A press machine turns a slow ironing job into a few seconds of finishing, but the laundry industry uses the term for several very different machines. This guide explains the four types found in UAE hotels, laundries and dry cleaners, what each finishes, and how to decide which press machine your workload needs.
Utility press and shirt press
The utility press, also called a flat press or mushroom press, has a heated top head and a padded lower buck. It finishes trousers, skirts, tablecloths and anything flat, and is the first press machine most laundries buy. The shirt press is a set of shaped bucks for the body, collar and cuffs, which finishes a shirt in under a minute compared with several minutes on an ironing table.
Hotels with a lot of staff uniforms and guest shirts usually justify a shirt press quickly on labour savings alone.
Trouser topper and form finisher
The trouser topper finishes the waistband and upper trousers while a utility press does the legs. The form finisher is an inflatable body shape that steams and blows a jacket, coat or dress into shape without pressing creases into it, which is essential for dry cleaners and for hotel guest garments.
Each press machine needs a steam supply, from a steam generator or central boiler, and compressed air for the automatic models.
- Utility press: flat garments and linen
- Shirt press: shirt body, collar and cuffs
- Trouser topper: waistband and upper trousers
- Form finisher: jackets, coats and dresses
- All need steam; automatic models need compressed air
Choosing by workload
Count the garments finished daily by type. Fewer than fifty mixed garments: an ironing table with a sleeve arm and a utility press. More than fifty shirts: add a shirt press. Guest garments and dry cleaning: add a form finisher. Bulk trousers: add a topper.
Abelco Equipment Trading supplies Rotondi and other finishing equipment across the UAE and can plan a finishing section from your garment counts.
Press machine: frequently asked questions
Which press machine should a hotel laundry buy first?
A utility press for flat work, then a shirt press once uniform and guest shirt volumes justify it.
Does a press machine need a boiler?
It needs steam. Small sections use a steam generator; larger laundries connect presses to a central boiler.
Does Abelco supply press machines?
Yes. Abelco supplies utility presses, shirt presses, toppers, form finishers and steam boilers across the UAE.
Press machine: key takeaways
Choose a press machine by what you finish: utility press for flat work, shirt press for volume shirts, trouser topper for bulk trousers and form finisher for jackets and dresses, all with a steam supply. Abelco Equipment Trading plans and supplies finishing sections for laundries across the UAE.
Related reading: pressing machine buying guide, commercial ironing boards, what equipment is used in a laundry. For manufacturer specifications see Alliance Laundry Systems.
Need a quotation? Request a quotation from Abelco Equipment Trading, call +971 50 222 8400 or email sales@abelco.me. Every quotation states the standard warranty conditions; payment is in advance and delivery is subject to stock availability.