I hand-sew, and I almost always press each seam straight after sewing it, unless there's a good reason not to. I have a tabletop ironing board and travel iron which I keep on my sewing desk. The ironing board is big enough for a 12" block plus the iron, but small enough that it doesn't take up much space, and I keep my acrylic rulers etc. tucked underneath. I find the smaller iron easier to manoeuvre and more accurate, especially for small or curved seams. I only use the big ironing board and standard iron for pressing whole fabrics or pressing quilt tops before basting.