If you've tried HTV crafting with a household iron or even a dedicated handheld heat press, you've probably come across some issues. It's difficult to get even coverage, you often need to repeat the process from the other side, and if you've got a batch of items to produce then it's a real chore.

That's where an auto press comes in. These are large machines that offer the perfect amount of pressure, even coverage, as well as some level of automation to make batch production easier and quicker. If you've struggled to get good results from a handheld device, an auto heat press is almost certainly the answer.

HTVRONT is a relative newcomer to the scene having established in 2018 but has taken the crafting world by storm with its range of great-quality heat-transfer vinyl materials at affordable prices. If you've bought any HTV material in the past few years, there's a very good chance it was produced by HTVRONT. It also took that same expertise and attitude to market a very affordable handheld heat press, and now it's released its first automated heat press.

Let me confess: I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to HTV crafting. This is literally the first time I've tried a heat press, and that's exactly why you can trust me to offer a trustworthy beginner perspective on this device. It is, I assure you, completely idiot-proof, offering fantastic results every time. It's simple to use, reliable and has made my first foray into the world of HTV crafting an absolute breeze. From simple black on off-white canvas bags to sparkly pink on delicate clothing, or pure white on a thick black bag, it's handled everything great. Not only is the machine simple to use, but the HTVRONT-branded heat-transfer vinyls to use with it are superb too.

The good news is that as well as the HTVRONT Auto Heat Press being available for pre-order now at the incredible price of $279, the entire range of HTV materials is also on sale for black Friday. Several promotions are running, including one to deposit $1 and get a $10 coupon; up to 30% off from now until November 24th; and then up to 50% from November 25th. So be sure to fill your basket now!

Design

Coming in pastel blue or plain white, the HTVRONT auto heat press is a bulky and heavy machine. It has some indented carry handles on the side, but in order to accommodate that large 15-inch square working area, the actual machine measures 20 inches deep, 16 inches wide, and 12 inches tall, weighing in at 38lbs (18kg).

Unlike some machines with a clamshell design that requires ample vertical space, the HTVRONT Auto Heat Press uses an innovative slide-out ironing board, keeping the overall height required no larger than the machine itself. With front-facing buttons, you can easily slot this into a large shelving system to fit within your existing workflow. This avoids yet more workspace being gobbled up, which is always appreciated. The pull-out board features smooth action, and clicks back into place easily.

On the front of the machine, you'll find the LCD screen which displays the current temperature and mode, the power indicator, and an assortment of buttons. On the left hand are buttons to set the temperature and time. Hold the temperature button to change units. Underneath the display are three buttons for preset modes, manual control, and automatic press mode.

On the right-hand side are up and down buttons to increase or decrease the target temperature or time value, plus an illuminated button on the far right with the HTVRONT logo embedded. This glows green when up to temperature and ready to press, and red otherwise. It couldn't be simpler.

Features

A heat press is a very simple machine, really. It's a large hot plate that pushes down onto an ironing board, evenly heating your design in the process. But as far as useful heat press features go, the HTVRONT Auto Heat Press ticks all the boxes.

As well as full manual control over the temperature and press time (and the ability to swap between Fahrenheit and Celsius as needed), you have four presets that correspond to the most popular HTV materials.

Full Automatic mode, accessible from the third button under the display, results in the pressing process beginning automatically as soon as the drawer is clicked back into place. This means you don't need to press any further buttons in between pressing your designs—just lay it out on the ironing board, push the drawer in, then remove it when done.

The HTVRONT Auto Heat Press can not only accommodate a large 15-inch square design, but also work with up to 1-inch thick materials. This is useful for things like dye-sublimation on wood blocks. The machine will automatically detect the height of the material to determine how much pressure to apply. However, you won't be able to use it for projects on unusual surfaces, like hats. For those, you'll need more specialized equipment.

How to Use The HTVRONT Auto Heat Press

Your design should be already cut (and reversed)—so I won't cover anything about the design and cutting process here. The most popular cutting machine is a Cricut or Silhouette, though I've been using the XTool M1 (our review), a dual-purpose laser engraver and blade-cutting tool.

You'll probably want to start by preheating the machine, as it can take up to around five minutes to get up to temperature. Turn it on via the main power switch, then select your desired temperature. Most of the HTVRONT materials require around 310F, for 10-15 seconds. With that target set, continue to lay out your design.

Pull the HTVRONT Auto Heat Press drawer out, and lay down your object or material. You can even fit blocks of wood up to an inch thick with no manual adjustment necessary, but whatever your material, ensure it doesn't gather up the rear of the drawer otherwise it'll jam up the mechanism and stop the drawer closing. You may need to rotate your design to make that work, or complete a more full multi-colored design in multiple stages.

Once your design is laid out, don't forget to lay a Teflon sheet on the top, such that it fully covers any exposed plastic. You don't want to melt the plastic onto the heated plate. Push the drawer back in, and if the machine is up to temperature, the main button will be glowing green. Press that, and wait!

At this point, it's a hands-off operation for safety. The top of the machine will forcibly push down the plate; a lot, initially, then it'll back off a little. Press the button again if you need to emergency stop for some reason, but otherwise, keep away from the hot iron.

When you're done, pull out the drawer and examine your design. Wait a minute or two and attempt to peel off the backing plastic. If your design hasn't adhered properly, you can repeat the process until it has, though with all the HTVRONT materials I was provided to try with, I never once had this issue.

If you need to repeat the same item multiple times, press the Auto button. Now the press will descend whenever you click the drawer back into place.

HTVRONT Auto Heat Press VS Cricut Auto Press

As the brand leader in cutting machines, it's only natural that Cricut offers its own large-format heat press. So what's the difference between the Cricut and the HTVRONT heat presses?

The HTVRONT heat press is actually a full 15 pounds lighter and requires less vertical space for the same working area. The HTVRONT device also reaches a maximum of 210 degrees Celsius, while the Cricut only goes to 205C; and it takes 6 minutes to get to that temperature, compared to 8 minutes of the Cricut. The HTVRONT offers an automated mode thanks to the innovative pull-out drawer system. It might be a small time saver compared to just pressing a button again, but that time adds up when you're working in batches.

So I know what you're thinking: given that it's better, the HTVRONT heat press must be more expensive. The Cricut press costs around $800. That's not easy to justify for the average hobby crafter. The HTVRONT auto press on the other hand can be preordered right now and shipped in December with free delivery ... for $279. That's not a typo. It's a shockingly good deal that brings reliable, replicable heat pressing within the reach of everyone—and at a significantly cheaper price point than the leading competitor.

The only downside is that the HTVRONT heat press is that it doesn't have a smartphone app, or any kind of computer connectivity. But does a heat press really need an app? I can't say at any point of using it did I feel the workflow would be improved by using an app instead of a few buttons on the press itself. In fact, the complicated dials and USB connectivity of the Cricut machine have been criticized by other reviewers. The HTVRONT heat press is arguably a better machine, at a cheaper price point, and Cricut will have to respond in kind by lowering its price point, or risk losing its market dominance.

Is HTVRONT The Auto Heat Press for Everyone?

In terms of quality of output, I've been really impressed by how easy it is to achieve these results from very little effort on my part. I was expecting a much steeper learning curve, but so far, everything has come out really well.

HTVRONT also offers a smaller handheld machine that you need to press yourself, but it seems like—especially for a beginner—it would be easy to get that wrong by not getting even coverage or pressing too much in the wrong place. With the Auto Heat Press, you get evenly distributed heat coverage at the correct pressure, for reliable, replicable results every time.

Are there any downsides to the HTVRONT Auto Heat Press?

A few minor things that I noticed. During the initial heating process, our unit would make an unsettling cracking sound, as if some part of the case was slightly too small for the expanding hot iron. I'm not sure if that’s an issue with our hardware only, or something common to all heat presses given the extreme temperatures involved. However, it hasn't affected the functionality so far, nor can I see any actual physical damage, so I'm merely pointing out that as a beginner, it was a bit alarming.

In addition, the Teflon sheet can sometimes stick through static to the hot ironing plate. Again, this doesn't damage it or the machine, but it's a little annoying because you'll need to either precariously fish it out or wait for the plate to cool down. It doesn't happen every time, and the easiest solution I found was to simply buy a larger Teflon sheet than the one provided in our HTV sample pack, so it would always poke out the side a little.

For the seasoned HTV crafter who wants more automated workflows, or the complete beginner who wants to ensure great results, the HTVRONT Auto Press Press is a great option. From the large working area, simple operation, and reliable automated results, it's rare to find a machine as good as this—and even rarer to find one at such a great price.