While digital crafting and 3D printing make it easy to create impressive products from your home, I’ve found something I like even better. This incredible machine takes my crafts from looking homemade to professional quality in a matter of seconds.
HTVRont is a competitive Cricut alternative
It’s not as well-known, but it is as good
If you’ve worked with home crafts, whether digital or traditional, you’ve likely heard of Cricut. But in recent years, a viable alternative has also been making a mark in the digital craft world: HTVRont.
HTVRont is known for selling its HTV transfer vinyls (HTV stands for Heat Transfer Vinyl), which is the most commonly used material with digital crafting machines. But alongside its sister brand, LOKLiK, the company also produces craft machines that live up to the standards of Cricut and Silhouette plotting machines.
I have other HTVRont machines, such as the LOKLiK iPaint machine for AI-powered painting by numbers, which was released in spring 2025. I also have a Cricut Maker 3 and a Cricut EasyPress for fabric use. In the summer of 2025, HTVRont released the innovative HTVRont H17 Phone Case Heat Press. Out of all the craft machines and gadgets I own, this is my new favorite.
It uses forward-thinking and impressive sublimation technology. Unlike most at-home sublimation presses, the HTVRont H17 lets you achieve 3D sublimation on non-flat items such as phone cases, buttons, and other rounded or curved edges. The quality and coverage are more impressive than anything I’ve made with my Cricut Maker 3 (our review) and regular or iron-on vinyl.
You can purchase the HTVRont H17 Phone Case Heat Press directly from HTVRont for $279.99.
Edge-to-edge, high-quality phone case printing at home
Sublimation crafting with a difference
The HTVRont H17 Phone Case Heat Press is a small heat press with a distinction. You might have used Cricut’s Autopress for creating t-shirts or other fabric designs; HTVRont has created this machine with vacuum-seal technology for the ultimate sublimated design results on hard surfaces. It isn’t meant for use on soft fabrics—it’s best for plastics, ceramics, and surfaces with a polymer coating.
While its focus is on phone cases—both iPhone and Android, with a variety of model options—you can also use HTVRont’s sublimation heat press for other items.
Most sublimation printing requires the use of sublimation paper—a specific polymer-coated paper that holds vivid colors ready for transfer printing. HTVRont uses an exclusive sublimation film in the vacuum-sealed heat press. Standard Sublimation paper doesn’t work unless you’re using the HTVRont Auto Tumbler Heat Press.
Using HTVRont’s sublimation film guarantees edge-to-edge transfer results onto phone cases and other products. Most other at-home sublimated phone cases can only be sublimated onto one flat side of the phone case, often using an insertable piece for the case. You get absolute full coverage with HTVRont’s technology, and it impressed me the second I used it.
Sublimation means my print won’t peel, fade, or distort like it might if I’d used vinyl, paint, or another transfer technique. It doesn’t require any UV coating or covering for longevity like some other crafts I make. The results are vibrant in color and high in quality for any image type, whether graphics or photorealism.
HTVRont H17 Phone Case Heat Press is easy to use
It has multiple application types
You need a sublimation printer to create any at-home sublimated crafts. I use an Epson EcoTank 1810, which is a regular printer but has only ever been used with sublimation ink. You cannot switch inks from regular to sublimation, as it won’t achieve your desired results. You need a printer that has only used sublimation ink.
Using LOKLiK IdeaStudio, you can import or create your design and compose it onto a phone case mockup of your preferred phone model. This allows you to see where the camera lenses or other cutouts will sit on your design before printing. There are plenty of free SVG libraries to make designs with if you don’t want to design something from scratch.
After printing onto the sublimation film, you set the timer and temperature on the heat press using HTVRont’s supplied guide. It was a little confusing, but it worked well once I’d figured it out. Then attach the blank phone case onto the phone case holder in the heat press, and lay your printed design matte side down on top. Once you’re satisfied, close the lid and press start.
Some standard iPhone or Android phone cases come with the heat press, but you can buy sublimation blanks for other models. The phone case holder in the heat press has modifications for different phone models.
Once the transfer is completed with a beep, you need to peel off the sublimation film while it’s still hot. The heat press comes with heat-resistant gloves, and it’s really fun to peel off the film and watch it harden as it cools down. It reminds me of a fun science experiment.
It can be a bit tricky to remove the printed phone case from the very hot mold, but once it’s off, it’s fascinating to hold your perfectly designed phone case. I twisted and turned mine in all directions and couldn’t find a single part of it that wasn’t covered in my design. It’s flawless.
It’s not just phone cases
You can sublimate more
Although the name of the product has Phone Case in the title, HTVRont’s Phone Case Heat Press also lets you sublimate other cool items.
The heat press box comes with some sample blanks for buttons, coasters, and keychain tags. Along with these blanks are template molds for buttons—they only hold one size, and you can only transfer up to three at a time—and a flat template for other items. Anything that’s made of suitable materials—often a polymer coating—and that fits within the heat press can be sublimated using the flat template. The options are almost limitless.
The printable area of the heat press is about A5-sized, and the sublimation sheets are A4 or copy-sized, so you can’t use this heat press to sublimate large items. One sublimation film sheet is only suitable for one use, and you need to print your design in the middle of the sheet to get successful results.
Out of all the digital craft tools, machines, and technology I’ve used, HTVRont’s Phone Case Heat Press is by far my favorite. It provides faster and more professional results than other digital craft machines I own or have used, and it has a wide array of uses beyond just phone cases.
The machine itself is affordable at under $300, but my concern comes with the additional purchases required since the sublimation film is exclusively available from HTVRont, and each sheet is one-time use. Using this tool allows me to create high-quality personalized gifts that might cost more money to purchase pre-made elsewhere.
