Are you fun and creative, with some extra time on your hands?
Are you thinking about getting started with a new hobby?

If you’ve answered yes, keep reading this article in which we will cover the best heat press machines for home use. We will look over a wide range of different appliances from various manufacturers. We will list their positive and negative sides, and hopefully, by the end of your read, you will have a clearer idea of what you’re looking for.

home-heat-press

Important Things To Consider Before Purchase

What Makes A Heat Press Good For Home Use?

There is an obvious difference between a heat press machine for home use and a press made to be used commercially. In this list, I tried to keep in mind price, versatility, portability, and quality. Of course, pros would be low price, and high portability, while versatility and quality vary from model to model. In short, there should be something for everyone here.

What To Think About Before Purchasing A Heat Press?

Firstly you need to ask yourself “What do I need this press for?”, as you really won’t buy the same machine if you intend to print on shirts or mugs. The second important question is “How much money can I spare?”. Heat presses exist from as little as $50 to as much as $5000, or more. And finally, “How often will I use this machine?”. You don’t need the same quality tier if you intend to print on a monthly basis as if you plan on using your press daily.

Where To Look For Heat Presses?

When looking for a specific heat press category, your best bet is likely articles similar to this one. Where someone made a list of the heat presses that might fit your specific interests. If you’re more of a DIY person, online retailers like Amazon or eBay are where you’re most likely to find a heat press.

Expected Price Range For Home Heat Presses

Since this is a list of heat presses for home use, beginners and small-scale operations, I tried to stick to the cheaper models. The appliances offered in this article are priced at $100 to $300, with one costing over $1500. That model is mentioned here for those who appreciate quality over everything else.

Best 5 Heat Press Machines For Home Use

Best Cheap Heat Press For Home Use

Fancierstudio 9×12” Heat Press

Small But Mighty
This small Fancierstudio heat press is a swing-away press, which means it will require more horizontal space than a clamshell model. Its printing area is 9×12”, making it suitable for smaller printing projects. It has an impressive power output of 1100 Watts. It works on temperatures up to 500° Fahrenheit.

Fancierstudio Heat Press 9-by-12-Inch Heat

Use With Caution
As far as digital features go, this press is equipped with the basics. The screen is somewhat small, but the buttons are bright, visible and protruding. The timer shows time up to the standard 999 seconds. There is no mention of an alarm, so make sure you’re focused while using this press to avoid accidents.

Fancierstudio Heat Press 9-by-12-Inch Heat review

Top-Notch Results For Pocket Change
The Fancierstudio heat press comes to your address fully assembled, with a Teflon sheet, and its silicon pad is lightly glued so you can take it off to exchange or clean it. Despite its small size, this heat press can provide industrial quality results no matter the frequency of use, and will do it for a fraction of the cost!

Key Characteristics:

  • Cheap
  • Smaller printing area
  • No real safety features
  • Swing away style

Best Home 5-In-1 Heat Press

F2C Pro 5-In-1 Heat Press

Adjustable Height
The F2C 5-in-1 heat press is 15 and ¼” long, 15” wide, and its height can be adjusted from 13.5” to 17”. It provides a sufficient power output of 1000 Watts. You can set the temperature at any value betwenn 0-250°C and you can set the time at any value between 0 and 999 seconds.

F2C Pro 5 in 1 Multifunction 360-degree Rotation Swing

The Many Features
This heat press comes with a 12×15” platen press, a 6×3” curved hat press, a mug press for 11 oz mugs and 2 plate presses for 5” and 6” diameter plates. This makes it perfect for all you crafting enthusiasts that haven’t decided on a specific craft but would like to try a bit of everything.
Sturdy Body
The heating board on this heat press is 4/5” thick which allows pressure to be more evenly distributed. The press is made in the swing-away style which makes it safer to use but requires more space. Its printing surface is coated with a non-stick layer and the machine body is made of metal and plastic.

F2C Pro 5 in 1 Multifunction 360-degree Rotation Swing review

Versatile And Worth It
The display and the buttons on this combo heat press are somewhat small but still functional and well-placed. You can cnage the measurement for temperature from Fahrenheit or Celsius and vice versa. This press might be a bit pricier than some of the others on this list, but it also provides more services and gives you plenty of options.

Key Characteristics:

  • 5 different features
  • Swing away style
  • Temperature units can be changed
  • Adjustable height

Best T-shirt Heat Press For Home Use

Cricut Easy Press 2

Quick, Small Scale Transfers
The Cricut Easy Press is the quintessential heat press for home use. It’s incredibly lightweight and extremely portable. This model has a 9×9” heating area, but it’s also available in 6×7” and 12×10”. It works on temperatures up to 400 Fahrenheit and transfers any design in less than a minute.

Cricut Easy Press 2 - Heat Press Machine

Manual Use
This press does demand more of a hands-on approach, but you don’t need to be very strong to use it. Light pressure is enough to complete the transfer since most of the work is done by the heat anyway. When you’re done using it, put your Easy Press on its specially-made insulated base and put it away. It fits pretty much anywhere and takes up next to no space.

Cricut Easy Press 2 - Heat Press Machine review

Available In 5 Colours
As far as features go, this small but mighty press comes with automatic shutoff and digital controls. The press will turn itself off if left on and unused for more than 10 minutes. It has simple controls and a large, bright screen. It’s also available in 5 different colors!

Key Characteristics:

  • The epitome of portable
  • Small size
  • Unique design

Best Heat Press For Home Business

USCutter 15×15” Heat Press

A Quality Clamshell
This USCutter heat press is made of solid steel and aluminium and comes with a 1-year warranty and lifetime support. It is made in the clamshell-style, so be careful not to burn yourself while handling it. The pressing process requires manual force to start, but it quickly locks into place.

USCutter 15x15 Digital Heat Press Machine

Impressive Screen
The USCutter 15×15” heat press has a large digital LCD display for showing time and temperature. Unlike most clamshell models, this screen is not positioned in the middle and it can be seen from any angle, even while the machine is open. Time and temperature are set up with just 4 simple buttons.

USCutter 15x15 Digital Heat Press Machine review

For Your Largest Flat Surfaces
The heating platen on this heat press is 15×15”, so it’s perfect for crafters that have decided to dedicate themselves to pressing on flat surfaces. This press can transfer on wood, ceramic, fabric, glass, and many other materials. It is a bit pricier than most on this list, but it does come with certain guarantees.

Key Characteristics:

  • Clamshell style
  • 1-year warranty
  • Large heating area

Best Industrial Clamshell Heat Press

Hotronix Auto Open Clamshell Heat Press

American-Made Quality
The Hotronix auto-open clamshell heat press is a bit on the heavier side, weighing around 90 pounds. It has a large 16×20” heating platen. It boasts an impressive power output of 1800 Watts. This press’ working temperature is 200 to 400 Fahrenheit, with the option of showing Celsius too. Hotronix is very proud of their American-made heat press so they give you a warranty on the model and many parts for it. The warranties aren’t the same length for every part.

STAHLS HOTRONIX Auto-Open Clam 16x20 Heat Press

Innovative Features
All Hotronix presses come with an abundance of useful, high-tech features. One of them is the lightning latch. An innovation in design that holds the press safely in place, but also enables you to take out the lower platen in just 15 seconds, without any tools. The auto-opening feature means you won’t accidentally leave something in the press for too long.

STAHLS HOTRONIX Auto-Open Clam 16x20 Heat Press review

Extra Timer Settings
This Hotronix heat press has an automatic timer, as do most modern heat presses, however, Hotronix took this feature to another level. This impressive heat press offers the Twin Timer™ setting. With this feature you can pre-set the time for every process so you don’t have to do it during the process. With all these handy features and extended warranties, it’s easy to see why this press is in a completely different price tier than the rest.

Key Characteristics:

  • Expensive
  • An abundance of useful features
  • Extensive warranties
  • Not very portable
  • Powerful motor

Conclusion – Final Word On Heat Presses For Home Use

In my opinion, the best heat press machine for home business would be the USCutter heat press. It offers a certain quality other machines just can’t compete with. Sure, it makes it somewhat pricier, but I believe it’s worth it. If what you need is a simple, small, portable machine used for occasional crafts, a heat press just for home use, I believe the best home shirt press is the Cricut Easy Press 2.

If you aren’t satisfied with the choice in this article, consider this list of the best heat presses available right now. If these heat presses are out of your price range, don’t despair, read this review of the best cheap heat presses on the market.

Best 5 Home Heat Press Machines For Home Use In 2022 Reviews