, then press.
Leather
Dual platen hat press- Top platen
- 320F
- Bottom platen
- 280F
- Time
- 45 seconds
- Pressure
- Medium
Top grain leather. Expect a second press.
Leather
Single platen hat press- Temperature
- 350F
- First press
- 50 seconds
- Pressure
- Medium
- Typical cycles
- Often 2
Top grain leather. Check the edges and press again if anything lifts.
Nothing matches that pair. Clear a filter.
Before you press anything
Pre-press the hat
A few seconds on the bare hat drives out moisture and flattens the panel. Adhesive grips a flat dry surface and slides on a damp curved one.
Use a pad
A silicone or foam pad behind the panel evens out pressure across a seam or a button. Without one the middle presses harder than the edges.
Test on a scrap
Presses read differently to their dials. One test press on a spare hat tells you more than any chart, including this one.
If it did not come out right
The patch lifts at a corner
Usually not enough dwell time, or pressure dropping off at the edge of the platen
Re-press the whole patch rather than the corner, and add five seconds. If it lifts on the same side every time, the platen is not sitting square on the panel.
The leatherette looks shiny or scorched
Usually too much heat, or too long under it
Drop the temperature before you shorten the time. Shine on leatherette is heat damage and does not press back out.
The edge of the patch shows a press mark on the hat
Usually the platen edge landing on fabric rather than on the patch
Use a pad and centre the patch under the platen. On a structured front panel, press the panel flat first.
It held at first, then peeled after a wash
Usually adhesive that never fully bonded, usually from a cold or damp panel
Pre-press the hat, then press the patch. Let it cool completely before handling. Adhesive sets as it cools, not while it is hot.
Presses vary, and so do hats. Treat these as a starting point and adjust from a test press rather than from a full run. If your press is not covered, message us with the model and we will help you dial it in.