Discussion, tips, pictures, reviews and peer to peer support for current and future owners of Belquette manufactured machines, including the MOD-1 DTG machine and the Flexi-Jet set series of printers.
Since I have been spending alot of time talking about printing dark garments recently, particularly on the Kornit machine, I thought I would spend a moment and give due consideration to one more aspect of Epson based printing, that really shows off the true value of these machines. To begin with, I would not try printing complex substrates on my Kornit. Why? Well, to begin with, I would rather not risk these insanely expensive printheads. Second? The printable area of the 932D model makes it impossible to print items such as 16x20 art canvi (a term I coined months ago in reference to multiple canvases).
So here you go - some cool stuff to try when you own a small DTG machine, that can actually be used to open up very lucrative niche printing markets!
Playing with different color profiles on 16x20 art canvi.
All canvi on the wall were printed on my Flexi-Jet.
These are just some of the examples of what you can print using any Epson based DTG printer. Of course, the sky is the limit. Well, that and your max printable area. I have experimented with tons of other items as well, but those were the first pics I could find.
Again, I would NOT print this stuff on my Kornit. Additionally, I know Dan Salgado has ready-to-print puzzles for sale as well... Put em in your printer, and print awesome puzzles that look great, and make fantastic gifts! I have some here in my shop, but I have yet to print on them... I might give it a shot sometime very soon. The prices he is asking are PHENOMENAL.
Well of course! I would avoid printing dark shirts on the smaller DTG's, as would almost everyone else who owns them. However, I WOULD print art canvi, hard substrates, light switch covers, puzzles, golf balls, ceiling fan blades (depending on what your machine length is), etc. There are many strengths for these smaller DTG's that are not directly apparent until you actually play with your machine for awhile, and get a little creative.
Well of course! I would avoid printing dark shirts on the smaller DTG's, as would almost everyone else who owns them. However, I WOULD print art canvi, hard substrates, light switch covers, puzzles, golf balls, ceiling fan blades (depending on what your machine length is), etc. There are many strengths for these smaller DTG's that are not directly apparent until you actually play with your machine for awhile, and get a little creative.
Justin...
Very interesting!!!
Do you need to use the pretreatment and post-treatment on non-garment items??
most of the items you would print on will need an irc (ink receptive coating) in order to hold the ink. If the substrate is hard and mostly non-porus you will have a hard time without and irc.
in my opinion justin is right. we sold him his flexi and when he had it he used it for many things besides shirts. It took some encouragement on our part before he really saw the potential.
It all just goes to show you that a machine is a tool but the owners are still the mechanics. There are more people having success with white ink printing, it just has to be understood and practiced.
lol. Yes, when I first got my machine, I made a big fuss to Tom about how I was only looking to print t-shirts, and I was not interested in printing any of the rest of this nonsense. It took me a few weeks before I started printing other items, and then it became real fun.
I think it also has a big impact for your customers to see the variety of things that you can offer. It does not mean they will buy but if they see inspiring things they will be much more apt to tell their friends or look for reasons to use something you may have been displaying.
I had quite a long conversation with one of their reps. about our application which he thought was interesting and it is, of course, something they have never heard of anyone trying. I feel more like Justin every day!
Last edited by guest3300; June 23rd, 2007 at 09:33 AM.
I'm really considering a DTG, they sound great and the results are impressive.
What is holding me back are space limitations and the need to print on sign vinyl. What is the length you can print on seeing as you can't print from a roll?
Also, how do the inks hold up outdoors? Comparable print quality to the Roland VersaCAMM SP-300? Would I need to treat the vinyl too, or are the inks similar to the VersaCAMM's?
Since I have never used anything other than a DTG, I am not qualified to make those comparisons. However, I CAN tell you that the inks hold up very well when properly pre-coated and post-coated. Here is an art canvas I printed last year, which I left a portion outside in direct heat and sunlight in Southern California for over a month. When I brought it back in, there was ZERO loss of vibrancy or color value. The control portion of the canvas was kept in a dark drawer for the duration:
After sunbathing for a long period of time:
As for size limitations, each individual DTG printer will have their own printable area. Look for something with at least 16" x 20" if you want to do more than just t-shirts (ie, a 4800 based machine). I know one of the nicer 4800 units coming to market soon has a 16" wide (or 17"?) and 24" long printable area. Perfect for most items.
What is holding me back are space limitations and the need to print on sign vinyl. What is the length you can print on seeing as you can't print from a roll?
Also, how do the inks hold up outdoors? Comparable print quality to the Roland VersaCAMM SP-300? Would I need to treat the vinyl too, or are the inks similar to the VersaCAMM's?
If you need to print on rolled sign vinyl, the Roland Versacamm SP-300 is really the machine for you. I think the DTGs use pigment inks which are more expensive but would not last as long outdoors as a true Solvent or Eco solvent inks used by the the Roland.
The joy of small format DTG's! - with pics 
I have experimented with tons of other items as well, but those were the first pics I could find.
