Automatic hold-down pallet for textile printing

A method for mounting a garment on a hold-down pallet and sending for printing on a textile printer, the method comprising:

• placing the pallet at a garment setting position;
• at said garment setting position placing the garment on a central board of the pallet;
• closing side-flaps against opposing sides of the central board to hold the garment at sides of the garment against the board, wherein the side-flaps alternate between an open position to allow placing of the garment and a closed position to hold the garment firmly on the central board for printing, the closed position defining a gap between each side-flap and said central board, the gap being sufficiently narrow to tightly retain said garment, said closing of said side-flaps comprising rotating the side flaps from said open position to said closed position over edges of said garment to tighten said garment on said closing, and
• sending the hold-down pallet with the garment to a printing area for printing, wherein said side-flaps comprise at least two flaps on at least two sides of said central board, the method comprising at each side respectively opening one of said two flaps and closing one of said two flaps, and leaving at least one side of said central board open, said flaps not reaching said central board when in said closed position, leaving said gaps on respective ones of three sides of said central board between a closed side-flap inner end and said central board, and wherein said closing of said side-flaps comprises rotating said side-flaps downwardly from respective sides into an upper face of said central board so that oppositely facing flaps rotate in an opposite sense respectively, thereby to pull said garment tightly into a respective gap.