Have you tried???
 

Has anyone ever tried those pressing table top steam presses for ironing fabric after prewashing? Theyre pricey but I wondered if they would work well for this.

do you mean one of these?
http://www.yourjealousneighbors.com/...ge_1082199.htm

if so, i tried one once years ago at a knitting friend's house. she swore by it for pressing her knits for a professional look. they remind me of an old fashioned mangle.

I've not tried the 'new fangled' pressers, but I do have an Ironrite mangle: http://archive.org/details/MakingaN1946_2

You've just sent me on a trip down memory lane ... as a kid I used to iron things in the mangle and thought it was so FUN!

I was tempted by one at a thrift store last year and thought I was nuts for even considering it.
... another time, perhaps I will be smarter and nab one.

QuiltE ~ I also remember using a mangle. Mother had me 'iron' Dad's white t-shirts (back in the day when men always wore a t-shirt under their dress shirt). I got pretty good with the mangle! :) But would not have one now, because I do not iron, only press. :)

My mother had one while we were growing up. It was something everyone seemed to have in the 50's. But we moved in 1965 and it ended up in the basement and never used. She gave it to a church to press their linens in early 2000. It still worked great and they were happy to have it.

I have one of those steam presses. I used to use it when I decorated a lot of towels, not terry cloth but cotton plaids. I bought towels that I cut in two to make them smaller and they had to be pressed. Then I decorated them with appliques. I probably sold thousands of them. The only thing I see could be a problem is it gets extremely hot. I have not tried it for ironing fabric after washing. I may have to get it off the top shelf and try it.

My mom had one and use to iron all our sheets and other things. It was huge!! I remember her sweating while she worked. She didn't seem to enjoy it. Now I wonder "why did she iron our sheets?"

I think I remember seeing Eleanor Burns using one years back, but haven't seen her use it since.

I worked in a dry cleaners in HS. I learned to use the big steam presses. They had both top and bottom steam. That little thing just disappointed me.