Hat Prints Not Going Well...

[tsfx]

I bought a hat clamp, cheap. I used it with very minimal and inconsistent results.
The clamp came without instructions on how to assemble or use. I had to search the internet for assistance and piece things together from a poor video here or an image there.

So far, it seems that the hats are too stiff to lie flat and get a good print. It's very difficult to do this and very time-consuming. I spent fifteen minutes trying to get the hat to lie down flat. Only to get it "good enough to print". and after the print came out okay, I moved on to a second test and no go. Very much worse than the first.
So I reset back to one and try it again. And again, different, poor results.

I am currently washing and drying the hat dop see if I can loosen it up and will try and print again.

Is there a printer who could help me out with this order? I'm kinda at the point where I am just ready to cut my losses and outsource this job for it to be done.

Am I using the machine incorrectly? It feels like I am, I just can't get the hat to lie down.

Is heat transfer much better / easier for hats? I prefer Screenprinting over heat transfer. But I feel heat transfer might win over here.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.